Palimpsest,the scary thing is that she probably lectures at one of our universities.Obiviously not a faculty based on logic.Dare we suggest the humanities?

Just having a bit of fun. lighten up. lol

Arjay and Palimpsest,

Regarding Ms. Shepherd losing her grip on reality or being barking mad? I see nothing to either prompt or sustain such comments.

Her rationale was fair: what relevance do the practices of other countries have here? In Australia the right to congregate and express peaceful protest is allowed.

As pointed out but addressed by neither of you: the Tibetans and Chinese Falun Gong are accorded those rights in Australia. If either of you advocate allowing those of whom you approve the right to express their views and restricting those of whom you do not approve from expressing their views the spirit of democracy is lost. What difference does such an attitude have from the ones which you abhor so vehemently?

As to the assumption that the students here in Australia are the offspring of members of the CCP? I would be interested to know what prompts you towards such an unsubstantiated conclusion? Even supposing for one moment this were true - what does this have to do with these students? Does the average child vow allegiance to their parent's politics?

Or are you still stuck in some historical backwater wherein you assume that every Chinese person is a member of the CCP. Just as some uneducated Asians assume that every Western person is a fundamentalist Christian?

re Romany and Marilyn,

PLease be better informed -Falun Gong have never protested the Olympic Torch or the Olympics being held in China so please refrain from talking about Falun Gong and lumping them in with other protesters. Other wise you are spreading the Ccp's propoganda for them; unless thats what you are intending to do because you support the Ccp's inhuman persecution of Falun Gong in China.. And i sincerely hope that dont support this Genocide of Falun Gong.

Human Rights - what a dilemma they pose when you're trying to do business with a tyrant. In the stampede for profits, it's worth asking: is the promotion of human rights being trampled underfoot?

The ker-ching! of the tills was also audible around the time Beijing controversially won the right to host the 2008 Olympic Games. With Australia backing the Beijing bid, a win for China was going to be -
gold! gold! gold! for Australian companies seeking to profit.

Within days of Beijing's win, Australian companies jumped on the Olympic bandwagon, with lucrative opportunites up for grabs in planning, events management and sport development. There were predictions that Australian business could earn as much as $1 billion.
And Telstra sponsored the Beijing bid, pouring in millions of dollars.
Notably, these companies were mute on human rights.

China executes more people than the rest of the world combined. According to Amnesty International, as many as 10,000 people are killed by the state each year. Freedom of expression is severely curtailed, torture is rampant and systematic, and executions are carried out after unfair trials. Thousands of Falun Gong supporters are locked up for practising a banned religion and Tibetans in Chinese custody are tortured and beaten.

Despite reassurances to the International Community that China would improve its human rights record in the lead-up to the Games, abuses continue unabated.

It is against this backdrop that the newly elected Australian Government seeks to do business with China. Australia has a growing friendship with China. Presumably, it's like being friends with a neighbour you know beats his wife every night.

Come the Olympic Games, with journalists crawling everywhere, how will China manage intense media scrutiny? How will it deal with pro-Tibetan demonstrators if they risk all by protesting against the Games? And if China doesn't respond in the way the world expects it to, how will friends like Australia deal with it?

It has been argued that in its relationship with China, the Australian Government is trying to keep economics and politics separate. Will it succeed is the question?

Frankly, Australia, as a medium power, has no much space in international affairs.

Recent torch relay drama is an interesting international struggle. All the anti-China (don't cover with human rights etc) organizations are supported by west governments, including financial support. It is not difficult to find some 9 to 5 "professional" anti-China protestor in west countries.

BTW, dont regard some west countries as the whole world.

Pro and anti China drama reflects international and subtle internal politics, and actually provides a bit more space for Australian diplomatic policies.