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                                      <item>
                                        <title>WWII Section</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=927#927</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Mon May 19, 2008 17:43:10 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      The content for the section in Pictoral History called 'WWII' has been deprecated to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ibiblio.org/chineseart/contents/arti/c02.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;postlink&quot;&gt;Artistry :: Art Imitating Life&lt;/a&gt;.</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=927#927</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Mon May 19, 2008 17:43:10 UTC</pubDate>
                                        <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=927#927</guid>
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                                      <item>
                                        <title>Geographic Treasure Hunting... using satellite software</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=926#926</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=1421'&gt;prettyflower&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Sat May 17, 2008 05:15:42 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      Central Florida, USA</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=926#926</comments>
                                        <author>prettyflower</author>
                                        <pubDate>Sat May 17, 2008 05:15:42 UTC</pubDate>
                                        <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=926#926</guid>
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                                      <item>
                                        <title>Video: China earthquake aftermath</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=925#925</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Tue May 13, 2008 15:04:50 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      12 May 2008- China earthquake victims brace for rainy cold night.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Residents in China's Sichuan Province are struggling to cope with rain after their homes were reduced to rubble by Monday's earthquake which had a magnitude of 7.9.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kitty Bu reports.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
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                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=925#925</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Tue May 13, 2008 15:04:50 UTC</pubDate>
                                        <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=925#925</guid>
                                      </item>
                                      <item>
                                        <title>Video: Camera crew captures quake terror</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=924#924</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Tue May 13, 2008 15:02:12 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      12 May 2008- A Japanese camera crew captured the panic and confusion at Chengdu airport following the massive earthquake on Monday (May 12) that has killed over 12,000 people.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Chaos struck the departure terminal of Chengdu airport just as the TV Tokyo crew were in the departure lobby. Their footage shows scared and distressed people as the tremor rocked the large terminal building.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Passengers on all planes were told to evacuate and found themselves walking on the tarmac. In the terminal, security guards raced around ordering everyone out of the building before closing down the airport&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Nearby residents also took to the streets, fearing more aftershocks. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
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                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=924#924</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Tue May 13, 2008 15:02:12 UTC</pubDate>
                                        <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=924#924</guid>
                                      </item>
                                      <item>
                                        <title>Video: Parents mourn at collapsed school</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=923#923</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Tue May 13, 2008 15:00:25 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      13 May 2008- Hundreds of children in quake struck Dujiangyan in China's Sichuan province are buried under a collapsed school.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Frantic relatives rushed to the scene to find their children but for many hope turned to grief as bodies were pulled from the rubble.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
One boy said students were just returning to classes after lunch when the building started shaking.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Michelle Carlile-Alkhouri reports.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;object type=&quot;application/x-shockwave-flash&quot; data=&quot;http://www.reuters.com/resources/flash/includevideo.swf?edition=US&amp;amp;videoId=82314&quot; width=&quot;344&quot; height=&quot;320&quot;&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;wmode&quot; value=&quot;transparent&quot;&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;movie&quot; value=&quot;http://www.reuters.com/resources/flash/includevideo.swf?edition=US&amp;amp;videoId=82314&quot;&gt;&lt;embed src=&quot;http://www.reuters.com/resources/flash/includevideo.swf?edition=US&amp;amp;videoId=82314&quot; type=&quot;application/x-shockwave-flash&quot; wmode=&quot;transparent&quot; width=&quot;344&quot; height=&quot;320&quot;&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=923#923</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Tue May 13, 2008 15:00:25 UTC</pubDate>
                                        <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=923#923</guid>
                                      </item>
                                      <item>
                                        <title>Video: NPR host describes China quake</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=922#922</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Tue May 13, 2008 14:57:02 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      13 May 2008- Melissa Block, co-host of NPR's &amp;quot;All Things Considered,&amp;quot; talks with Today's Meredith Vieira about being in central China at the time of the earthquake.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;iframe height=&quot;339&quot; width=&quot;425&quot; src=&quot;http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/24592741#24592741&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=922#922</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Tue May 13, 2008 14:57:02 UTC</pubDate>
                                        <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=922#922</guid>
                                      </item>
                                      <item>
                                        <title>Video: China Quake death toll tops 10,000</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=921#921</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Tue May 13, 2008 14:52:21 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      13 May 2008- The death toll from China's worst quake in three decades reaches 10,000; it is expected to go much higher. NBC's Mark Mullen reports.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;iframe height=&quot;339&quot; width=&quot;425&quot; src=&quot;http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/24592701#24592701&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=921#921</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Tue May 13, 2008 14:52:21 UTC</pubDate>
                                        <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=921#921</guid>
                                      </item>
                                      <item>
                                        <title>China: Quake left 18,000 buried in one city</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=920#920</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Tue May 13, 2008 14:44:03 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold&quot;&gt;Official temblor death toll tops 12,000, but figure likely to rise&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img src=&quot;http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080513/080513-china-quake-hmed-115a.h2.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
DUJIANGYAN, China - The toll of the dead and missing soared as rescue workers dug through flattened schools and homes on Tuesday in a desperate attempt to find survivors of China's worst earthquake in three decades.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The official Xinhua News Agency said the death toll exceeded 12,000 in Sichuan province alone, and 18,645 were still buried in debris in the city of Mianyang, near the epicenter of Monday's massive, 7.9-magnitude quake.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Sichuan Daily newspaper reported on its Web site that more than 26,000 people were injured in Mianyang.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The numbers of casualties was expected to rise due to the remoteness of the areas affected by the quake and difficulty in finding buried victims.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There was little prospect that many survivors would be found under the rubble. Only 58 people were extricated from demolished buildings across the quake area so far, China Seismological Bureau spokesman Zhang Hongwei told Xinhua. In one county, 80 percent of the buildings were destroyed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Rain was impeding efforts and a group of paratroopers called off a rescue mission to the epicenter due to heavy storms, Xinhua reported.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold&quot;&gt;Panda-watching tourists missing&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
More than two dozen British and American tourists who were thought to be panda-watching in the area also remained missing.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Officials urged the public not to abandon hope.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Survivors can hold on for some time. Now it's not time to give up,&amp;quot; Wang Zhenyao, disaster relief division director at the Ministry of Civil Affairs, told reporters in Beijing.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Premier Wen Jiabao, who rushed to the area to oversee rescue efforts, said a push was on to clear roads and restore electricity as soon as possible. His visit to the disaster scene was prominently featured on state TV, a gesture meant to reassure people that the ruling party was doing all it could.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We will save the people,&amp;quot; Wen said through a bullhorn to survivors as he toured the disaster scene, in footage shown on CCTV. &amp;quot;As long as the people are there, factories can be built into even better ones, and so can the towns and counties.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
State media said rescue workers had reached the epicenter in Wenchuan county — where the number of casualties was still unknown. The quake was centered just north of the Sichuan provincial capital of Chengdu in central China, tearing into urban areas and mountain villages.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Earthquake rescue experts in orange jumpsuits extricated bloody survivors on stretchers from demolished buildings.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Some 20,000 soldiers and police arrived in the disaster area with 30,000 more on the way by plane, train, trucks and even on foot, the Defense Ministry told Xinhua. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold&quot;&gt;2nd day of aftershocks&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Aftershocks rattled the region for a second day, sending people running into the streets in Chengdu. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the shocks between magnitude 4 and 6, some of the strongest since Monday's quake.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Zhou Chun, a 70-year-old retired mechanic, was leaving Dujiangyan with a soiled light blue blanket draped over his shoulders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;My wife died in the quake. My house was destroyed,&amp;quot; he said. &amp;quot;I am going to Chengdu, but I don't know where I'll live.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Zhou and other survivors were pulling luggage and clutching plastic bags of food amid a steady drizzle and the constant wall of ambulances.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Just east of the epicenter, 1,000 students and teachers were killed or missing at a collapsed high school in Beichuan county — a six-story building reduced to a pile of rubble about two yards high, according to Xinhua. Xinhua said 80 percent of the buildings had collapsed in Beichuan alone. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
At another leveled school in Dujiangyan, 900 students were feared dead. As bodies of teenagers were carried out on doors used as makeshift stretchers, relatives lit incense and candles and also set off fireworks to ward away evil spirits.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Elsewhere in Gansu province, a 40-car freight train derailed in the quake that included 13 gasoline tankers was still burning Tuesday, Xinhua said. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gasoline lines grew in Chengdu and grocery stores shelves were almost empty. The Ministry of Health issued an appeal for blood donations to help the quake victims.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Fifteen missing British tourists were believed to have been in the area at the time of the quake and were &amp;quot;out of reach,&amp;quot; Xinhua reported.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
They were likely visiting the Wolong Nature Reserve, home to more than 100 giant pandas, whose fate also was not known, Xinhua said, adding that 60 pandas at another breeding center in Chengdu were safe.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Another group of 12 Americans also on panda-watching tour sponsored by the U.S. office of the World Wildlife Fund remained out of contact Tuesday, said Tan Rui, WWF communications officer in China.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Two Chinese-Americans and a Thai tourist also were missing in Sichuan province, the agency said, citing tourism officials.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold&quot;&gt;Prayers offered by Dalai Lama&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Expressions of sympathy and offers of help poured in from the United States, Japan and the European Union, among others. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Dalai Lama, who has been vilified by Chinese authorities who blame him for recent unrest in Tibet, offered prayers for the victims. The epicenter is just south of some Tibetan mountain areas that saw anti-government protests earlier this year.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Beijing Games organizers said the Olympic torch relay will continue as planned through the quake-affected area next month.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Chinese government said it would welcome outside aid, and Russia was sending a plane with rescuers and supplies, the country's Interfax news agency reported.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But Wang, the disaster relief official, said international aid workers would not be allowed to travel to the affected area.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We welcome funds and supplies; we can't accommodate personnel at this point,&amp;quot; he said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
China's Ministry of Finance said it had allocated $123 million in aid for quake-hit areas.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The quake was China's deadliest since 1976, when 240,000 people were killed in the city of Tangshan, near Beijing in 1976. Financial analysts said the quake would have only a limited impact on the country's booming economy.</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=920#920</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Tue May 13, 2008 14:44:03 UTC</pubDate>
                                        <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=920#920</guid>
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                                        <title>Torch relay downscaled after massive quake</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=919#919</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Tue May 13, 2008 14:37:54 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      Flame is scheduled to arrive in devastated Sichuan province on June 13&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
BEIJING - The Olympic torch relay will be simplified, downscaled and open with a minute of silence Wednesday when a leg starts in the southeastern city of Ruijin, a symbolic gesture to thousands who died in a massive earthquake in central China.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The announcement Tuesday by Beijing Olympic organizers was a reversal of their earlier indication that there would be no changes to the relay. This came in the face of mounting pressure on Chinese-language Web sites and blogs, which overwhelmingly favored some kind of moratorium — either now or next month when the torch enters Sichuan province.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
More than 12,000 people are reported dead in Sichuan province, at the epicenter of the quake. The torch is due to arrive June 13 in the sprawling city of Chongqing and enter neighboring Sichuan two days later.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
“The torch relay will be based on the principle of security comes first,” organizing committee spokesman Sun Wiede said. “We will reduce the scope of the torch relay. We will simplify the procedures. We will focus on simplicity.”&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Sun said ceremony would be reduced with fewer speeches and less pomp. He said the somber relay would probably last until the torch reached the earthquake ravished areas, with people along relay routes asked to make donations to help quake victims.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
“For how long this goes on depends on the disaster relief work,” Sun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The IOC said Tuesday it was donating $1 million to help the earthquake victims.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After a chaos-filled month abroad, with pro-Tibet protests at half the stops and shortened routes at others, the Olympic torch returned May 4 to mainland China. It has been greeted by tight security and enthusiastic crowds, the public relations image organizers are seeking from the Olympics as China tries to show its overwhelming economic growth in the last three decades.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Earlier on Tuesday, officials suggested there would be no changes to the relay.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
“Right now we will continue to monitor the disaster situation,” Li Zhanjun, director of the Beijing Olympic Media Center, said. “If there are no further developments in the disaster situation, then it will not affect the torch relay.”&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Organizers say the Olympics will be safe for the more than 500,000 foreign visitors expected.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
“What I want to say to foreign visitors is that the Olympic games are safe, Beijing is safe and China is safe,” said Zhang Jian, director of the organizing committee’s project management office.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
On the streets in Beijing, opinion seemed mixed about changes to the relay.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
“Compared with the whole country, which is so big, the disaster seems small,” said a taxi driver who identified himself as Mr. Su. “If we stop the relay, the Olympic games may be affected.”&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Nearby, another man had a different idea.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
“The torch relay should stop for two or three days,” said a man calling himself Mr. Zhang. “So many lives have gone, and many of them are young students. It’s so horrible.”&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The 7.9-magnitude quake rocked skyscrapers in Beijing, 900 miles from the epicenter. However, the 31 Olympic venues in the city were undamaged. Organizers said six other venues outside Beijing were also unscathed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The three torch relay sponsors — Samsung, Lenovo and Coca-Cola — were discreet in their endorsement activities during the international legs, but have splashed out their logos liberally during the China legs of the relay. The torch returns to Beijing on Aug. 6, two days before the opening ceremonies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Any plan to alter the route would concern sponsors — they have each paid millions for the torch exposure — and the International Olympic Committee.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Lenovo spokesman Bob Page, Christina Lau of Coca-Cola and William Moss of Samsung said their companies would go along with any changes offered by the organizers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
“The route is not determined by Lenovo,” Page said. “We will support any decision on this made by the Beijing organizing committee.”&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Page said his company was donating $1.4 million to earthquake relief. Lau said Coca-Cola was also donating money to the relief effort.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After arriving in Sichuan on June 15, the torch is scheduled to make seven stops there, including the town of Mianyang. About 1,000 students and teachers were buried and feared dead when a high school collapsed in neighboring Beichuan, located about 20 miles away.</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=919#919</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Tue May 13, 2008 14:37:54 UTC</pubDate>
                                        <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=919#919</guid>
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                                      <item>
                                        <title>Ancient 3-Legged Caudron Pot, Meaning?</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=918#918</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=1421'&gt;prettyflower&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Tue May 13, 2008 09:31:06 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;/span&gt;&lt;table width=&quot;90%&quot; cellspacing=&quot;1&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;tr&gt; 	  &lt;td&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;genmed&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;prettyflower wrote:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;	&lt;/tr&gt;	&lt;tr&gt;	  &lt;td class=&quot;quote&quot;&gt;Well, Is it possible for you to post a picture? I may also have one.  &lt;img src=&quot;images/smiles/icon_idea.gif&quot; alt=&quot;Idea&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;	&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;postbody&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;table width=&quot;90%&quot; cellspacing=&quot;1&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;tr&gt; 	  &lt;td&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;genmed&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Quote:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;	&lt;/tr&gt;	&lt;tr&gt;	  &lt;td class=&quot;quote&quot;&gt;Happy are those who reject the advice of evil men,who do not follow the example of sinners or join those who have no use for God&lt;/td&gt;	&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;postbody&quot;&gt;</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=918#918</comments>
                                        <author>prettyflower</author>
                                        <pubDate>Tue May 13, 2008 09:31:06 UTC</pubDate>
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                                        <title>Earthquake- 12 March 2008- video reports</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=916#916</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Tue May 13, 2008 04:17:03 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      Thousands feared dead in China quake.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;iframe height=&quot;339&quot; width=&quot;425&quot; src=&quot;http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/24576005#24576005&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Chinese officials open about scope of quake.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;iframe height=&quot;339&quot; width=&quot;425&quot; src=&quot;http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/24584246#24584246&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
NPR's Robert Siegel in Chengdu: 'There's a lot of anxiety'.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;iframe height=&quot;339&quot; width=&quot;425&quot; src=&quot;http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/24584247#24584247&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Calculating the damage in China.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;iframe height=&quot;339&quot; width=&quot;425&quot; src=&quot;http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/24584067#24584067&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=916#916</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Tue May 13, 2008 04:17:03 UTC</pubDate>
                                        <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=916#916</guid>
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                                        <title>Immortal in Splashed Ink</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=915#915</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Fri May 09, 2008 12:54:57 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      Immortal in Splashed Ink&lt;br /&gt;
Liang K'ai (late 12th-early 13th)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Ink on paper.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Second leaf from the album &amp;quot;Ming-hua lin-lang&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From:&lt;br /&gt;
Collection of the National Palace Museum&lt;br /&gt;
Taipei, Taiwan&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img src=&quot;http://www.ibiblio.org/chineseart/images/forum/c01s04i05_o.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=915#915</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Fri May 09, 2008 12:54:57 UTC</pubDate>
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                                        <title>Missionaries to China</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=914#914</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=1421'&gt;prettyflower&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Fri May 09, 2008 07:18:49 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      Back has Nanking, China</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=914#914</comments>
                                        <author>prettyflower</author>
                                        <pubDate>Fri May 09, 2008 07:18:49 UTC</pubDate>
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                                        <title>Dynasty Ink and Colour on Silk</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=913#913</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=1421'&gt;prettyflower&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Fri May 09, 2008 07:17:27 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      Nanking, China</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=913#913</comments>
                                        <author>prettyflower</author>
                                        <pubDate>Fri May 09, 2008 07:17:27 UTC</pubDate>
                                        <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=913#913</guid>
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                                        <title>Single Subject</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=912#912</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Tue May 06, 2008 07:22:56 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      In order to accommodate changes to the page viewing structure of the website, it was necessary to reduce the viewable size of almost all images to a maximum width of 755px. The original images still reside on the servers here at the ECH foundation. If you would like to request a copy of any of these images in original size, please contact me &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ibiblio.org/chineseart/contact/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;postlink&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=912#912</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Tue May 06, 2008 07:22:56 UTC</pubDate>
                                        <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=912#912</guid>
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                                        <title>Hanging Scrolls</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=911#911</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Tue May 06, 2008 07:19:56 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      In order to accommodate changes to the page viewing structure of the website, it was necessary to reduce the viewable size of almost all images to a maximum height of 900px. The original images still reside on the servers here at the ECH foundation. If you would like to request a copy of any of these images in original size, please contact me &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ibiblio.org/chineseart/contact/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;postlink&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kind regards,&lt;br /&gt;
Richard R. Wertz</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=911#911</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Tue May 06, 2008 07:19:56 UTC</pubDate>
                                        <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=911#911</guid>
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                                        <title>Interesting article - Tobet</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=908#908</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=1420'&gt;GummyBear&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Mon Apr 21, 2008 23:34:21 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      I think its terrible. innocent people are being hurt through various methods whether physically, economically etc most likely it is because the resources their land contains are desperately wanted by another who does not want them to have any control over it - i believe this is the reason for such control china needs over tibet. This subjugation of life is a crime, not only in tibet, but palestine and all other countries being manipulated and controlled by people who have no right being there, whether it's through physical, economic, military etc presence. &lt;br /&gt;
If they break news that a mass riot has broken out, why should people gasp with surprise. If you're being told how to live your life to the point where you have no freedom of thought and are monitored right down to the colour of your underwear, why should people listen ? It is when people give up and give in that the world is doomed. Without the fighting spirit that life brings, there is no real life. It is tragic that innocent people died in the protests but to die quietly, living your life as you are told is a worse death. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I also think it's cowardly that the olympic comittee won't move the event. why not move it to a country that has already staged it (that way the arenas are already built, space is adequate and the funds allocated to the olympics should just be relocated to where ever  it's going to be held. sure it will be a rush plan but to hold something this big in a country that is not only killing the world concerning environmental affairs but crushing a nation - that is unforgivable. The world should not stand by cowardly and give in. It is a great honour to be chosen as an athlete for your country but to participate in something being staged in a manner void of honour gives the entire ceremony a disgraceful air. these athletes should stand up and say no more. Often times, to do the right thing will cost sacrifice to the one involved, but to do nothing at all will be at the peril of all - these world athletes should unite and say no as one representative entity. I just wish people were less cowardly.</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=908#908</comments>
                                        <author>GummyBear</author>
                                        <pubDate>Mon Apr 21, 2008 23:34:21 UTC</pubDate>
                                        <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=908#908</guid>
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                                        <title>Ancient Bhuddist/Hindu rock sculpture, bottom of ocean?</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=903#903</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Sat Apr 12, 2008 15:45:09 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      'Gorgon' is associated with Greek culture; it might be helpful to make a connection with Buddhist/Hindu iconography here so that visitors (including myself) aren't confused as to the relative nature these images provide to the overall mandate of this forum.&lt;br /&gt;
I would never discourage anyone from posting (except spam!). It might also be helpful if you could divide your posts into separate topics in the Archaeology forum for the future so that any new information you have to offer can be viewed separately.&lt;br /&gt;
Thanks for your contributions! They are enlightening.&lt;br /&gt;
Kind regards,&lt;br /&gt;
Richard</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=903#903</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Sat Apr 12, 2008 15:45:09 UTC</pubDate>
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                                        <title>9 April 2008- PM not attending Olympics opening</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=898#898</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Wed Apr 09, 2008 23:40:07 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      PM not attending Olympics opening&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
9 April 2008 18:59 GMT, 19:59 UK, BBC&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Prime Minister Gordon Brown will not attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, Downing Street says.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
However, he will be at the closing ceremony when the Olympic baton will be passed to London.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A spokeswoman said Mr Brown had never planned to attend the ceremony and was not boycotting the Games.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said Mr Brown &amp;quot;seems to do the right thing late in the day when he is forced to do so because of public opinion&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mr Clegg, speaking to Channel Four News, branded the move a &amp;quot;last-minute U-turn&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Olympics minister Tessa Jowell will represent the UK at the opening in Beijing in August.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Under pressure&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mr Brown - who has been under pressure to boycott the Olympics over China's human rights record - has never specifically said he will attend the opening ceremony.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And BBC political correspondent Carole Walker said Downing Street felt it would not make sense for him to go to China twice.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
However he has talked of attending plural &amp;quot;ceremonies&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
On 27 March, at a press conference during France's President Sarkozy's visit, he said: &amp;quot;We will not be boycotting the Olympic Games; Britain will be attending the Olympic Games ceremonies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;At the same time, the president has said that the Dalai Lama has not called for a boycott of the Olympic Games.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
At his Downing Street news conference on 1 April, Mr Brown said: &amp;quot;I think President Sarkozy said himself that he expected Britain, because we are going to host the next Olympics, to be present at the Olympic ceremonies and I will certainly be there.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It comes as the Olympic torch arrives in San Francisco under tight security for the sixth leg of its round-the-world relay.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Barricades have been set up and streets sealed off close to the planned relay route. Police leave has been cancelled.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Protests have already caused serious disruption to legs in London and Paris. In Paris, the torch had to be extinguished three times, while in London there were 37 arrests.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mr Brown attracted controversy for receiving the Olympic torch outside 10 Downing Street, although he did not hold it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Most demonstrators are protesting over a security crackdown in Tibet after anti-Chinese unrest.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Tibetan exile groups say Chinese security forces killed dozens of protesters. Beijing says about 19 people were killed in rioting.</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=898#898</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Wed Apr 09, 2008 23:40:07 UTC</pubDate>
                                        <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=898#898</guid>
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                                        <title>Olympic flame arrives in Almaty</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=897#897</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Wed Apr 09, 2008 23:33:44 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      Olympic flame arrives in Almaty&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
2 April 2008 09:05:52 | Source&amp;#65306;Xinhua&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
ALMATY - A chartered Air China plane carrying the Beijing Olympic flame arrived on Tuesday afternoon at Kazakhstan's largest city of Almaty, the first stop of the global torch relay.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
According to the latest news release, the Almaty torch relay will set out from the Medeu ice skating rink at around 12:00 am local time (0600 GMT) on Wednesday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There will be another four sites for the audience to welcome the Olympic flame -- the Medeu dam in southeastern Almaty, the Republic Palace, the Republic Square and the Astana Square in the downtown area.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Eighty torch bearers will run the 20 kilometers race. After the race, the Olympic flame will head for its next stop -- Istanbul.</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=897#897</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Wed Apr 09, 2008 23:33:44 UTC</pubDate>
                                        <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=897#897</guid>
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                                        <title>Olympic torch relay passes successfully in St. Petersburg</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=896#896</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Wed Apr 09, 2008 23:28:29 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      Olympic torch relay passes successfully in St. Petersburg&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
6 April 2008 15:07:39 | Source&amp;#65306;Xinhua&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
ST. PETERSBURG, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The Olympic flame left its third stop after Saturday's successful torch relay here and is heading for the next stop London.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
    The Olympic torch relay in St. Petersburg started on Saturday morning from the Victory Square in the center of the city and covered 20 kilometers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
    Each of the 80 torch bearers ran about 250 meters. The end of the race is the Palace Square where a grand ceremony was held to celebrate the success.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
    Galina Zybina, Russia's shot put gold medallist at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, was the first person to bear the torch from the Victory Square at about 10:45 a.m. local time.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
    After 250 meters, she handed the flame over to Leonid Tyagachyov, the president of the Russian Olympic Committee, who ran another 250 meters.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
    At around 3 p.m., the last torchbearer in St. Petersburg Svetlana Zhurova, the vice speaker of Russian State Duma, also a gold medallist at 2006 Turin Winter Olympics, ran into the Palace Square on the south of the Winter Palace, where a huge crowd had already waited to received the Olympic flame.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
    A grand celebration was held around 2:30 p.m. at the square. After Zhurova lit the Community Cauldron, the audience brought outa burst of applause.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
    Tens of thousands of people went to track down the relay route. The whole city was dipped in an atmosphere of glamour and happiness.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
    &amp;quot;It's not such a thing you can encounter everyday, so I decided to come here to witness with my own eyes instead of lying on bed watching from TV,&amp;quot; Stas Komichenko, 18, a junior student in the St. Petersburg State Transportation University, told Xinhua.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
    &amp;quot;China is a very good friend of Russia. I wish the Beijing Olympic Games a success,&amp;quot; he said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
    Three ceremonies were held for the torch relay: at the Victory Square for the beginning of the relay, at the Parliament Square for a break in the middle of the relay and at the Palace Square for the conclusion of the race.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
    People got up amazingly early to watch the event. Many streets near the relay route were blockaded and filled with banners, flags with the Olympic torch symbol and pedestrians.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
    &amp;quot;I haven't seen so many Russians on street since I came here a year ago,&amp;quot; a Chinese on business here told Xinhua, &amp;quot;They organized this event very well.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
    A total of 80 Russian athletes, artists and media people, along with a diplomat from the Chinese embassy in Russia and a minority Chinese from China's Yunnan province, carried the Olympic torch through the city.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
    The stop in St. Petersburg is the third in the Olympic torch relay outside the Chinese mainland, and it has already been in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on April 2 and Turkey's Istanbul on April 3.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
    Shortly after 7 p.m., the charted plane with the flame left for London, the capital of Britain.</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=896#896</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Wed Apr 09, 2008 23:28:29 UTC</pubDate>
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                                        <title>Flame relay in Turkey begins at St. Sophia Museum</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=895#895</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Wed Apr 09, 2008 22:38:11 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      Flame relay in Turkey begins at St. Sophia Museum&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
3 April 2008 17:12:46 | Source&amp;#65306;Xinhua&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
St. Sophia Museum, one of the most magnificent buildings in the world, will be the starting point of the second leg of the Olympic Torch Relay, according to Xinhua.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Located opposite Istanbul's historic Blue Mosque, the museum, also known as Hagia Sophia, is the world's only surviving fourth century building. Its legacy is distinctive. Built in 330 A.D. by Constantine the Great, the expensive, lavish building was, at the time, the largest cathedral in the world. It was converted into a mosque during the Ottoman reign by famous Islamic architect Mimar Sinan, gaining Ottoman features that restored some of the building's glory, lost during the Crusades. In 1932, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey, transformed the mosque into a museum, allowing the public to view, for the first time in centuries, the building's brilliant Byzantine features and art.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A stunning feature of the museum's interior is a large dome. With a diameter of 32 meters, the dome is about 20 stories tall but not supported by any pillars. A portrait of Jesus Christ still visible on the ancient walls and columns finely sculpted with Islamic art speak of the historical conflict between Christianity and Islam and add to the museum's mystique.</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=895#895</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Wed Apr 09, 2008 22:38:11 UTC</pubDate>
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                                        <title>7 April 2008- Clashes along Olympic torch route</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=894#894</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Wed Apr 09, 2008 20:51:50 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      Clashes along Olympic torch route&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
BBC- 6 April 2008 18:01 UK&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Thirty-seven arrests have been made after clashes between pro-Tibet protesters and police as the Olympic torch made its way through London.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Protests over China's human rights record began soon after the relay began at Wembley, and prompted an increasing police presence through the city.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
One protester tried to snatch the torch from former Blue Peter host Konnie Huq.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After an unpublicised change to the route, the Chinese ambassador carried the torch through Chinatown.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It later made an unscheduled move onto a bus. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A protective ring of 10 Chinese flame attendants and fluorescent-jacketed police officers surrounded the torchbearers at all times, with additional uniformed officers joining at potential flashpoints along the route.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Police decided the torch should travel along Fleet Street to St Paul's Cathedral by bus, rather than held by a runner, after it was surrounded by a large group of protesters. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Chaotic scenes&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A contingent of pro-China supporters also tried to make their voices heard along the route, waving Chinese and Olympic flags and calling for &amp;quot;one China&amp;quot;. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Outside Downing Street there were chaotic scenes as former Olympic heptathlon gold medallist Denise Lewis took the flame to No 10.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gordon Brown greeted the torch outside Number 10 despite coming under pressure to boycott the parade and the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony. However he did not hold it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said the prime minister's involvement was &amp;quot;wholly inappropriate&amp;quot; until China opened talks with the Dalai Lama. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Police said there were about 500 people in Whitehall and about 2,000 gathered near the British Museum.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Several small scuffles broke out as police tackled some of the protesters.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Beijing Olympic torch relay spokesman Qu Yingpu told the BBC: &amp;quot;This is not the right time, the right platform, for any people to voice their political views. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Human rights&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So we are very grateful and very thankful to the people in London, the police and the organisers, for their efforts trying to keep order.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Pictures of the London relay were broadcast on China's state-controlled TV, but not of the protests and disruption.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Metropolitan Police Commander Jo Kaye denied officers had been heavy-handed with some protesters.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Our duty is to see that that torch is taken safely and securely to the end of its route. We're doing that. We're on schedule. The convoy has kept going according to schedule all the way,&amp;quot; he said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;People cannot just come in and cause havoc with what's being done there and the officers have stopped them. They know quite well that they shouldn't be trying to get in at the torch and they've been stopped.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
At the start of the relay, three protesters were taken away by police after trying to board the open-top bus taking the torch from Wembley.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Police also stepped in when a protester later tried to snatch the torch from Ms Huq. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Olympic values&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She told BBC News 24 she was &amp;quot;a bit bashed about&amp;quot; but not seriously hurt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I always said my taking part in the procession doesn't mean I condone China in any way,&amp;quot; she added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I believe in the Olympic values, the Olympic ideals... it's just unfortunate that China has such a terrible track record when it comes to human rights and they are the host nation.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those taking part in the relay include 10 Olympic champions, 18 schoolchildren and public figures such as news reader Sir Trevor McDonald and musician Vanessa Mae.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes ran the last stage of the route to complete the relay and lit the Olympic cauldron in front of 5,000 spectators.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The flame will complete the London leg of its journey with a finale event at the O2 Arena. It will then leave for Paris.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Girl band The Sugababes withdrew from the finale at the last minute, saying singer Amelle Berrabah had been diagnosed with laryngitis. They had earlier carried the torch on an open top bus down Oxford Street.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The torch was lit in Olympia, Greece, last week and will go through 20 countries before being carried into the Beijing Games opening ceremony on 8 August. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img src=&quot;http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/contents/07spe/specrep02img/londontourchrelay6april.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=894#894</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Wed Apr 09, 2008 20:51:50 UTC</pubDate>
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                                        <title>5 April 2008- Brown rules out Beijing boycott</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=893#893</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Wed Apr 09, 2008 20:44:56 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      Brown rules out Beijing boycott&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
BBC- 5 April 2008 16:35 UK&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gordon Brown has said he will not boycott the Beijing Olympics because the Dalai Lama opposes such action.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The prime minister said the only way for the Chinese and Tibetans to resolve their tensions was through dialogue.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mr Brown has also resisted calls not to welcome the Olympic torch in Downing Street when it arrives in London.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It comes as four pro-Tibet activists are arrested for abseiling off Westminster Bridge and unveiling a protest banner.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg had increased the pressure on Mr Brown by telling him not to attend the Games in August or this weekend's torch relay.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mr Brown's comments come as France's human rights minister has denied setting conditions for President Nicolas Sarkozy's attendance at the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Rama Yade said Le Monde newspaper had misquoted her as listing &amp;quot;conditions&amp;quot; for Mr Sarkozy's presence at the event.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Eighty athletes, entertainers and dignitaries will carry the torch on a 31-mile long journey through London's streets on Sunday as part of its journey to the Beijing 2008 games.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
See a map of the torch relay route&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But activists critical of the Chinese government have vowed to stage protests along the route of the procession.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Demonstrators&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Speaking at a conference of international centre-left leaders, Mr Brown said: &amp;quot;Any violence in China is to be condemned and I do urge restraint all round.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It is important that we recognise that the tensions between those in Tibet and the Chinese authorities can only in the end be solved by dialogue.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He added: &amp;quot;The Dalai Lama himself says he does not want to see a boycott of the Olympics and that is why I have said that as the host country for the 2012 Olympics I will attend the (Beijing) Olympics as I know many others will do.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The four protesters from Students for a Free Tibet UK abseiled down the bridge and unfurled a protest banner which read &amp;quot;One World, One Dream: Free Tibet 2008.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Metropolitan Police intends to mobilise 2,000 officers to maintain order along the relay route on Sunday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A spokesman said six organisations, including the Free Tibet movement, the Falun Gong spiritual group and the Burma campaign, were planning to send a total of up to 500 demonstrators.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Free Tibet spokesman Matt Whitticase said it was regrettable Mr Brown was to welcome the torch in Downing Street.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Opening ceremony&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;He should be saying, 'Sort out your problems in Tibet and improve your human rights record there,' instead of receiving this torch, which is undoubtedly tainted by China's actions inside Tibet,&amp;quot; he added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mr Clegg told Five Live it was &amp;quot;wholly inappropriate&amp;quot; for the PM to take part in the London torch ceremony.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Equally I think it would be wrong of him, if there wasn't any great change in the stance of the Chinese government, to take any role in the opening ceremony of the Games themselves.&amp;quot;</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=893#893</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Wed Apr 09, 2008 20:44:56 UTC</pubDate>
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                                        <title>04 Apr 2008- Rioting breaks out in Tibetan area of China</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=889#889</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Fri Apr 04, 2008 18:30:21 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      Rioting breaks out in Tibetan area of China&lt;br /&gt;
Overseas activist group claims police fire on monks, killing up to eight&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
4 April 2008, 12:29 EDT&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
BEIJING - New violence has broken out in a volatile Tibetan region of western China, leaving eight people dead, an overseas Tibet activist group said Friday. China’s official Xinhua News Agency said a government official was seriously injured.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The London-based Free Tibet Campaign said police opened fire on hundreds of Buddhist monks and lay people who had marched on local government offices to demand the release of two monks detained for possessing photographs of the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled Buddhist leader.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Xinhua made no mention of deaths or injuries among protesters, but said a “riot” had flared up Thursday night outside government offices in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture high in the mountains in Sichuan province along the border with Tibet.&lt;br /&gt;
Story continues below &amp;#8595;advertisement&lt;br /&gt;
Click here!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It said the official was “attacked and seriously wounded,” and said police were “forced to fire warning shots and put down the violence.” No other details were given.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Massive security presence&lt;br /&gt;
The report indicates continuing unrest in Tibetan areas despite a massive security presence imposed after sometimes violent anti-government demonstrations broke out last month in Tibet’s capital Lhasa and neighboring provinces.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Late last month, Xinhua reported that protesters in Garze attacked police with knives and stones, killing one officer.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Matt Whitticase, spokesman for the London-based Free Tibet Campaign, said the incident originated at the Tonkhor monastery in Garze with government attempts to enforce a new “patriotic education campaign” — a program of ideological indoctrination blamed for stirring deep resentment among monks. The campaign demands that monks denounce the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism who fled to India amid a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Whitticase said the chief monk, Lobsang Jamyang, refused to allow a government team to enter on Wednesday, but they returned Thursday with a force of about 3,000 paramilitary troops. The two monks, Geshi Sonam Tenzing and Tsultrim Phuntsog, were detained after photos of the Dalai Lama were found among their belongings.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Soon afterward, the monastery’s 370 monks marched on local government headquarters to demand their release, joined by about 400 lay people, Whitticase said. The group left after being told the two monks would be freed at 8 p.m., but returned after officials reneged. Along the way, they were confronted by troops at a road block, who opened fire on the crowd, Whitticase said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Whitticase provided the names of six of the eight people reportedly killed, who included at least three women and one monk. He said information on the incident had been relayed by a monk at a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in southern India, who received it from anonymous contacts in Garze.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
  Click for related content&lt;br /&gt;
China jails outspoken activist over Tibet views&lt;br /&gt;
Dalai Lama's U.S. envoy lobbies lawmakers&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Varying death tolls&lt;br /&gt;
Stepped-up patriotic education has been ordered as part of a crackdown on dissent following deadly riots in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, on March 14, in which authorities say 22 people died. Other reports say up to 140 people were killed in the protests and ensuing crackdown.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Beijing has accused supporters of the Dalai Lama of orchestrating the violence, a charge the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner has repeatedly denied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Authorities earlier this week said they plan to put rioters on trial and reopen Tibet to foreign tourists by May — a tight timetable that would allow the government to put the issue behind it ahead of the August Beijing Olympics.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Both Tibet and Tibetan communities in three neighboring provinces where the protests spread, however, remain largely closed to foreign journalists. Outside of Tibet, police turned away foreign reporters at roadblocks leading into Tibetan areas, saying they were unsafe for travel.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A state media report on Friday said officials in Tibetan areas were being forced into political study sessions in a bid to make sure Beijing’s dictates are followed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
“The numerous party members and grass-roots officials must further launch education in opposing separatism and preserving the unity of the motherland,” the state-run Xinhua News Agency said, citing a notice from the party’s powerful Organization Department, which oversees personnel issues.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Communist troops marched into Tibet in 1950 and Beijing strengthened its hold on the region after the Dalai Lama fled in a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=889#889</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Fri Apr 04, 2008 18:30:21 UTC</pubDate>
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                                        <title>31 Mar 2008 Tibetan exiles protest at W. House (video)</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=888#888</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Thu Apr 03, 2008 04:01:27 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;object type=&quot;application/x-shockwave-flash&quot; data=&quot;http://www.reuters.com/resources/flash/includevideo.swf?edition=US&amp;amp;videoId=79241&quot; width=&quot;344&quot; height=&quot;320&quot;&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;wmode&quot; value=&quot;transparent&quot;&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;movie&quot; value=&quot;http://www.reuters.com/resources/flash/includevideo.swf?edition=US&amp;amp;videoId=79241&quot;&gt;&lt;embed src=&quot;http://www.reuters.com/resources/flash/includevideo.swf?edition=US&amp;amp;videoId=79241&quot; type=&quot;application/x-shockwave-flash&quot; wmode=&quot;transparent&quot; width=&quot;344&quot; height=&quot;320&quot;&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mar. 31 - Tibetan exiles living in the Washington gathered across from the White House to demand that President George W. Bush condemn Chinese repression and boycott the opening ceremonies of this summer's Beijing Olympics.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The protest by the Capital Area Tibetan Association is timed to coincide with the opening of the Olympic torch relay in Beijing. The exiles believe recent acts of repression by Chinese authorities have given them a chance to bring attention to Tibet.</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=888#888</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Thu Apr 03, 2008 04:01:27 UTC</pubDate>
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                                        <title>01 Apr 2008 Tibetans detained in embassy protest (video)</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=887#887</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Thu Apr 03, 2008 03:59:18 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;object type=&quot;application/x-shockwave-flash&quot; data=&quot;http://www.reuters.com/resources/flash/includevideo.swf?edition=US&amp;amp;videoId=79301&quot; width=&quot;344&quot; height=&quot;320&quot;&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;wmode&quot; value=&quot;transparent&quot;&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;movie&quot; value=&quot;http://www.reuters.com/resources/flash/includevideo.swf?edition=US&amp;amp;videoId=79301&quot;&gt;&lt;embed src=&quot;http://www.reuters.com/resources/flash/includevideo.swf?edition=US&amp;amp;videoId=79301&quot; type=&quot;application/x-shockwave-flash&quot; wmode=&quot;transparent&quot; width=&quot;344&quot; height=&quot;320&quot;&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Apr. 1 - At least 90 Tibetans have been arrested trying to storm the Chinese embassy in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It's the first time demonstrators have managed to get close to the Chinese embassy since security was stepped up last month. Nepal has now threatened more crackdowns if exiles continue to carry out protests against China. Meanwhile, in Beijing, paramilitary troops have been issued a mobilisation order to ensure a trouble-free Olympics.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Liz Kennedy reports.</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=887#887</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Thu Apr 03, 2008 03:59:18 UTC</pubDate>
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                                        <title>China urges U.S. to see &amp;quot;true nature&amp;quot; of Dalai Lam</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=886#886</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Thu Apr 03, 2008 03:57:17 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      China urges U.S. to see &amp;quot;true nature&amp;quot; of Dalai Lama&lt;br /&gt;
Wed Apr 2, 2008 11:23pm EDT&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
BEIJING (Reuters) - China urged the United States to understand the true nature of the Dalai Lama clique, which it blames for stirring up last month's violence in Tibet, and support China's &amp;quot;just position&amp;quot;, state media said on Thursday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
China blames Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, whom it labels a separatist, for stirring up the Lhasa violence in which it says 19 people died. The Tibet government-in-exile says around 140 people died.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi &amp;quot;explained the truth of the Lhasa riots, and expounded the stance of the Chinese government&amp;quot; in talks with visiting U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, the China Daily said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;He stressed that the measures taken by the Chinese government according to law had not only gained support from the Chinese people, but also won understanding and support from majority of the countries in the world.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
U.S. President George W. Bush awarded the Dalai Lama one of the highest U.S. honors, the Congressional Gold Medal, in October and called on China to open talks with him.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Paulson met President Hu Jintao, Vice Premier Wang Qishan and Yang, among other officials. He is due to meet Premier Wen Jiabao on Thursday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Paulson declined to say whether he had raised the issue of Chinese treatment of Tibetan protesters directly with Hu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I talked about this in an appropriate way. I'm not talking about what message I had for any particular leader,&amp;quot; Paulson told reporters, but added he had expressed U.S. regret at the violence.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Chinese leaders accuse the Dalai Lama of orchestrating the wave of demonstrations from his home in exile in India, where he has lived since a failed 1959 uprising against Communist rule.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
China says his intent is to disrupt the Beijing Olympics, which run from August 8-24, and to ultimately win independence for the remote, mountain region.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Dalai Lama's representatives deny the charges and the 72-year-old has repeated that he is seeking greater autonomy for Tibet, not independence.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(Reporting by Nick Macfie and Glenn Somerville; Editing by Valerie Lee)</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=886#886</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Thu Apr 03, 2008 03:57:17 UTC</pubDate>
                                        <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=886#886</guid>
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                                        <title>27 March 2008- Witness to Tibet's unrest (video)</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=885#885</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Thu Apr 03, 2008 03:52:53 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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                                      &lt;iframe height=&quot;339&quot; width=&quot;425&quot; src=&quot;http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/23827562#23827562&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=885#885</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Thu Apr 03, 2008 03:52:53 UTC</pubDate>
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                                        <title>23 march 2008- China floods Tibetan region with troops (vide</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=884#884</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Thu Apr 03, 2008 03:45:34 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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                                      &lt;iframe height=&quot;339&quot; width=&quot;425&quot; src=&quot;http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/23771598#23771598&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=884#884</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Thu Apr 03, 2008 03:45:34 UTC</pubDate>
                                        <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=884#884</guid>
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                                        <title>20 March 2008- Tourist records China crackdown (video)</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=883#883</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Thu Apr 03, 2008 03:42:35 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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                                      &lt;iframe height=&quot;339&quot; width=&quot;425&quot; src=&quot;http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/23719845#23719845&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=883#883</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Thu Apr 03, 2008 03:42:35 UTC</pubDate>
                                        <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=883#883</guid>
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                                        <title>18 March 2008- Dalai Lama blamed for tension in Tibet (video</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=882#882</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Thu Apr 03, 2008 03:38:13 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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                                      &lt;iframe height=&quot;339&quot; width=&quot;425&quot; src=&quot;http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/23697148#23697148&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=882#882</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Thu Apr 03, 2008 03:38:13 UTC</pubDate>
                                        <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=882#882</guid>
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                                        <title>16 March 2008- Violent Tibetan protest spreads (video)</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=881#881</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Thu Apr 03, 2008 02:42:31 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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                                      &lt;iframe height=&quot;339&quot; width=&quot;425&quot; src=&quot;http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/23663628#23663628&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=881#881</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Thu Apr 03, 2008 02:42:31 UTC</pubDate>
                                        <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=881#881</guid>
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                                        <title>17 March 2008- Protests continue in Tibet (video)</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=880#880</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Thu Apr 03, 2008 02:40:10 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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                                      &lt;iframe height=&quot;339&quot; width=&quot;425&quot; src=&quot;http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/23674024#23674024&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=880#880</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Thu Apr 03, 2008 02:40:10 UTC</pubDate>
                                        <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=880#880</guid>
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                                        <title>14 March 2008- Protest turn deadly in Tibet (video)</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=879#879</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Thu Apr 03, 2008 02:38:43 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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                                      &lt;iframe height=&quot;339&quot; width=&quot;425&quot; src=&quot;http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/23634993#23634993&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=879#879</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Thu Apr 03, 2008 02:38:43 UTC</pubDate>
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                                        <title>14 March 2008- Protest turn violent in Tibet (video)</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=878#878</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Thu Apr 03, 2008 02:36:54 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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                                      &lt;iframe height=&quot;339&quot; width=&quot;425&quot; src=&quot;http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/23632331#23632331&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=878#878</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Thu Apr 03, 2008 02:36:54 UTC</pubDate>
                                        <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=878#878</guid>
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                                        <title>15 March 2008- China moves to quell Tibetan violence (video)</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=877#877</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Thu Apr 03, 2008 02:33:58 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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                                      &lt;iframe height=&quot;339&quot; width=&quot;425&quot; src=&quot;http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/23649342#23649342&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=877#877</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Thu Apr 03, 2008 02:33:58 UTC</pubDate>
                                        <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=877#877</guid>
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                                        <title>15 March 2008- Tibetan protests grow (video)</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=876#876</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Thu Apr 03, 2008 02:31:39 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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                                      &lt;iframe height=&quot;339&quot; width=&quot;425&quot; src=&quot;http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/23646881#23646881&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=876#876</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Thu Apr 03, 2008 02:31:39 UTC</pubDate>
                                        <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=876#876</guid>
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                                        <title>Nepal Asked to Stop Abusing Tibetans</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=875#875</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Wed Apr 02, 2008 06:44:40 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      Nepal Asked to Stop Abusing Tibetans&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Apr 1, 3:03 AM EDT&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
By BINAJ GURUBACHARYA&lt;br /&gt;
Associated Press Writer&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) -- Two international rights groups asked Nepal's government Tuesday to stop abusing and threatening Tibetan exiles protesting China's recent crackdown in their homeland.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dozens have been beaten with batons or rounded up after rallying in front of the Chinese Embassy and the United Nations compound in the heart of Katmandu in recent days. Some have been told they faced possible deportation, said New York-based Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In a letter to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, the groups asked Nepal &amp;quot;to immediately restore the rights to freedom of assembly, expression, and movement, by allowing Tibetans to go about their daily lives and carry out peaceful protests without fear of arrests or threats.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The rights groups said, in addition to detaining protesters, police are preemptively arresting others believed to be Tibetan. They claimed &amp;quot;increasing evidence of the police's use of sexual and other forms of assault.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Nepal - which has said it would not allow protests against any &amp;quot;friendly nation,&amp;quot; including China - has not issued any statement on last month's crackdown on rioters in Tibet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Koirala's aides could not be reached for comment Tuesday.</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=875#875</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Wed Apr 02, 2008 06:44:40 UTC</pubDate>
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                                        <title>Pelosi Suggests Bush Skip Olympic Opener</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=874#874</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Wed Apr 02, 2008 06:43:29 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      Pelosi Suggests Bush Skip Olympic Opener&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mar 31, 7:27 PM EDT&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday that President Bush should consider boycotting the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics following China's crackdown on protesters in Tibet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I think boycotting the opening ceremony, which really gives respect to the Chinese government, is something that should be kept on the table,&amp;quot; Pelosi, D-Calif., said in an interview taped for airing Tuesday on ABC's &amp;quot;Good Morning America.&amp;quot; &amp;quot;I think the president might want to rethink this later, depending on what other heads of state do.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The White House has said Bush would not boycott the Beijing Olympics, which begin Aug. 8, because of the crackdown, arguing that the games are an event that are supposed to be about the athletes, not politics.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Pelosi, who has a long history of opposing human rights abuses in China, said she does not think the United States should boycott the games entirely. The Olympic torch is making its one U.S. stop in Pelosi's hometown of San Francisco and large protests are expected.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don't agree with the perception that is out there that the Olympic Games are this great, unifying, human rights-advocating organization. ... It's a sporting event and it should proceed,&amp;quot; she said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
French President Nicolas Sarkozy was the first European leader to suggest a boycott of the opening ceremony to protest China's handling of the unrest in Tibet. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is skipping the Olympics.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the 1990s Pelosi led congressional opposition to normalizing trade relations with China. In 1991 she was part of a small congressional delegation that entered Tiananmen Square to honor the pro-democracy activists killed there, leading to a scuffle between police and American news crews trying to cover the event.</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=874#874</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Wed Apr 02, 2008 06:43:29 UTC</pubDate>
                                        <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=874#874</guid>
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                                        <title>Myanmar Deports Tibetan Activists</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=873#873</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Wed Apr 02, 2008 06:42:20 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      Myanmar Deports Tibetan Activists&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Apr 1, 1:50 AM EDT&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- An ethnic minority group that was pressured by Beijing has deported to China two key Tibetan political activists who were hiding in northern Myanmar, a dissident group said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two, who had been hunted by authorities after they fled from China's Yunnan province, were turned over to the Chinese shortly after their capture Sunday, the Kachin News Group said in a press release Monday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The activists, who were not identified, were captured by the Kachin Independence Organization, or KIO, one of several ethnic minority groups that has signed cease-fire agreements with Myanmar's ruling junta after decades of rebellion.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Kachin News Group, one of several news agencies based in Thailand that are operated by anti-junta activists, said the two Tibetans were arrested by the KIO in the Myanmar town of Laiza.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The KIO could not immediately be reached for comment.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The KIO exercises some autonomy in areas under its control, and its military wing has been allowed to retain its weapons, but tensions between the Kachin and the central government have been reported in recent years.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
China has tightened security in Tibetan areas of Yunnan province following bloody anti-Chinese riots in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Myanmar's military government, which has close ties with Beijing, said last week that it opposed any moves to link recent unrest in Tibet with the Beijing Olympics in August. It said the unrest in Tibet was &amp;quot;purely the internal affairs&amp;quot; of China.</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=873#873</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Wed Apr 02, 2008 06:42:20 UTC</pubDate>
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                                        <title>Monk-Led Protests Show Buddhist Activism</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=872#872</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Wed Apr 02, 2008 06:39:42 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      Monk-Led Protests Show Buddhist Activism&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mar 30, 1:38 AM EDT&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
By DENIS D. GRAY&lt;br /&gt;
Associated Press Writer&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Buddhist monks hurling rocks at Chinese in Tibet, or peacefully massing against Myanmar's military, can strike jarring notes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
These scenes run counter to Buddhism's philosophy of shunning politics and embracing even bitter enemies - something the faith has adhered to, with some tumultuous exceptions, through its 2,500-year history.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But political activism and occasional eruptions of violence have become increasingly common in Asia's Buddhist societies as they variously struggle against foreign domination, oppressive regimes, social injustice and environmental destruction.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
More monks and nuns are moving out of their monasteries and into slums and rice paddies - and sometimes into streets filled with tear gas and gunfire.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;In modern times, preaching is not enough. Monks must act to improve society, to remove evil,&amp;quot; says Samdhong Rinpoche, prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile and a high-ranking lama.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;There is the responsibility of every individual, monks and lay people, to act for the betterment of society,&amp;quot; he told The Associated Press in Dharmsala, India, discussing protests in Tibet this month that were initiated by monks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In widespread protests over the past three weeks, crimson-robed monks - some charging helmeted troops and throwing rocks - have joined with ordinary citizens who unfurled Tibetan flags and demanded independence from China. Beijing's official death toll from the rioting in Lhasa is 22, but the exiled government of the Dalai Lama says 140 Tibetans were killed there and in Tibetan communities in western China.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Bloodshed also stained last fall's pro-democracy uprising in Myanmar, dubbed the &amp;quot;Saffron Revolution&amp;quot; after the color of the robes of monks who led nonviolent protests against the country's oppressive military regime.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In Thailand, followers of a Buddhist sect took part in street demonstrations which led to the ouster of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra two years ago.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In Sri Lanka, the ultra-nationalist Jathika Hela Urumaya party, led by monks, has pushed for using brute force against the country's Tamil rebels. In 1959 a monk assassinated a prime minister over a law giving some protection to the Tamil language.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Indeed, the activism reflects another side of Buddhist history. Despite the faith's image of passivity, an aggressive strain has long existed, especially in the Mahayana school of Buddhism, practiced in Japan, Korea, China and Tibet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The sohei, monks in Japan, fought pitched battles with one another and with secular clans for over 600 years until around 1600. China's Shaolin Temple, a martial arts center to this day, was allowed to retain warrior monks from the 7th century by emperors who sometimes used them to put down rebellions and banditry.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The monk Saya San became a national hero in the 1930s in Myanmar - then Burma - by leading a revolt. The British colonials hanged him after fielding 12,000 troops to suppress his peasant army.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The self-immolation of monk Thich Quang Duc on a Saigon street became an iconic image of protest against the Vietnam War.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Before China's takeover of Tibet in 1959, warrior monks sometimes wielded more power - and weaponry - than the army. Lhasa's Sera monastery, a hotbed of the recent protests, was particularly noted for its elite fighters, the &amp;quot;Dob-Dobs,&amp;quot; who in 1947 took part in a rebellion that took 300 lives.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Use peaceful means where they are appropriate, but where they are not appropriate, do not hesitate to resort to more forceful means,&amp;quot; said the previous, now deceased Dalai Lama when Tibet fought the Chinese in the 1930s.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Christopher Queen, an expert on Buddhism at Harvard University, says the new trend among some of the world's 350 million faithful is expanding from individual spiritual liberation to attacking problems such as poverty and environmental blight that affect whole communities or nations.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Sri Lanka's Sarvodaya Shramadana, or &amp;quot;Mundane Awakening,&amp;quot; provides everything from safe drinking water to basic housing in more than 11,000 poor villages. And in India, Buddhist groups are fighting for the rights of &amp;quot;the untouchables,&amp;quot; the lowest caste.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Global and loosely affiliated, originating at the grass roots rather than atop religious hierarchies and more muscular than meditative, this movement is widely known as Engaged Buddhism.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Engaged Buddhists are looking at the social, economic, and political causes of human misery in the world and organizing to address them. The role of social service and activism is clearly growing in all parts of the Buddhist world,&amp;quot; Queen said in an interview.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
While not immune to spilling blood, Queen says &amp;quot;the Buddhist tradition is rightly known for the systematic practice of nonviolence.&amp;quot; That leads scholars to doubt it will turn to terrorism or sustained violence other than occasional spontaneous outbursts. They note that Buddhism doesn't advocate killing heretics or otherwise spreading the faith by force.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Indeed, the Dalai Lama has decried the recent violence while supporting peoples' rights to peaceful protest. And Samdhong, the prime minister-in-exile, adds: &amp;quot;If (monks) want to fight, they have to disrobe and join the fighters.&amp;quot;</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=872#872</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Wed Apr 02, 2008 06:39:42 UTC</pubDate>
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                                        <title>Tibet crackdown outcry (video)</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=871#871</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Wed Apr 02, 2008 06:36:42 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;object type=&quot;application/x-shockwave-flash&quot; data=&quot;http://www.reuters.com/resources/flash/includevideo.swf?edition=US&amp;amp;videoId=78367&quot; width=&quot;344&quot; height=&quot;320&quot;&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;wmode&quot; value=&quot;transparent&quot;&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;movie&quot; value=&quot;http://www.reuters.com/resources/flash/includevideo.swf?edition=US&amp;amp;videoId=78367&quot;&gt;&lt;embed src=&quot;http://www.reuters.com/resources/flash/includevideo.swf?edition=US&amp;amp;videoId=78367&quot; type=&quot;application/x-shockwave-flash&quot; wmode=&quot;transparent&quot; width=&quot;344&quot; height=&quot;320&quot;&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Mar. 18 - Tibetan activists call on Europe to investigate deaths in Chinese crackdown on protests in Lhasa.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering on Monday urged politicians to consider boycotting the Beijing Olympic Games to protest against China's crackdown on demonstrations in Tibet in which dozens may have died.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Benet Allen reports.</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=871#871</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Wed Apr 02, 2008 06:36:42 UTC</pubDate>
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                                        <title>Tibet activists target Olympic flame (video)</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=870#870</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Wed Apr 02, 2008 06:33:37 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;object type=&quot;application/x-shockwave-flash&quot; data=&quot;http://www.reuters.com/resources/flash/includevideo.swf?edition=US&amp;amp;videoId=79190&quot; width=&quot;344&quot; height=&quot;320&quot;&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;wmode&quot; value=&quot;transparent&quot;&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;movie&quot; value=&quot;http://www.reuters.com/resources/flash/includevideo.swf?edition=US&amp;amp;videoId=79190&quot;&gt;&lt;embed src=&quot;http://www.reuters.com/resources/flash/includevideo.swf?edition=US&amp;amp;videoId=79190&quot; type=&quot;application/x-shockwave-flash&quot; wmode=&quot;transparent&quot; width=&quot;344&quot; height=&quot;320&quot;&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Mar 30 - A group of pro Tibet activists attempt to stop Olympic flame reaching Athens stadium - but handover goes ahead.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A small group of protesters tried to intercept the flame as it was carried towards the Olympic Stadium to be handed over in a ceremony to Chinese officials. Greek police quickly removed them after posting hundreds of officers along the flame's route. Security vehicles and helicopters also followed the flame in the strictest security operation since the torch relay started in 1936.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Penny Tweedie reports.</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=870#870</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Wed Apr 02, 2008 06:33:37 UTC</pubDate>
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                                        <title>EU Asks China to Handle Tibet Peacefully</title>
                                        <link>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=869#869</link>
                                        <description>&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Author:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href='http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2'&gt;weichenxi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;b&gt;Posted:&lt;/b&gt; Wed Apr 02, 2008 06:19:43 UTC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
                                      EU Asks China to Handle Tibet Peacefully&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mar 28, 7:32 PM EDT&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
BRDO PRI KRANJU, Slovenia (AP) -- The European Union on Friday appealed to China to resolve the crisis in Tibet through peaceful means.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;All issues have to be resolved peacefully. That is an appeal to China,&amp;quot; said EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana at a two-day meeting of foreign ministers from the EU's 27 countries.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But he added that while Tibet's cultural heritage must be respected, the EU also respects China's territorial integrity.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
On Tuesday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy suggested he could boycott the opening ceremony of the Aug. 8-24 Beijing Olympics to protest China's crackdown on recent unrest in Tibet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
However, no officials at the EU meeting asked for a full-blown boycott of the games.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Foreign policy should have more effective instruments. We are calling for a dialogue inside China, between the Dalai Lama and the authorities in Beijing. That is the way to go,&amp;quot; said Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said a boycott of the games &amp;quot;would help neither the people of China, nor sports.&amp;quot;</description>
                                        <comments>http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/forum/viewtopic.php?p=869#869</comments>
                                        <author>weichenxi</author>
                                        <pubDate>Wed Apr 02, 2008 06:19:43 UTC</pubDate>
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