Posted by dwseeker (Msg) on 2009-11-17 00:54:59:

Where does this new President stand?

Monday, November 16, 2009 Where does this new President stand?

As the President of the United States sleeps in China tonight, one must wonder what thoughts remain in his mind for tomorrow's talks with Hu Jintao.

Human rights have been heard coming from President Obama throughout the visit, but in a vague and wire-walking way. He addressed a group of students in an open format, which is a first for a US President in China, stating the need for freedom of expression, open access to information, religious freedom and expression.

While it is hard to know exactly what will be said during the meeting between the two heads tomorrow, the abuse and stamping out of independent voices is certain. Just recently, three Tibetans were executed connected to a riot that occured during a protest in March 2008.

Kunchok Tsephel was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for allegedly disclosing state secrets. The charges stemmed from Kunchok running the Tibetan cultural and literary website, www.tibetcm.com, where he made it known the abuses that were taking place in Tibet during the March 2008 riot. According to phayul.com reports, "The Chinese government does not need to define what constitutes a ‘state secret.’ ‘State secrets’ laws and regulations are implemented through Communist Party controlled-government bodies that work together with state security, and through criminal laws, to create an opaque system that controls the classification of—and criminalizes the disclosure or possession of—state secrets." It will be interesting to see how "freedom of information and expression" goes along with 15 years for "telling it like it is."

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for tibetan assistance/independence sites view: www.rangzen.com----- www.tchrd.org----- www.tibetannetwork.org---- www.tibetanreview.net---- www.tibet.net--- www.phayul.com