Lik

Thank you, CP.

Lik

China have a bottom line, Liu Xiaobo offended China's bottom line (seperating China), and got imprisoned for it.

The Western world have a bottom line, and people like Julianne Assange is stepping on it, and the Western world is going after him for it.

In both cases we can argue on the basis of Freedom of Speech. In both cases the government acted similarly. To ask for Liu Xiaobo to be freed, then Julianne Assange should get off the hook first.
BiscottiGelato 發表於 2010-12-10 13:06

You are quite correct that the 2 cases are similar in that both persons crossed the bottom lines of the respective countries and they are getting hunted down for it. However, you have to ask yourself this -- comparatively speaking, how high are the bottom lines in China and in the US? Specifically, the constitutions of both China and the US guarantees freedom of speech . In Liu Xiaobo's case, none of the things he did were in violation of the Chinese constitution, but he was deemed by the Party (and subsequently the courts) to have broken the law right from the start, so he never would have had a chance in court. In Assange's case, lawyers and constitution specialists have repeatedly written that the US courts have a very slim chance of charging Assange with anything that'll stick since he can easily use the First Amendment and freedom of the press to defend for himself.
Also, you need to get your facts straight. Dalai Lama may have supported Tibet separatism in the past, but he has long been only fighting for the self-governance of Tibet (大西藏區自治，但唔係要搞藏獨). Obama is calling back the troops from Afghanistan.

Every country will certainly act in their own national interest, and there is nothing wrong with that. But when you commit atrocities at basic human rights level as Grandfather has repeatedly been doing, you deserve to get slammed internationally.

-Lik

Lik

On the subject of Liberty and Human Rights, China is still in Grade 3 Elementary School while the Western World is 3rd year University. The Western World slams China for not being able to do Algebra when they fail Calculus themselves. China obviously have much to improve, they are still classified as a developing country afterall. I'm not saying China should get away with everything because of this, but the way China is slammed by Western media is definately politically charged or greatly influenced by prior propganda.
BiscottiGelato 發表於 2010-12-10 13:43

China supporters always use this as their excuse to cut China some slack on their human rights disasters. But they're forgetting the fact that the analogy falls short in the sense that on the international stage, everybody is an adult that needs to act responsibly. If they fail to do so, they better be ready to face any sort of criticism that comes their way, regardless of whether that criticism actually comes or not. Thus, the analogy should really be that China is an adult with a grade 3 IQ. Besides, while basic human rights issues may not be 1+1=2 (survival would be that), they would more or less be equivalent to 2x2=4.

-Lik