There are a lot of stories coming out of China recently which aren't hitting the main stream press.
Recently, we had a webcam interview with citizen journalist Noel Hidalgo and Students for a Free Tibet Founder John Hocevar. They were deported from China during the Olympics for flying the Tibetan flag while speaking up for Tibetan rights.
They talked to us about what happened and why they're doing what they're doing. If you want to find out more info, check out Free Tibet 2008 TV and The Olympic Blog. Noel also took some Live streaming videos on Qik.
And if you want to know a bit more about what citizen journalists are facing in China right now, check out this video:
Jason said:
I'd love to know what happened to Noel when he was detained. What happened? Where did they take you? What did they say to you? What happened at the airport? Who foots the bill to change your flight?
Paco said:
Omg, this is so gossipy. .. Not, I think that China has to be, more liberal about the Video's.
Matt Gowdy said:
China is a little touchy on the whole Tibet thing. I can see why they might be deporting protesters (would you like a bunch of foreigners coming into your backyard and telling you how you should act?). Granted that doesn't make what China did to Tibet right in any way, but the government is very very sensitive to the topic.
To be honest, it may be a decent time to protest this in Tibet, with the Olympics on, China is trying to be very image conscious to the world (which is another reason why protesters are being cracked down on). If these people had tried this about 10 years ago, they would have just been led around back and shot. The times, they are a changin'.
Raising awareness of Tibet is great. Keeping the traditions of the Tibetans alive is even better. But if you're going to get anything accomplished in China, maybe they should be focusing on the grassroots free speech movement in China instead of taking their angst out on camera. You want to beat a totalitarian government? You supply the masses with information that makes them look up and say "Wow, I never knew I could be free before."
That's how we up the ante. Just be careful of stray bullets.
Alex said:
Amazing story. Thanks to Zadi and the Fuers for doing this as it'd never make the MSM. I can't believe we let a country like this host a celebration of world unity and human achievement.
Digg the story: http://digg.com/world_news/citizen_journalist_gets_deported_from_china
Nathan Dorjee said:
Great interview on an important subject... glad to see an O.G. videoblogger covering this story.
Stephen Kastner said:
It's so cool to live in the USA where we can have all sorts of things wrong with our own government (Gitmo, waterboarding, secret prisons, CIA spying on people, phones tapped, etc.) and yet still feel so cool about it all that we can travel to another country to protest their government. I love the fuckin' Dalai Lama, giggling as he incites his sheep-like followers to stick their heads under the blade. To be honest, these "poor Tibetan protesters" burned several shops, killing the shopkeepers who were trapped inside. Of course they should be jailed! The global symbol of unification presented in the Torch relay from nation to nation was destroyed... and, if you do your fucking homework, you will soon learn that the Eisenhower Administration fueled the 1958 revolt in Tibet to make trouble within "Communist China," then they abandoned support when the going got rough, leaving the Tibetan pawns to die just like we did with the Cubans who died at the Bay of Pigs. Go back further to learn about the British invading Tibet in 1904, murdering the Tibetan Chinese army who tried to fight against the Brit soldiers' cannons and machine guns with their swords and flintlock rifles. Liberals who want a free Tibet are just duped by the same war-profiteers who love to sell weaponry to Taiwan. If you live in a glass house, it is best not to throw stones
Benjamin Winters said:
To Stephen: I understand where you are coming from. Certainly those Tibetans who protested violently should be prosecuted accordingly. However, I don't think you would support the jailing of so many people who have been practicing non-violent resistance. Regarding the Dalai Lama, would you have him not rally support for the cause? What should he do differently? His happy nature is simply the result of reducing attachment and preconceptions, but that doesn't change the goal of promoting freedom within his former home. I didn't personally protest the torch relay, but I would presume that the protesters were trying to bring awareness to this false display of unity. I am aware of the opportunity for war profiteering and the failures of previous liberation movements. However, you shouldn't confuse the motives of compassionate people with those of geopolitical manipulators. Should we not speak for people outside our borders?
