POLITICS: China Explains Why Child Activist Is In Forced Labor Camp

China’s government has denied claims made by the United States that Mao Hengfeng, an activist against the one child program, is undergoing re-education through forced labor because of her efforts. Instead they state that she is in the forced labor camp because she disturbed the peace. Rights groups further allege that she has been forcibly incarcerated in psychiatric hospitals and tortured.




Well, I for one feel much better about it now. The communist government of China is saying that it wasn’t her views on the one child policy that placed her in a forced labor camp for reeducation, rather they fact that she disturbed the peace. This is typical of the levels of human rights violations withing the system. I for one am totally disgusted that they even got the 2008 Olympics and shudder to think how they will behave after when they don’t fear losing them.

Originally posted by FredT
I for one am totally disgusted that they even got the 2008 Olympics and shudder to think how they will behave after when they don’t fear losing them.

Let us keep sports and politics separate shall we?

If you look from that view, then there is no country in the world that has not, in the recent past or present, abused human rights and hid the truth from public.

Surf

While it is difficult to do, my family will be making a conscience effort to try and not purchase items made in China if alternatives are avalible. I have no illusions that it will be easy, but the thought of this woman and others being forced to make my shoes and other items repusles me. I realize that the sweatshops in Indonesia and elesewhere are perhaps just as bad, but I feel strongly about this.

Originally posted by FredT
While it is difficult to do, my family will be making a conscience effort to try and not purchase items made in China if alternatives are avalible. I have no illusions that it will be easy, but the thought of this woman and others being forced to make my shoes and other items repusles me. I realize that the sweatshops in Indonesia and elesewhere are perhaps just as bad, but I feel strongly about this.

Haha. I hope you are kidding.

Lot of the stuff we use are from China. Good luck trying to single handely boycott those stuff.

Surf

Originally posted by surfup
Let us keep sports and politics separate shall we?
If you look from that view, then there is no country in the world that has not,

So its better that they are upfront about thier abuses? The Olympics while a sport is much more a political animal than the ancient Greeks ever concived it is. It would be naive to think that it is just about the games themselves. And it feeds into thier persistent pattern of human rights violations. Forcible evicitons from land and home to build venues, slave labor being used to build venues and the like. Lets not even open the genocide in Tibet eh?

Yes every nation has things to be ashamed of in thier past, but it does not make similar crimes in the present okay by any stretch

Originally posted by FredT
The Olympics while a sport is much more a political animal than the ancient Greeks ever concived it is. It would be naive to think that it is just about the games themselves. And it feeds into thier persistent pattern of human rights violations. Forcible evicitons from land and home to build venues, slave labor being used to build venues and the like. Lets not even open the genocide in Tibet eh?

Yes every nation has things to be ashamed of in thier past, but it does not make similar crimes in the present okay by any stretch

So what next? Pretend China doesn't exist because they are abusing their citizens?

Even if you deny them that right, the ones who are abusing will continue to abuse because that is how the system works.

Instead of denying them stuff, maybe we should give them stuff, give them the idea of democracy and the worth of the individual. Not all nations were born being democratic, they slowly moved to it, very slowly. In time even China will move towards democracy.

Surf

China's done her bad things in the past but its not like America just shines as an examplary rolemodel for the other countries. Not everything does is so pretty, you killed how many millions of natives? Surpressed how many millions of slaves for 200 years? KKK killed how many catholics and blacks?

So what next? Pretend China doesn't exist because they are abusing their citizens?

Even if you deny them that right, the ones who are abusing will continue to abuse because that is how the system works.

Instead of denying them stuff, maybe we should give them stuff, give them the idea of democracy and the worth of the individual. Not all nations were born being democratic, they slowly moved to it, very slowly. In time even China will move towards democracy.

It's funny...This is just what was done with Nazi Germany. I think we all know how that worked out...

Rewarding corrupt, abusive behavior like China's isn't a good thing.

Originally posted by Disturbed Deliverer
It's funny...This is just what was done with Nazi Germany. I think we all know how that worked out...

Rewarding corrupt, abusive behavior like China's isn't a good thing.

Do you honestly think that not giving them Olympic seat would somehow make the corrupted gov't officials turn good and give people equal rights?

At least this way the west doesn't look like having a monopoly on Olypmics.

True it is sad that people are treated worse than animals there, but denying them Olypmic seat just won't do the job of correcting them.

Surf

Originally posted by Disturbed Deliverer

Rewarding corrupt, abusive behavior like China's isn't a good thing.

Sure isn't...but voila, in the States it gets you relected!!

Do you honestly think that not giving them Olympic seat would somehow make the corrupted gov't officials turn good and give people equal rights?

At least this way the west doesn't look like having a monopoly on Olypmics.

True it is sad that people are treated worse than animals there, but denying them Olypmic seat just won't do the job of correcting them.

It may not correct them, but it sends the message that we don't accept them.

Giving them them the Olympics is a honor they don't deserve.

Sure isn't...but voila, in the States it gets you relected!!

Pure rhetoric. If you want to argue about Bush, I'd be glad to. Don't go making ambiguous statements like that, though.

I suspect that China has a good potential for civil disorder in the near to medium future. This will result from a mix of factors: the inevitable economic bust that follows the boom, reaction against the kind of oppression exemplified by this example, and a growing thirst for freedom from a growing middle class. Once the genie is out of the bottle...

Originally posted by Disturbed Deliverer
It may not correct them, but it sends the message that we don't accept them.
Giving them them the Olympics is a honor they don't deserve.

No matter how many messages we send or how many MOABs we sent will correct them. Only way for China to correct is by itself. You know we can't teach a person who refuses to learn.

Sure isn't...but voila, in the States it gets you relected!!

Pure rhetoric. If you want to argue about Bush, I'd be glad to. Don't go making ambiguous statements like that, though.

Ambiguous? Come on, everyone knows who we are talking about.

Surf

Ambiguous? Come on, everyone knows who we are talking about.

I know exactly who he was talking about. Without a specific argument, there's little to address. It's not an argument.

No matter how many messages we send or how many MOABs we sent will correct them. Only way for China to correct is by itself. You know we can't teach a person who refuses to learn.

Not true at all. China does what it does still because too many refuse to act. The West now has considerable influence in China. If we made threats of sanctions, the government's plans would be devestated. The Olympics itself is extremely important to the Chinese government.

Originally posted by surfsup

Pure rhetoric. If you want to argue about Bush, I'd be glad to. Don't go making ambiguous statements like that, though.

Unless you have been living in a cave you know who I was referring to. Chastising a country for their human rights record when your leaders are rewarded for allowing the same or worse at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo is what I was thinking when I read the poster's comment. Sheesh, where's your sense of humour tonight?

[edit on 10/1/05 by AlwaysLearning]

I'm sorry. I never thought putting people into re-education camps was worse then putting bags on a naked guy's head...OH, what about that torture in Guantanamo? How evil of Americans to throw Israeli flags on Muslim men and make them listen to patriotic American music!

The abuse at these bases is hardly as severe as the media has made it out to be. Hell, I'm willing to go as far as almost agree with Limbaugh on this. They were more like what you see in college hazing then torture.

I love the lengths people go to support the brutal communist governemtn of China. And lets come up with a better strawman argument that "look at what your country has done". Past abuses do not tacitly make what they are doing okay. And if you really want to talk about the past look no further than the Cultural revolution. How many millions died to realize the twisted dream of the pedofile Mao?

Surf, yes I will need luck in boycotting Chinas products. As I said "Where avalible" Not many mind you but, if ewnought people do so it could make a differnece. You do what you can withing reason.

I was actually a little surprised and heartened to read this posting. Years ago, the Chinese government would either outright deny detentions or keep a deafening silence and simply ride out the wave of criticism and opinion. Hey, it's a real miracle that they are now trying (quite lamely, of course) to justify a detention.

I don't know if its good or bad. Its as if they do not give a crap. "Yeah Yeah she is in a forced labor camp for re-education, but not for what you think" :shk:

I wonder what will happen during the Olympics, with all of the international press and visitors from around the world. Journalists from outside China aren't as easily controlled, and the entire world will be watching. If I were planning a big protest, that might be the time to do it. Sure, within a week of everyone going home, you'd be dead, but the Chinese govt wouldn't be able to deny it, either.