Posted on 03/21/2008 7:19:04 PM PDT by traumer
Americans traveling to China for the Olympic Games in August can expect their hotel rooms there to be monitored, the State Department warned on its website.
"All visitors should be aware that they have no reasonable expectation of privacy in public or private locations," according to the State Department site.
"All hotel rooms and offices are considered to be subject to on-site or remote technical monitoring at all times. Hotel rooms, residences and offices may be accessed at any time without the occupant's consent or knowledge," it said.
It added that many hotels and apartment buildings may be poorly built, lack emergency exits, fire extinguishers, carbon monoxide monitors and basic security like locks, alarms, and personnel.
It also said that the threat of terrorism appeared to be minimal, but urged caution nonetheless.
"The threat level for terrorism against Americans in China remains low. However, any large-scale public event like the upcoming Olympic Games could become the focus of terrorist acts or other forms of violence," it said.
"There is no reason to believe that US citizens are being targeted at this time," it said.
It also said crime rates were relatively low, with major metropolitan areas safer than similar sized cities in other developing countries.
But "while the overall crime threat is low, the number of criminal incidents, including those directed against Americans, continues to rise," it added.
The Olympic Summer Games will take place from August 8-24, followed by the Beijing Paralympic Summer Games 2008 from September 6-17.
That’s okay, there’s plenty of places in Europe and elsewhere I’ve yet to see where I need not worry about having my Bible confiscated from me when I pass customs.
No wonder their 1-child policy succeed!
Gee... I hope its not the same athletes...
The worst problem we experience was the concept of service. There wasn’t any. We did three-star hotels in Shanghai and Beijing. If we had a problem or questions the personnel seemed as if we were annoying them. We had to seek information outside the hotel.
Too many athletes have worked too hard to get to the Olympics … they will go. We had a chance to learn a critical lesson the last time we boycotted the Olympics (1980 (?)). (Didn’t accomplish anything.)
Most athletes only get one shot and I doubt that any would want to bypass a chance at world fame and to achieve their lifelong (hard earned) goals. Boycott, in my opinion, is not going to happen. ;-)
LOL
The concept of privacy has a different meaning in different places. In a densly populated country like China, there is privacy in the anonymity of crowds. Chinese are rather famous for not expressing their emotions, because to hide one's emotions is an act of privacy to them. They are astonished sometimes at how expressive Americans are, to them our openness violates their privacy.
Looking forward for the MARATHON....
You mean I've been doing it all wrong all my life?
Caution! Sidewalk has a stupid signpost right in the middle of it, just when it turns from concrete to grass.
That’s a racist sign. The green person is sitting down correctly.
One covert missionary couple . . . teaching at a univ . . .
at night . . . in bed . . . the wife whispered lovingly to hubby that she was pregnant.
The next morning, the wife of the security official for the univ congratulated her on passing her on the sidewalk on campus. No one else had been told.
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