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Insurance underwriters, Lloyd's of London also secured a deal giving it access to the Chinese market. This is good too. Now the Tibetans may be able to insure themselves against being tortured by the Chinese security services. There may be a special policy that you can take out against having your teeth pulled out in an effort to stop you saying stuff like ‘religious intolerance is passé, dude’. Perhaps, with the new insurance policy you get a free pen, as an incentive. You can use it to sign your confession; if your fingers haven’t been broken, that is. Premier Hu (who?) says "I see the great potential for future growth and I am happy about it." Well, he doesn’t look very happy does he? (picture below left) Try saying ‘Free Tibet’ to him, and watch him crack a smile…just after the Chinese Security Forces crack your shin bone. I’ve done my best, in the picture (below right...obviously) to make him lighten up a bit, but as you can see, it’s not working; even though Bert, behind him, is whispering a favoured joke of Chairman Mao, about us Imperialistic Western Running Dogs and our double standards concerning oppressive regimes. In Tibet, he demonstrated infamous sense of humour by his toughness when he responded to separatist protests by declaring martial law. It paved the way for similarly harsh measures to be used to end the Tiananmen Square demonstrations in Beijing. That’s if you consider that sort of thing to be harsh in the first place. Mister Blair obviously doesn’t, otherwise he wouldn’t be sucking up to Premier Hu (eh, say again?).
Now, I like Chinese people so I’m not having a go at them. In fact I don’t even want to say ‘them’. I’d much rather say ‘us’ but I’m sort of Irish so I can’t; but yes, I like Chinese people, and they love me. Well, I presume so. I’m just guessing here, because I don’t know any. This is surprising as there are 1.3 billion Chinese people in the world at the moment. Oops. Here comes another thousand to add to that figure. China, as we know wants to reduce it's own population by limiting the number of children born to each family; that's fair enough. It is their country after all, but they also impose this on Tibet, which is not there country, apart from the fact that they stole it of the Tibetan people by invading them. Tibetan women, come under pressure to abort their children. They face numerous pressures from the Chinese authorities to limit the number of their offspring to one. I can understand this if the first one looked like Yoda, but there is growing evidence that women are being forced to have abortions and sterilisations. I wonder if Tony Blair discussed this with Tibet lacks proper contraception. Though I have to say, the smell of Yak would probably do it for you and me in the West, ridding us of our friskiness. Though for some, as they say, ‘beauty is in the eye of the beer holder’. However, on the evenings when there is nothing on the prayer wheel, a spot of rumpty-tumpty is quite a nice way to spend those cold evenings. It also leads to unwanted pregnancies, and abortion is a common practice. The Chinese Government provides some contraception possibly hoping the Tibetans will ‘contracept’ themselves into extinction without providing heirs.
It also provides strong incentives to have only one child, and to then abort any others or get sterilised; as encouragement, for a single child they provide an initial payment of 50 yuan followed by five yuan every month, priority for goods, job promotions, and free medical treatment until the child is 18. In such a poor society these are powerful incentives, taken with the fact that job penalties apply to uncooperative women. I doubt if it is an actual policy but this has the effect of reducing the number of Tibetans, whilst the increasing number of Chinese settlers over the years will make the Tibetans a minority in their own country. This is ethnic cleansing at source; the Chinese Government is destroying Tibetan national, religious and cultural identity. But Tony Blair said, some time ago, before his meeting with Premier Hu (say what?) ‘However much I dislike the idea of abortion, you should not criminalize a woman who, in very difficult circumstances, makes that choice.’ Fair enough, but what about doing business with a government that does it’s best to create those difficult circumstances? Tony obviously thinks they shouldn’t be criminalised or brought under pressure either. What a guy. It must be nice to know that you can be the Premier of a country that has a long list of human rights abuses and Tony won’t hold it against you.
Tony could be a real shit and say that the red carpet that greeted you on your arrival in the UK was actually dyed red from the blood of the victims of your oppressive regime, but no…rest easy. You’re welcome provided you can agree to give us contracts for the people who the politicians work for, namely, big business.
This year has seen a sharp increase in human rights violations by China. This includes Internet censorship. Not of pictures of a dubious nature, but of free speech in China. This is a pity because it means there are 1.3 billion of Chinese who will not enjoy the picture I’ve got of Tony Blair with his head up the Chinese Premier’s ass. Free speech includes trying to organise and take part in peaceful protests to improve working conditions.
I do know that Tony Blair and Premier Hu (ha) discussed 'political developments and human rights'. We know this because a Downing Street spokesman told us. What they discussed, well….apparently that is not something that is up for public discussion. The talk was held in secret. Brad Adams, Human Rights Watch director for Asia said in a statement, ‘ China has been acting as if the world isn't watching human rights in the country deteriorate.’
If Tony Blair is anything to go by, it doesn’t matter if the world is watching or not. Money talks... ...in fact, in this case, it also goes ballroom dancing. But that’s just between you and me and the Chinese Security Forces. The Chinese government not only denies the Tibetan people the right to peaceful protest. It also cracks down on and protest by Chinese citizens. The most overt example of this when it massacred its own people in 1989, to stop the peaceful protests in Tianamen Square. If you follow the link HERE. You may remember the story of this brave young Chinese man, stopping a line of tanks, sent by the government to clear Tianamen Square of peaceful protesters. It is believed he was executed some time after this event. Interesting to think, we were able to watch the slaughter of Chinese people protesting peacefully for human rights, but we are not allowed to hear Tony Blair and Premier Hu when all they are going to do, so they say, is discuss Human Rights.......... Tiananmen Square - some of the victims
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But anyway; Premier Hu (huh?) is, despite the evidence of his picture, very happy. I bet he is. Lovely. Future growth. Lots of Money. Will he use it to rebuild some of the 6000 Buddhist monasteries that were destroyed since invaded in 1949? No. I doubt it. Well actually, I’m lying.
They’ve rebuilt a few hundred in all that time. This is more about giving the appearance of religious freedom than the actuality of it. It also gives the hundreds of thousands of Chinese who have been moved into Tibet to settle, something to look at on their days off; if they get one. Who knows? Maybe there is a holiday like, National Mao Halitosis day, where they get to wave little red flags, cup their hands and breathe surreptitiously into the concave hollow of their palms and see if they can detect anything.
Premier Hu (what?) after showing him some wallet photos of Cherie and the kids.
