With the 2008 Summer Games just a year away, China is grappling with bad press. It appears the totalitarian state cant shed its repressive ways despite promises that it would if given the opportunity to host the Olympics.
Recently, Amnesty International charged China with using the Olympics to suppress dissent and illegally rid Beijing of its unsightly riff-raff. Thats right, Amnesty said China is locking up those who question human rights standards as well as detaining petty criminals, homeless, and drug addicts without trial.
China has dismissed such claims. However, a law remains on the books giving the state the right to detain, without charge, suspects for up to four years.
This week new charges have emerged about Chinese based companies producing Olympic products using child labor and sweatshop styled working conditions.
Maxwell Book has the details in this Olympic Countdown from NewsTalkAsia.com. Tune into News Talk Asia, podcasting and talk radio from Asia. Click, listen, and leave your comment below, or email Max at NewsTalkAsia@gmail.com.File Download (5:05 min / 2 MB)
News Talk Asia.com
Video News in Atlanta and Georgia from ..
On The Media from NPR/WNYC
KCRW's The Score
MSNBC Countdown with Keith Olbermann
