The Belly of the Beast

Greetings from the Belly of the Beast, where the Olympics have finally arrived - and so has SFT. They say there are 100,000 security personnel here for the Games, and as I travel across the city it seems like there must be at least that many. The capital city of the nation that illegally occupies Tibet is itself under occupation right now, as the Chinese Government desperately tries to project the illusion that all is well.

I caught a glimpse of our four friends this morning, who pulled off a spectacular pair of banner hangs right outside the now famous Bird’s Nest, more formally known as the National Stadium. I’ve spent my day doing something a lot more common: talking. As normal as talking is, the fact that I’m talking to reporters about Tibet in Beijing definitely makes it a bit less common. And for good reason - there are an awful lot of Tibetans and Chinese dissidents in prison for less.

I worked through a lot of the alphabet today, doing interviews w/ ABC, the BBC, CBC, NBC, SCMP, and the WSJ. So far, I’ve managed to avoid attracting unwanted attention, but as soon as these stories start to run my luck will probably run out and I’ll join our friends from this morning (who will hopefully be out of custody soon). Ideally, though, I’ll be able to keep on speaking the truth about Tibet for a while longer.

It’s been an honor to be able to be here in Beijing, representing SFT. I spent a lot of time and energy trying to warn the IOC that China would just use the Games to try to legitimize their occupation of Tibet and to whitewash their human rights record. They didn’t listen, and I was in Moscow when the IOC met to award Beijing he Games. So I guess some part of me is here to say “I told you so” to the IOC.

More than anything, though, I am here because none of my Tibetan friends can be here themselves. They would risk and sacrifice everything for the opportunity to tell their stories themselves, but the Chinese Government doesn’t have the guts to allow them anywhere near Beijing. For good reason, probably.

I keep getting asked if I really think these protests are going to accomplish anything. Honestly, who can say for sure? A lot depends on whether we are able to create enough momentum that world leaders flocking to Beijing this week will do more than just smile and applaud during the opening ceremonies. It’s time for President Bush to start representing the more than 80% of Americans that believe Tibet should be independent, for example, and I can’t help but hope these protests may inspire him a little.

Regardless of what the politicians do, I know one thing for sure: Tibetans are never going to give up. So let’s not let them down.