The whole thing blasts the eye and at times half deafens the ear
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German Chancellor, Canadian Prime Minister and UN chief admit they won't attend Olympics opening ceremony
Last updated at 01:37am on 13.04.08United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon became the latest political leader yesterday to say he would not be attending the opening of the Beijing Olympics.
Although UN officials said the Chinese government had been told "some months ago", the timing of his announcement was a boost for human rights campaigners demanding a boycott of the opening ceremony in protest over Beijing's human rights record in Tibet.
Gordon Brown and German chancellor Angela Merkel have said they will not be attending the opening while French president Nicolas Sarkozy is also considering staying away.
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Boycott: UN cheif Ban Ki-Moon says he won't attend Games after Brown said he wouldn't go
The prime minister was yesterday lauded for “boycotting” the Games, despite Downing Street insisting that it had said for months that he would attend only the closing ceremony.
Ms Okabe said: “The secretary-general had conveyed to the Chinese government some months ago that he may not be in a position to accept the invitation to attend this important event due to scheduling issues.”
Mr Ban was planning “a substantive visit to China” instead, she said. His snub was delivered after a week of damaging protests in London, Paris and San Francisco as the Olympics torch makes its way around the globe.
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After protests in Paris and London, demonstrators moved to San Francisco to follow the torch
Disgust: A pro-Tibetan protester along the route of the relay
Games bosses were today braced for further protest as the torch arrived in Buenos Aires from San Francisco. Organisers said 6,000 police and guards would escort the torch on its latest leg through the Argentinian capital, where protesters said they had “some surprises planned”.
Human rights campaigners have called on world leaders to skip the opening ceremony on 8 August in protest at Beijing's crackdown on pro-independence campaigners in Tibet.
Protests caused chaos in London along the 31-mile route of the torch procession and forced French security bosses to extinguish the flame at least three times in Paris. German chancellor Angela Merkel will not attend the opening and French president Nicolas Sarkozy is considering staying away.
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Parade: The boys in blue are back, along with a heavy contingent of police
US Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have called on President George Bush to boycott the ceremony.
Further controversy was stirred today when athletes were warned that they could be sent home from the Games if they displayed Tibetan flags at Olympics venues — even in their own rooms.
Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympics Committee, said competitors were free to express political views, but would face sanctions if they indulged in propaganda.
Mr Rogge was also forced to admit that the Games were “in crisis” after the week of protests, which worsened yesterday when Indonesia announced it would significantly shorten its leg of the torch relay in the capital, Jakarta.
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Clash: Chinese supporters and opponents gather near the Ferry Plaza
The 22 April leg had originally been due to pass through large stretches of the bustling city but now would be restricted to a sports complex in the city centre.
Meanwhile, Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama arrived in the US today for a conference on compassion.
At Seattle airport he strongly denied Chinese allegations he and his followers have used the run-up to the Olympics to foment unrest.
“Right from the beginning, we supported the Olympic Games,” he told reporters.
“I really feel very sad the government demonisesme. I am just a human; I am not a demon.”
Reader views (19)
Here's a sample of the latest views published. You can click view all to read all views that readers have sent in.
If Gordon goes no-one will show up. He needs to stay away to save the games!
- Peter Seekings-Foster, Muildenhall, Suffolk
At last, it had to happen sooner or later, Gordon's ineptitude has brought some worthwhile results. I think they should have a slide trombone player in Parliament for when Mr Brown speaks. Also, is it true they've banned bananas being brought into the house due to the amount of pitfalls occurring?
- Hugh Manrites, London
This is all nonsense. There are to logical positions to be taken here and any other is a hypocritical fudge. 1. Go to the opening ceremony and everything else. or 2. Don't have anything to do with China, period, no games, no cheap toys, no shoddy engineered products .... nothing.
It is long past time the world made its mind up about those unreconstructed thugs over there. We can see how bad it is because even ordinary Chinese don't know about the repression they are subjected to day in and day out. Maybe the parallels with our Western "democracy" are too much for the Bushes and Browns of this world to admit to though. Maybe that is the real reason for the fudge.
- John, Dundee, UK
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