By Tenzin Sangmo
New Delhi, May 1 – Even before the Olympic flame arrived in the bustling financial Capital of Hong Kong, officials deported at least seven people including three Danish human rights activists, two Canadians including Tsering Lama of Tibetan origin and Matt Whitticase, Free Tibet Campaign Press Officer from Britain.
The torch touched down on Chinese soil yesterday after it was flown in from Vietnam where it saw a relatively protest-free run. Five pro-democracy activists tried to interrupt the torch’s welcoming ceremony at a cultural center. The protestors who were stopped by a dozen policemen in the street far from the venue were carrying a banner that read ‘human rights are universal rights’
The leader of the group nonconformist lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung told AP, “We demand that the Chinese communist regime lives up to the promise it made in 2002 (when it was awarded the Olympics) to improve human rights in China.”
In the meantime, noted American actress and activist Mia Farrow was allowed entry into Hong Kong promising not to upset the Olympic torch relay. Farrow, a campaigner for Darfur is seeking an end to violence in Sudan urging China to pressure the Sudanese government into allowing UN peacekeepers in the region. China is by far the largest investor in Sudan and keeps almost two-thirds of its oil production.
