| Letter to the Editor, Dundalk Democrat, 30th
May 2007
Unless the Chinese Government agrees to the immediate deployment of UN Peacekeeping troops in Sudan's violent Darfur region, the Irish Government should threaten to withdraw from the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. For China, the Beijing Olympics are a turning point: their chance to throw off the shackles of traditionalism and preen their new, modern selves in front of a global television audience.
Boycotting the Olympics, jeopardising the prestige of the Games and, creating a public relations disaster is the only action that will make China sit up and listen.
One peculiarity begs to be pointed out: that in preparation for the Games, Beijing is mobilizing 20,000 security personnel to ensure a safe environment for the Games the same number of troops agreed for rapid deployment by last years' Security Council Resolution to ensure a safe environment in Darfur.
This same resolution was vetoed by China.
China's complicity in the Darfur genocide makes its Olympic slogan, “One world, one dream” a complete joke.
Which is more important?
The Olympic games taking place for the greater glory of China, or the lives of 4 million vulnerable civilians?
Not only is China the largest purchaser of Sudanese oil, but United Nations investigators have found most of the small arms fuelling the conflict and human rights abuses in Darfur are Chinese.
This flow of arms into Darfur has been matched by a flow of aid agencies out of the region which has become too violent to operate in.
In the latter half of 2006, 13 humanitarian workers were killed on the job, threatening the very feasability of the world's largest aid operation, and putting the lives of millions beyond reach.
Meanwhile 400,000 people have been killed, and over 3.5 million displaced, by the senseless conflict.
Hopefully there will not be the necessity to carry out the threat – we all want to see Irish athletes distinguish themselves at the Olympics.
The hope is that, should the Irish Government take this action other, more powerful nations, may be persuaded to exert pressure on the Chinese authorities.
China believes its time has come.
Let's make this Darfur's time, too.
John O'Shea |
