China must tackle Darfur for successful Olympics – activist
June 7, 2007 (HONG KONG) — China must persuade Sudan to halt atrocities in Darfur and reduce executions on its home soil if next year’s Olympics are to be successful, a leading US human rights activist said Thursday.
There have been frequent reports in China of a crackdown on internet use, the jailing of reporters and human rights defenders, as well as suppression of minorities in Tibet and Xinjiang.
“China is determined to win the most gold. But it’s not just about getting medals; it’s about showing off China, showing off the peaceful life of China, showing off the harmonious society,” Kamm told reporters after a luncheon speech in Hong Kong
He called on China to support Darfur deployment of UN force and establish a no fly zone there.
“It’s a very simple issue. People have been slaughtered and raped. We have the power to stop it,” Kamm said.
“I think China can be brought onto this. They are not on board yet; they are resisting it but the price is very very high on this. And if it comes down to a successful Olympic Games and Darfur, I think they will choose the Olympic Games.
“I have confidence in the Chinese leaders because they so badly want a successful games,” he added.
China has drawn international criticism in the run-up to the 2008 Olympics for its ties with Sudan, under which it supplies arms to the African state while buying more than half its oil. Beijing has also held off US-led attempts at the United Nations Security Council to force Sudan to allow UN troops into the region.
Kamm’s comments follow a call from a French politician for a boycott and an appeal from a Hollywood star who said the Beijing Olympics risked being remembered as the “genocide games”.
US film star and UN Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow in March urged firms sponsoring the Olympics to press China over its ties to the Sudan government, accused of involvement in genocide in its Darfur region.
Kamm also said China should reduce executions by at least 50 percent and called on Beijing to improve its relationship with the media by releasing Hong Kong reporter Ching Cheong, chief China correspondent for Singapore’s Straits Times.
He has been jailed for five years for leaking state secrets but Ching maintains his innocence.
According to Amnesty International, China executes more people every year than the rest of the world combined and uses capital punishment for non-violent crimes such as embezzlement and graft.
Amnesty said at least 1,010 people were known to have been executed and 2,790 sentenced to death in China in 2006, based on public reports. But rights groups believe the real number executed annually could be as high as 15,000.
(AFP)