Which really free countries might that be Socratease?

The US with its barbarous self-proclaimed right to invade, murder, rape and pillage throughout the world, Russia with is subjugation of the Chechens, Australia with its imperialist invasions in the region and murderous adventures with the US in Iraq and Afghanistan? There are no free countries, my friend.

Factual, well presented and informative article.

I am one of the many hundreds of journalists working in China, who have had their visas cancelled and ejected pre Games.

We were not surprised since China was stretching its security manpower to monitor the thousands of new journalists arriving for the Games and did not want others "free" to report on unauthorised events. While forcibly ejected from Tibet, Beijing granted unprecedented access and support to journalists to cover the May 12 earthquake providing invaluable international sympathy, support and aid. Forcible ejection followed the revelations of official corruption, shoddy building practices in public building buildings, including schools and hospitals, exposed by the quake, as well as preferential treatment, corruption and diversion of funds and resources in the aftermath.

The Beijing Olympics will go down in history as the Games that broke the mould of a happy fun filled atmosphere for spectators and athletes alike, highlighted by the Athens and then Sydney Games.

The Beijing Games will be remembered as one staged in an atmosphere of paranoia and controversy and now described as the "fun free or killjoy Games".

Outdoor events, music festivals and wandering music will be missing. So will the impromptu parties. China's "Anti-Fun Police" even vet lyrics and the production before approving any musical event. Even an encore requires advance approval.

While Beijing whines about "unfair and unfounded criticism", they can only blame their own policies and paranoia.

Beijing used the Tibet riots and unrest in Xinjiang to arrest and execute numbers of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, claiming them to be "terrorist cells". Any individual with the slightest association in criticizing the CCP have been either arrested or "relocated". The high profile media campaign focussing on numerous "acts of terror" provided "evidence" to support the massive security measures to ensure "social harmony" during the Games

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The inevitable backlash to such propaganda and many of the new problems is China's own doing. China has a history of accidents involving fires and explosions on public transport that are linked to passengers carrying volatile materials in their baggage.

State media focus on a spate of accidents labelled "terrorist activities" effectively created a "cry wolf" scenario jumped on by groups claiming responsibility. The effect was to give credence to the media terrorist attacks and undermine Beijing's claims of having "terrorist cells" under control.

Immediately, Beijing back flipped and revisited earlier stories and presenting scenarios of non terrorist causes.

Thanks expat China journo. Your comments chill the blood. It sure makes concrete the level of repression the Games have brought to China.

Another example - Mexico 68 when Government forces killed 500 demonstrators ten days before the Games began. The IOC covered it up.

If history is any guide the Chinese repression will be as hidden as that of the Mexican State's repression.