Mobbme

I'm not sure if I should've added this in the International Defence Section titled Megaterrorism in Beijing for the 2008 Olympics?

But here it goes, as discussed previously China acting before anything goes bad, and good for them.


China 'uncovers Olympic terror plot' - CNN.com

Mobbme

It doesn't say what nationality the terrorists were, any ideas? Or someone please post updates

dave lukins

[quote]The government said 35 arrests had been made and explosives seized in heavily Muslim north-western Xinjiang province.

It is not clear if the alleged plot is the same as that announced last month, when China said police in January had smashed a bid to attack the Games.

Western diplomats have since asked for more information about the alleged hijack attempt but have said that so far no evidence have emerged.[/QUOTE

Xinjiang province..isn't that next door to Tibet

BenRoethig

On one had, the Olympics would be a prime target for AQ or related groups. On the other I wouldn't put it past the chicoms to use this as a cover for crushing internal dissension.

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troung

EDITORIAL:Beijing’s other crackdowns
Taipei Times - archives

Wednesday, Apr 09, 2008, Page 8

With the focus on unrest in Tibet, not much has been said about another disturbing development in China — government claims that it had stopped a terrorist attack on an airplane last month and arrested a terror ring that was allegedly planning attacks on the Beijing Olympics.

While the news may soon die down — largely unnoticed in the shadow of the Free Tibet debate — the allegations have serious repercussions for the population of China’s largest province, Xinjiang.

The accusations concern the Uighurs, a mostly Muslim, Turkic ethnic group that lives under an autonomous government that, like Lhasa’s, is a farce.

For more than a decade, there has been no evidence of attacks on civilians by Uighurs. That fact has repeatedly undermined Beijing’s efforts to gain support for the “war” on terror that it launched in Xinjiang soon after the Sept. 11 attacks in the US. China’s “war” on terror is a continuation of previous crackdowns in Xinjiang that sought to silence peaceful dissent — including those who appeal for democracy, religious freedom or true autonomy, not independence.

But by reclassifying dissidents in Xinjiang as terrorists, Beijing has sought to gain support from the US and other governments in blocking the activities of Uighurs at home and abroad. It has labeled US-based human-rights activist Rebiya Kadeer a terrorist — in much the same way it deals with the Dalai Lama. It has pressured the US and the UN to blacklist several Uighur groups as terrorist organizations, but has presented not a shred of evidence that these groups are pursuing a violent agenda.

A major obstacle to the success of Beijing’s campaign has been the outcry from non-governmental organizations and governments that have repeatedly asked: How can you wage a “war” on terror on people who are not terrorists? As the Uighur rights movement has gained momentum in the past three years, that question has become a thorn in the side of Beijing.

In this context, human-rights groups and Uighur activists abroad are calling on Beijing to proceed transparently with its prosecution of those whom it accuses of engaging in terrorist activities. Beijing has not presented evidence substantiating its claims that the plots are anything more than a twisted fantasy to justify its oppression in Xinjiang.

And as trials concerning Uighur dissidents are usually labeled state secrets, the chances that the facts would come to light are scant.

That should come as no surprise, as Beijing has blocked any unbiased probe into the Xinjiang region Gulja massacre for 11 years. Like the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989, that incident began with peaceful demonstrations and ended in a military crackdown. And with Beijing’s clampdown, it remains difficult to determine how the violence started.

That same secretiveness ensures that it is impossible to disprove allegations of Uighur violence today, which Beijing hopes will give it the upper hand as it seeks to silence dissent. The international community should not let these reports go unnoticed.

Governments should refuse to take Beijing’s allegations at face value, voice their opposition to oppression of peaceful dissent in Xinjiang and demand that Beijing substantiate its claims of terrorism. If genuine terrorist acts are being plotted, Beijing’s alarm would be legitimate, but it cannot justify the systematic religious and cultural repression it exerts on all Uighurs living within its borders.

Let us not forget Tibet’s neighbor to the north, who now, as much as ever, need the help of a critical international community to take Beijing to task over its actions.
This story has been viewed 840 times.

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art

Don't know about you but I think it's a bunch of BS, the Chinese gov is just blowing smoke to divert attention on the current Tibet issues. They are just trying to make themselfs look like heros to the world.

Ray

Could it be that vested interests are working to destroy China?

A weak China is a safe China.

Why is the world against the peaceful and progressive people of a China that is working so relentlessly to merely survive in the world?

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Nauticus

aktarian

if anybody else is doing it why not Chinese as well?

troung

Hey anything to attempt to distract from the world that they are a nasty regime. Doesn't seem to have worked this time around. Sort of like Marcos at the end.

Maybe next they will burn the reichstag...

lisa_C

I don't know whether the news is true or not?! Especially it is from the CNN, ^_^

What i know is all the chinese looking forward to the Olympics. We have prepared a lot and welcome the people from all over the world.

Even the kids and old person in Beijing can say:"welcome to Beijing!" in English
So why not stop bias and make a good wish!

Ray

The Uighur movement is a very live one.

It is just that the Moslem world does not show the same interest that they do for other ''oppressed'' Moslem brethren since quite a few are bankrolled, in a manner of speaking, with cheap Chinese goodies!!

Ray

And just because the old and the young say in English "welcome to Beijing", we should all stop breathing in awe and astonishment?

How childish!!

Is the Olympics the be all and end all of our existence?

ace16807

Ok, granted, CNN is known for rather liberal bias, and I suppose from your PoV, pro-western bias. But seriously. What is a reliable source of news for you? What the CCP tells you? It seems that all I hear from Chinese users is "Refuting" of news sources such as CNN, NBC, BBC, and many other "western" media sources.

troung

So a shill for a regime which blocks press freedom wants to discuss the honesty of CNN?

Go back to posting about how you criticize the CCP when in the safety of your bathroom with the fan on.