Comments on: Woeser: Tibet Update (May 1-6, 2008)

By: tenzin

tenzin — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 22:31:05 +0000

Every single country in the world has made progress in Human Rights if we compare 50 years back. Many countries has made MUCH more progress than China.

What counts is where we are today….in 2008.

By: mino drake

mino drake — Sat, 10 May 2008 16:28:36 +0000

there is indeed free speech in China, unless you are intentionally close your eye to reality and deny it. the issue is to what extent and in what form.

of course there is not the kind of free speech practiced in the west in China now, or even the kind practiced in Taiwan. but just think about what’s like 20 years ago in taiwan. Give some time to China, please, if it took more than 200 years for Western democracies to evolve and mature.

i have never met a sensible Chinese person who denied that China had no bad records in human rights, especially in the issue of Tibet. i have never met a sensible person who denied that China had made much progress on human rights.

going extreme in assessing Chinese reality does not help.

By: Tenzin

Tenzin — Sat, 10 May 2008 03:33:16 +0000

Jesus???

By: jeff

jeff — Thu, 08 May 2008 18:53:59 +0000

Wangchuk

Why do I have to go to Tiananmen Square for Democracy&Human right when I can do it anywhere? Internet is a pretty good place. As far as I know those who are arrested are accepting funds from foreign NGOs. Why do they have to get money from outside? Those hundreds of thousands right activists have no problem to express their opinions. BTW, I was there in Tiananmen Square in 1989. Were you there?

By: Wangchuk

Wangchuk — Thu, 08 May 2008 18:21:41 +0000

Do you deny that people have been jailed for their writings or expressing their beliefs? The fact that not everyone has been jailed doesn’t mean that no one has been jailed. In fact, Reporters w/o Borders has documented over 30 journalists who have been jailed for what they wrote. Again I challenge you to go to Tiananmen Square & raise a banner for democracy & human rights. Tell me how long you are there before you’re arrested b/c in most cases it will be minutes or even seconds. The fact that you wont’t do it shows to me you don’t believe your own propaganda.

By: jeff

jeff — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:33:33 +0000

Wangchuk

If you can read Chinese, here is a link for Tibetans in Chinese. I can’t read Tibetan. By your standard, everyone in this website and blog should all be put in jail. Jesus.

http://www.tibetcul.com/

By: Wangchuk

Wangchuk — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:00:37 +0000

Woeser’s blog updates is not indicative of free speech in China. Her blogs have been shut down by CCP in the past & she was fired from her prior job b/c of CCP pressure when she wrote favorably about the Dalai Lama. She hasn’t been arrested b/c her husband (writer Wang Lixiong) has political connections to Jiang Zemin but she has had her movements restricted & she has been placed under police surveillance.

Ordinary Tibetans & Chinese who write criticisms about the Party have been arrested, mprisoned & tortured. These are documented human rights violations.

If you think there truly is free speech in China, then go to Tiananmen Square & raise a banner calling for democracy & human rights. I dare anyone who doubts there are human rights violations in China & Tibet.

By: sj

sj — Wed, 07 May 2008 22:12:24 +0000

“The fact is that if you are famous than the government can not really touch you easily. And this is the case with Woeser. She is immensely popular and appealing amongst the China watchers and the government knows that if they do something on her it is not going to be the same as any ordinary person in the street.”

sounds like a great leap forward from good old days of CCP ideological control already. in fact the ordinary persons in the street often enjoy more freedom of speech than she does, saying whatever they want about the government because they have not got an audience of international China watchers.

By: tibet

tibet — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:21:00 +0000

The fact is that if you are famous than the government can not really touch you easily. And this is the case with Woeser. She is immensely popular and appealing amongst the China watchers and the government knows that if they do something on her it is not going to be the same as any ordinary person in the street.

To answer Jeff’s confusion – Yes it is true that Woeser is writing fearlessly but where are her writings being posted…look into this and you will find the answer.

By: jeff

jeff — Wed, 07 May 2008 02:57:09 +0000

OK, she can do anything except organizing anti-government meeting and go abroad. That is not too bad considering what she is doing. And she has a house as big as China.