Posted on 07/19/2008 2:15:20 AM PDT by bad company
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) - For "reasons of safety", bars are forbidden to serve "blacks"" and Mongolians or place tables in the street. Street musicians are being banned, and so is buying medicines containing "stimulants" without a prescription. Prohibitions are on the rise for the Olympic capital, while the first leaks reveal a grandiose fireworks display for the inauguration.
Bar owners around the Workers' Stadium in downtown Beijing say that public security officials are telling them not to let in "blacks" and Mongolians, and many of them have even had to sign a pledge. The official reason is the fight against drugs and prostitution, dominated in the past by Mongolians and persons of colour. Moreover, public places must close by 2 a.m., for security reasons, and the bar owners are being asked to remind their clients that they must always have an identification document with them. There is even doubt over whether the bars within a radius of two kilometres from the Olympic buildings will be able operate, or whether they will have to shut down for the entire period. In some areas, tables are not permitted outside, because "the presence of too many foreigners gathered outside could create problems". There is also an attempt to shut down outdoor musical concerts, to prevent disorder.
Jazz musician David Mitchell says that it is increasingly difficult for his band to find places to play in Beijing "Everything is aimed at creating stability, but they don't understand that is precisely the unfounded prejudice that foreigners have of Chinese society - that it is a highly controlled and not a very cultural place. It seems completely self-defeating".
To guarantee a "clean" Olympics, a doctor's prescription is now required for 1,993 commonly used medicines, or the package must show a warning that the product contains substances believed to be stimulating and not permitted for the athletes. One must go to a hospital to get a prescription, but many of the hospitals ask for as much as 100 yuan for each prescription, causing problems for the elderly and the poor most of all.
Meanwhile, as of July 20 a new regulation will go into effect prohibiting everyday circulation for millions of vehicles, but the three new underground lines are not yet working, and Zhou Zhengyu, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Committee of Communications, is unable to say when they will be opened.
But the inauguration on August 8 will be very well prepared. The programme is "secret", but it is hard to hide a fireworks display, and those who live near the Bird's Nest stadium and have seen the trial runs say they are impressed. The director Zhang Yimou has been preparing the show for three years with artists from all over the world: there was a general rehearsal on July 10, with hundreds of police standing guard to guarantee secrecy.
He’s doing well, thanks for asking.
Perhaps if Compound W hadn’t appeared on Free Republic just in time to spin Chicom “virtue” during the Olympics I would agree with you.
I’m an old Cold Warrior so I can’t help but be leary of what appear to me to be neopinkos.
It may be patriot paranoia,but it has kept America alive so far.
What’s this year’s olympic symbol - white sheets and separate water fountains? This will be a tough call for obama.
No,its still five connected “Os”—that all stand for Obama.
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Interesting. I'm 2-0 myself and sure glad to be here.
"There but for the grace of God go I."
Blacks and Mongolians? What about American Indians? Everyone knows they have problems holding their whiskey.
You really get around! I like lamb a lot. Never had it Mongolian style but it sounds really good. Chinese Muslims also have lots of lamb and mutton soups & dishes
There was no Martin Luther King Jr. in China but there was a Genghis Khan.
Thus Chinese are ignorant of blacks and hostile towards Mongols or Mongolians.
Often both ignorance and hostility cause the same violent results.
One cannot blame the Chinese—the Chicoms keep them stupid.
As for American Indians? The Chinese would say,”Who?”
30 years ago I was in South Korea. I would take trains and busses to get out of Seoul and as far away from crowded city life as possible.
I was married at the time to a white woman who would often go into the countryside with me. Other times a black friend would go with me. In each case we would always get very strange looks as many had never seen either.
As for Indians, it was simply a joke.
Communism, which runs the United States (it’s our only working political party) is racist.
So I guess Obama can’t get a drink at a cafe in China?
It will be interesting to see video of life at the Games from other than official sources. It will look like 2 entirely different events.
I would not be suprised to see Chinese officials confiscating and/or destroying tourist’s videocams if unflattering events unfold.
Had they gotten those last 8 videocams, the murders at tiananmen square would have never “happened”.
Otherwise, the security presence - at the street level - in China is extremely non-obtrusive. Which is why street crime rates - burglaries, snatch thefts, robberies at knifepoint - are extremely high, by New York City standards. A dozen people I know have had motor vehicles stolen from them in the past several years, or been the victims of home break-ins. Cops in China are both rare and worthless at controlling street crime.
I've been to China a number of times. It is an evil regime. However, as long as you don't run afoul of the political machine, you can pretty much do whatever the hell you want. Drive on sidewalks, drive 120mph on the freeway, blow off fireworks and yes, we did all that on occasion.
Sure, if you're a peasant they'll take your land and kick you into a ditch but other than that...shrug.
I found that what we read here in the US is in stark contrast with what you see when you get there.
If you were in China and all you read were stories about cops beating/shooting blacks in LA, NYC, Camden, whatever, you'd think that ALL cops, everywhere in the US do that. It's just not the case.
I'm not discounting that this guy isn't a "goodwill" plant, but frankly everything I've read about what he says rings true to my experiences when I was in China. You hear about things but simply don't see it happening.
Cops in China are both rare and worthless at controlling street crime....................................................................................
China doesn’t have a monopoly on this, just look at Chicago today.
This is going to be one funny train wreck to watch once the Olympics begin. I predict total chaos and confusion, punctuated by a few ChiCom police beatings of local residents, athletes, foreign spectators, and journalists who will inevitably violate some petty law during the whole spectacle.
WARNING: BLACK MONGOLIANS SHOT ON SIGHT!!
I see that your sign-up date is June 29, 2008. So, you're a new guy here, right?
The armies of security guards you see on Chinese streets - to make up for the lack of cops - don't make much of a difference, because they don't get paid much, and there are certainly no death benefits if they get killed in the line of duty. And even the cops probably have reason to step carefully - most are unarmed, and even those who are armed aren't allowed to carry their weapons while off-duty.
LOL...exactly what I thought of when I read the headline!
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