This is the lead story in today’s issue of the Guardian, a London daily:

“A Chinese cargo ship believed to be carrying 77 tonnes of small arms, including more than 3 million rounds of ammunition, AK47 assault rifles, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades, has docked in the South African port of Durban for transportation of the weapons to Zimbabwe, the South African government confirmed yesterday. It claimed it was powerless to intervene as long as the ship’s papers were in order.

Copies of the documentation for the Chinese ship, the An Yue Jiang, show that the weapons were sent from Beijing to the ministry of defence in Harare. Headed ‘Dangerous goods description and container packing certificate’, the document was issued on April 1, three days after Zimbabwe’s election. It lists the consignment as including 3.5 million rounds of ammunition for AK47 assault rifles and for small arms, 1,500 40mm rockets, 2,500 mortar shells of 60mm and 81mm calibre, as well as 93 cases of mortar tubes.”

Alas … China …

We watched with the world recently as the Olympic torch fought its way through the obstacle course of pro-Tibet protesters and riot police in London and Paris. (In London, police arrested protesters simply for wearing Free Tibet t-shirts.) Authorities were ready by the time the torch got to San Francisco, and thus were able to conceal its “parade” route from the throngs of disappointed protesters and claim that the SF relay was a huge “success”. But I was so proud of my beloved city when I viewed the youtube videos of the Free Tibet banners protesters climbed up high on the Golden Gate Bridge to place.

I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment shared by our friend, David, in San Francisco. On the day the torch arrived there, he wrote:

“The city IS buzzing, and it’s exciting as hell. I loved seeing the Tibetan women holding Tibetan flags as I came out of Embarcadero Bart this morning. I am very happy the Tibet supporters are out en masse today. During the Olympics, no protests are of any value because the media is into the games and the games are under so much security, it doesn’t matter. This torch-bearing thing is THE opportunity to get the message heard. I was at Grace Cathedral last night for an awards ceremony of the international gay and lesbian human rights commission. Anyway, Desmond Tutu was the honoree, and what a great speaker. That guy is Dalai Lama caliber…fuck the chinese government. I hope the U.S. sits out the Olympics (like Carter did with the USSR in 1980 when they invaded Afghanistan). It’s a pity to make the Olympics and the athletes suffer, but it’s also a pity to bring the positive press (and the cash cow) to China.”

I have been torn about the issue of boycotting the Olympics because the athletes train so hard for that window of opportunity every 4 years. I really wish the games could be just about the games, rather than about politics. But this time around, it’s about much more than politics. How can the World Community just sit back and wait for those Chinese AK47’s, 3 million rounds of ammunition, and rockets and mortars to be used?

The article states more:

“Despite international criticism, the Chinese government has been a longstanding backer of Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe’s authoritarian regime, supplying it with jet fighters, military vehicles and guns. China, or Chinese businesses, are reported to have sold radio-jamming devices to prevent independent stations from contradicting the state-controlled media, and have signed vital agriculture deals. Even the blue tiles on Mugabe’s latest 25-bedroom mansion, reminiscent of Beijing’s Forbidden City, were a gift from China.”

How China was ever chosen to host the Olympic games in the first place is completely beyond me …

Ruth

Categories: The World Community
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