Summary
MARTIN CULLEN has arrived in China for the Olympics. Doubtless the minister, whose taste for finery is nothing new, will be well looked after by his communist hosts. Early reports from Beijing suggest that the official hospitality is particularly lavish. Still, that hardly seems like a justification for Mr Cullen's self- abasement before his tyrannical hosts. Not content with turning up despite the brutal repression of Tibet earlier this year, Mr Cullen released a statement on his way out of Dublin announcing that 'issues surrounding human rights and Tibet had improved and had reached resolution' - something Tibetan activists bitterly contest. What a pity an Irish minister feels obliged to do the propaganda work of a foreign dictatorial Government.
AT LEAST Minister Cullen has not yet prompted any human rights abuses on his own account, which is possibly more than can be said for the New York Times. The venerable institution ran a report this week detailing that: 'The owner of the Xinjiang Kashgar Restaurant near the main Olympic venue said he shut down on Tuesday [of last week] after repeated visits from officials who cited health concerns. He said several other Muslim restaurants nearby had received similar visits. The owner, a Uighur, spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear that he would be further harassed by the authorities.' Anonymity? They just named the restaurant he owns!See the full content of this document
Extract
Isaac Bickerstaffe
NEW archival documents have just been released detailing Ted Heath's attempts to gai...
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