NationStates Jolt Archive

PRINCE Charles has told the Free Tibet campaign group he will not attend the opening ceremony of this year's Olympic Games in Beijing, the group says.

A spokesman for Free Tibet, which campaigns against human rights abuses in the Chinese province, said it wrote to Prince Charles, an outspoken supporter of the Dalai Lama, urging him not to attend the games.

In response, it received a letter from his deputy private secretary, Clive Alderton, confirming the Prince would not attend the opening ceremony.

He wrote: "As you know, His Royal Highness has long taken a close interest in Tibet and indeed has been pleased to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama on several occasions.

"You asked if the Prince of Wales would be attending the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics in 2008. His Royal Highness will not be attending the ceremony."

A spokesman for Free Tibet said: "We welcome the fact that the Prince of Wales will not be endorsing China's ongoing human rights' abuses in Tibet by attending the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games and we are calling on other high-profile public figures and politicians to follow suit.

"Human rights abuses in Tibet have worsened since China was awarded the games in 2001.
These games will come to be known as the Games of Shame."

The news will come as a blow to British government efforts to build economic and cultural ties with the Chinese, most recently with a visit by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and a delegation of British business figures.

Charles has frequently made public his support for the Dalai Lama, whom he has met on numerous occasions.

It was his friendship with the exiled Tibetan leader which led him to miss out the main banquet during Chinese president Jiang Zemin's visit to the UK in 1999.

In leaked diaries written during the handover of Hong Kong in 1997 the Prince referred to senior Chinese officials as "appalling old waxworks".

A Clarence House spokeswoman said: "We would not be able discuss any private correspondence." http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23119708-663,00.html

Well done there Charlie Windsor. Just wish there were a few more ppl in politics who would grow a pair and follow suit.

Wonder how Gordy Brown and the PRC will spin this one.



On another note, "Camilla Rosemary Windsor, The Duchess Of Cornwall" can be anagram'd into "So, confirm a dull royal, Charles, screwed this woman."

I am pretty much boycotting the whole thing. First time ever in fact. For some reason the Olympics seem wrong this time.

I wonder how the PRC will spin that! :p

Good for him. He might be a bit of a twit, but he's right this time.

Says the guy who turned up to a party swearing a swastika armband....

He seems to be nothing but a puffed-up self-important troll, he would be nothing if he wasn't born into privilege.

Says the guy who turned up to a party swearing a swastika armband....

He seems to be nothing but a puffed-up self-important troll, he would be nothing if he wasn't born into privilege.

That was Prince Harry. Charles is the one who left Diana for a mummified troll.

That was Prince Harry. Charles is the one who left Diana for a mummified troll.
Sorry, I get the royals mixed up.:confused:

PRC needs to be taken down a peg, they're getting far too big for their boots.

PRC needs to be taken down a peg, they're getting far too big for their boots.
And how exactly do you 'take them down a peg', nuke them?

And how exactly do you 'take them down a peg', nuke them?

Put lead in their toys? :confused:

Put lead in their toys? :confused:

Try arsenic.

Sorry, I get the royals mixed up.:confused:

So do they. Blood tests are a great man, apparently.

Does China still have the "One Child per Family" rule? and are Males still desirable over females?

Games of Shame.

Catchy. :)

As much as I support free Tibet, would it be out of line to say, who really gives a rat's ass what His Royal Twitness does?

Can someone let Anonymous know that China suppresses freedom of speech?

That would be fun.

Simply 'Not Attending' the opening of the Olympic games IS NOT a boycott. I won't be attending either, but I am not boycotting it. I won't be flying to America this year, that is not a boycott either.

Simply 'Not Attending' the opening of the Olympic games IS NOT a boycott. I won't be attending either, but I am not boycotting it. I won't be flying to America this year, that is not a boycott either.

He would have been invited. Turning this down would be boycotting if he was free to go otherwise.

But really, Prince Charles.....silly man, makes me laugh, especially as the god of Vanutu.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23119708-663,00.html

Well done there Charlie Windsor. Just wish there were a few more ppl in politics who would grow a pair and follow suit.

Wonder how Gordy Brown and the PRC will spin this one.



On another note, "Camilla Rosemary Windsor, The Duchess Of Cornwall" can be anagram'd into "So, confirm a dull royal, Charles, screwed this woman."

There are people who still watch/attend the Olympics?:confused:

Why?:p

But really, Prince Charles.....silly man, makes me laugh, especially as the god of Vanutu.

I thought it was Prince Phillip who was considered a god

Nice one Charlie boy ;) I bet some other royal will go though :(but what other royals do is politically insignificant, for the time being only the queen and the prince of wales really represent the uk.

Nice one Charlie boy ;) I bet some other royal will go though :(

Nice one Charlie boy ;) I bet some other royal will go though :(

Most likely Princess (Zara?), since she's on the team for jumping around with horses, if that's the technical term for it.

I'd like to use this occasion to announce that I'm also boycotting the Olympic games by not participating.

Games of Shame.

Catchy. :)

Indeed. 'Olympics of Oppression' will never catch on.

Prince Charles is NOT in politics. He doesn't have to worry about re-election. This is just a gesture. Nothing more.

And how exactly do you 'take them down a peg', nuke them?

Did you get DEAT'd again?

Bugger Tibet.

He's a tool. Olympics should be about the athletes, not politics. Everyone has something to bitch about, no matter where they are holding it.

Says the guy who turned up to a party swearing a swastika armband....

He seems to be nothing but a puffed-up self-important troll, he would be nothing if he wasn't born into privilege.

Firstly, you're a moron.

Secondly, Charles didn't turn up to a party wearing a swastika; Prince Harry did, at a fancy dress party, themed on "the Sound of Music".

However, why allow such considerations as accuracy and verism to impose upon the uninformed bile you see fit to spew forth upon us?

By and large Charles is a useless sod, but on this occasion he's doing the right thing. Jolly good show.

*puts on top hat and sings 'God Save the Queen and Her Inbred Family*

Bugger Tibet.

Isn't that pretty much what China's been doing for the last 50-60 years?

Put lead in their toys? :confused:

Anti-freeze is the best option. Especially if you remove the chemical they put in it to make it taste bad.

Then, it's a dangerous substance that tastes good, and can't be detected by normal poison tests, only by a very specific one (they would have to be suspecting anti-freeze in the first place).

Bugger Tibet.

I think not!

Well done, Charles. Free Tibet!

Free Tibet????? I THINK NOT, FREE VERMONT!:)

Isn't that pretty much what China's been doing for the last 50-60 years?

zing!

I thought it was Prince Phillip who was considered a god

That's true, my bad. Charles doesn't have that kind of redeeming feature.

Isn't that pretty much what China's been doing for the last 50-60 years?
Yes. On the other hand, it's also what the various previous Dalai Lama(s?) were doing. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose and all of that.

If every Olympic host nation that was doing something questionable were boycotted, there would be no Olympic Games.

Prince Charles is NOT in politics. He doesn't have to worry about re-election. This is just a gesture. Nothing more.The Queen as well as the Heir Apparent are very deep in politics. And a gesture may well raise some eyebrows.

The Queen as well as the Heir Apparent are very deep in politics. And a gesture may well raise some eyebrows.
Not really. The Queen sits about being useful, and Prince Charles mostly just complains about teenagers not reading enough, etc.

They don't make themselves too active in politics.

He's a tool. Olympics should be about the athletes, not politics. Everyone has something to bitch about, no matter where they are holding it.

The Olympics have always been about politics, be it their delay during the World Wars, the 1956, 1972, 1976, 1980 and 1984 experienced politics based boycotts, the winter Olympics issues with ice skating and hockey have been heavily linked to political tensions. Oooh! And we cannot forget the penultimate in Olympics politics: 1936 Nazi Olympics in Berlin.

In fact...Wikipedia article on Politics in the Olympics. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_in_the_Olympics)

I appluad his actions.

Thanks, Andaluciae. Gee, I had no idea that anyone linked the Olympics to politics.

Pffft. I'm saying that they need to stop doing it. The Olympics should be about the athletes and not the host country. I wish they could just hold them in Greece every time. That's how it should be.

Thanks, Andaluciae. Gee, I had no idea that anyone linked the Olympics to politics.

Pffft. I'm saying that they need to stop doing it. The Olympics should be about the athletes and not the host country. I wish they could just hold them in Greece every time. That's how it should be.

Thats a noble goal, but sadly that's not going to happen. Hosting the Olympics has massive economic implications for example which cannot be ignored for one thing.

Yeah. I don't think it's worth the grief. All the various fringe groups come out to protest at the Olympics. I remember being so embarrassed for the US when I saw all the freaks holding parades in Atlanta and acting like degenerates in front of all the foreign spectators. I hope we never hold the Olympics again.

Bugger Tibet.

Isn't that pretty much what China's been doing for the last 50-60 years?

zing!

Thank you! I'm here all week. :D

Can someone let Anonymous know that China suppresses freedom of speech?

That would be fun.

If they could be properly motivated, Anonymous v. the People's Republic of China would be an awesome fight, as Anonymous simply rips the Chinese censorship systems to shreds.

"Sir! Our monitoring program is refusing to boot!"
"What do you mean?"
"Watch!" *tries to boot it up*
*"WE ARE ANONYMOUS" scrolls across the screen*