China’s intelligence is reportedly compiling a list of potential troublemakers at next year’s Olympic Games in Beijing that includes human rights activists, non-governmental organisation employees, and evangelical Christians.
Government spy agencies and think tanks say that Christians threaten to mount demonstrations against China’s religious freedom violations, while activists could stage protests demanding Beijing to use its oil-buying leverage with Sudan to end the Darfur genocide, according to The Associated Press.Environmentalists are also considered a potential threat if they decide to publicly voice their anger about global warming.
“Demonstrations of all kinds are a concern, including anti-American demonstrations,” said a consultant who works for Beijing’s Olympic organisers, requesting to remain anonymous because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
China’s Government is “trying to find out what kinds of NGOs will come…What are their plans?” said the consultant, according to AP.
With the Olympic price tag at $40bn and China’s public image on the line, the Chinese Government is leaving no room for foreign protestors to spoil China’s moment in the spotlight.
The effort is one of the broadest intelligence-collection drives by Beijing against foreign activist groups.
With more than a year still to go until the Games, protests have already been mounted in the US against the Beijing Olympics.
Several demonstrations were held in Washington DC by Christians and human rights activists to urge the US Government to press China on its treatment of North Korean refugees using the Olympics as leverage.
US human rights activists have urged people not to travel to Beijing to attend the 2008 Olympics unless China grants the United Nation’s refugee agency, UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), access to North Koreans hiding in its territory.
At least 500,000 North Koreans are estimated to have crossed the border over to China in the past 10 years to escape from the starvation and persecution they face under the repressive regime in North Korea.
