If China is such a great place for minorities to live in, why were 6,000 Tibetan monastries destroyed and why do the Chinese communist party oversee all Tibetan religous affairs.
I also must point out the overwhelming replies on this site are from China as never seen before.
Is it the slient majority or those privilaged few who have access to the internet.
Why also are 98% of Chinese in support of action against the Tibetans, is this the same 98% with no access to the internet, live on 3rd world wages and probaly wouldnt vote for the unelected ruling communist party, if there were ever free elections.

Philip, Oxford, England

Do you see that China has bee growing rapidly??

Although it is not a developed country in the world currently, Chinese government's leading is much better than anyone can see. As a Chinese.

Catherine, Chengdu, China

Come to China,and you will konw the truth.I don't know how many of you have came to China,but there is one Chinese adage:the truth is what you see in body,not hear and not see from other media.l love my country,because I know the change
of our lives.

fes, Beijing, China

Only a democratic free country can understand the the true meaning of freedom. Communism only has brought bloodshed insecurity & disharmony in this world. Unless China gets rid out of this Communist propoganda its difficult for them to get respect from the western & international community. If China wants to seek change in treatment from the world first try to change yourself & your outlook towards society & Human Values.Only thing that can conquer a nation is love & peace & not the repressive brutal force the communism adopts.Its high time that Chinese must realise the need for liberalisation.Chinese must learn to respect religions & faiths. Its the only thing that preserves ones identity & respect in the world community.Tolerance is a key to a nations success peace & harmony.

Prithviraj Rathore, Mumbai, India

I wonder if David, Lihui, Zhuji and all the others who post on Western news sites on this subject are paid to do so, or if they do so voluntarily.

Meanwhile, when will you, and the Chinese authorities, realize that one can criticize the Chinese government without being anti-Chinese? I lived there for 6 years and I'm married to a PRC citizen, and it's precisely because I admire and respect China's culture and her achievements that I want to see freedom of speech and freedom of opinion, and the same democratic rights that people enjoy in other countries.

I'm now living in the USA, and I strongly disagree with the policies of the Bush government, but this doesn't make me anti-American. And I don't hate people who do support Bush, by the way.

Tolerance of other people's views is the mark of a mature and confident society.

Simon Buckland, Washington DC, USA

Before China was granted the 2008 Olympics and World Trade Organization membership, certain promises were extracted by Western powers from China’s communist leadership for improvement in China’s human rights practices-specifically, the rights of its citizens to express grievances and protest unfair government policies. Unfortunately, those promises have not been kept even though China is preparing this summer to showcase the ‘successes’ of its Marxist political system to the world and has prospered by ‘gaming’ the free world’s open market trading system to the advantage and profit of the West’s transnational corporations.

It was assumed that if enough of China’s massive population began to enjoy the benefits of free trade and economic prosperity, China’s self-appointed leaders would loosen their exclusive, iron-grip of power and allow individual and minority rights of free expression. Unfortunately, that strategy has proven to be a colossal failure.

Tiger, Kunming, PRC

As Chinese I enjoyed the touching and warm feeling during last Special Olympic in Shanghai while meeting people from everywhere, this is what I am expecting from Beijing Olympic. Please give Chinese a break, stop get the politics involving into this great party. We have been suffering from politics; now all we want is enjoying life. I was one of the students in Tiananmen Square at the night of June 4; no media tells the truth including China and Western, and also Hu Jia. Now all I want is forgetting and forgiving, and enjoy what I have now. I am so happy to see the great changing in China.

Yajuan, shanghai, China

i support chinese goverment.

cyuanxin, shantou, china

To Tim in Kolkata, India:
You are forgetting one important detail: the people in Irag have guns and an etire arsenal of ammunition at their disposal.

vic, Kennesaw, GA, USA

Hey Eric, I support your outrage against the suppression of human rights. I just want to know, have you written similar opinion pieces about what your own country has done and is continuing to do in Iraq? If you have your heart in the right place I'm sure you'd protest tyranny anywhere on earth.

Tim, Kolkata, India

I'm a 17-year-old student in China so my English is not very good.But I have to say that the picture showed "Crisis in Tibet as Chinese Army cracks down" just made a big mistake!The soldiers in the picture are not Chinese but Nepalis.At last I must tell everyone here that Beijing welcomes you!

Zhuji, Wuxi, China

Everyone should respect the truth,especially the western media.You shoud be resposile for what you have said and have no right to insult our government and people by these distorted news.
If you have time to do nothing,you should do something useful to the relationship between the west and China.

lihui , NanJing, China

I find it completely mind-boggling the ways in which the Chinese government continually brainwash their countrymen into believing that the Dalai Lama is a terrorist, and that by placing "tighter security" around China they will be able to keep those of us overseas who live in freedom from understanding what they are actually doing to their citizens.

Sick.

BOYCOTT THE OLYMPICS

ThamasD

ThamasD, Denver, Colorado

Other news stories have mentioned that Yang was shocked with electric batons after the verdict was announced.

The fact that this country will be hosting the Olympics in a few months is becoming nearly intolerable. More than a year ago, I vowed not to watch a single minute of the Beijing Games on television. While I oppose a national boycott because it would be unfair to the athletes, I hope a few prominent athletes choose to individually boycott the Games. Best of all would be for a star Chinese athlete to refuse to compete (as dozens of nations line up to grant asylum to him/her).

Yang Chunlin, Hu Jia, the Tibet situation...I almost hope that something even worse happens, something that will cause China immense shame and humiliation as its Olympic dreams come crashing down. At some point, corporate sponsors will realize the Beijing Olympics are bad for business. When that happens, it'll be Games Over.

Eric, Takoma Park, Maryland, USA

He committed the crime of endangering national security, was sentenced to five years.
Not because of what he said, but because of what he did.
He fully deserved.

David, China, Heilongjiang