[Radix] Re: UN Wire -- Olympics boycott????

[George Kent]

Now that I'm back from travels, and having caught up with myself, I've  
taken a second look at this message from Ben on July 12. I don't  
support Ben's proposal about boycotting the Olympics  because that is  
a rather blunt instrument, leading to no clear destination. Besides,  
most of us aren't going to the Olympics anyway, and no one cares what  
we do.

Maybe something more positive could be done by taking advantage of  
Ben's role with Beijing Normal U. Would it be possible to get a  
conversation going on what rights Chinese (or anyone) ought to have  
with regard to disaster policy in all its dimensions? Maybe a small  
conference? Getting some academics into such a conversation could lead  
to something, and for that reason it would be a victory in itself.

Or maybe someone's got other ideas? The Olympics are going to go away  
in a few days, but this issue will be with us for a very long time.

Aloha, George





On Jul 12, 2008, at 7:25 AM, bwisner at igc.org wrote:

> Hi, all,
>
> I make this suggestion with some trepidation and at some potential  
> professional cost.  I have a long term relationship as Honorary  
> Professor in the Institute for Disaster Prevention and Public  
> Security at Beijing Normal University.  I value my colleagues there  
> very much and am certainly planning to return to do more teaching  
> and research with them.  Among other things, they are the creators  
> of an excellent Atlas of Natural Hazards ofrChina and some of the  
> best secondary school texts on hazards and disaster that I have yet  
> seen.  For these reasons, I am sure the whole team at this institute  
> at BNU is unhappy with the way that the legitimate protests of  
> parents who lost children in preventable school collapse during the  
> Sichuan earthquake have been muzzled by the authorities.
>
> Nevertheless, in response to James' note and the information  
> forwarded to us by George, I'd urge everyone to support an renewed  
> call for a boycott of the Beijing Olypics.
>
> The outpouring of sympathy for those who sufferred in Sichuan, and  
> admiration for the Chinese authorities' response (especially when  
> compared to that the Burmese generals were failing to do at the same  
> time) led to a relaxation of calls for a boycott over China's  
> policies in Tibet.  However, in light of the repression of parents  
> who justly want those responsible for shoddy construction and  
> maintenance of schools to be held accountable, repression of other  
> dissidents, continued intransigience in regard to Tibet, and, most  
> recently, the Chinese veto of an arms embargo on Zimbabwe, are  
> causes enough to reinstate a strong call for an Olympic boycott.
>
> See Journalist without Borders http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=174 
>  ; and boycott home page http://www.beijingolympicsboycott.com/ ; as  
> well ashttp://hrw.org/doc/?t=asia&c=china & http://www.ir2008.org/ .
>
> La lucha continua!
>
> BEN
> -----Original Message-----
> From: James Lewis
> Sent: Jul 12, 2008 7:19 AM
> To: radix at ecie.org
> Subject: [Radix] Re: UN Wire
>
>
> Thank you George for the UN Wire alert on Huang Qi's arrest.
>
> There is one item already on Radix referring to the China earthquake  
> and school collapse ( http://www.radixonline.org/latest.htm
> 26/05/08 in "Latest additions"). If it is the view of fellow  
> Radixers, a platform for protest could and should be developed. That  
> there is risk in being "radical" should not deter us from defending  
> other radicals at risk.
>
> James
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