China to ban Bjork

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[YOU DON’T HAVE TO SCRATCH THE SURFACE TOO DEEPLY TO UNCOVER THE REAL CHINA IT SEEMS:rolleyes: kk]

SHANGHAI, March 7 - China has pledged to impose tougher curbs on foreign artists after pop star Bjork sang in support of Tibetan independence in Shanghai, warning similar actions could lead to them being blacklisted.

``We will further tighten controls on foreign artists performing in China in order to prevent similar cases from happening in the future,’’ the Ministry of Culture said in a statement on its website today.

``We shall never tolerate any attempt to separate Tibet from China and will no longer welcome any artists who deliberately do this.’’

A video on the internet site YouTube shows the Icelandic singer closing out her concert in China’s financial hub last Sunday with the song Declare Independence, during which she yelled ``Tibet’’ several times.

Communist China has ruled Tibet since 1951, after sending in troops to officially ``liberate’’ the devoutly Buddhist region a year earlier.

``Some artist deliberately turned a commercial show into a political performance, which not only broke Chinese law, but also hurt Chinese audiences’ feelings,’’ the statement said.

``What Bjork said in Shanghai has aroused strong resentment among the general public in China.’’

When asked about the welcome mat being withdrawn for artists who spoke out in favour of Tibetan independence, a culture ministry spokeswoman indicated Bjork would be blacklisted if she sang in support of Tibet again.

``If Bjork continued to behave like that in future, we may consider never allowing her to perform in China,’’ she said.

Bjork’s support of the cause of Tibetan independence is not new - she performed at a Free Tibet concert in San Francisco in 1996.

However, the song Declare Independence was originally written for Greenland and the Faroe Islands, both of which belong to Denmark.

Bjork is one of many prominent Western celebrities, including actor Richard Gere, to have lent their support to Tibetans campaigning for independence for their homeland, or at least an end to what they say is severe repression.

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BEIJING, March 7 AFP - Preparations have been made to stop campaigners opposed to China’s rule of Tibet from protesting in the Himalayan region before and during the August Olympics, Chinese authorities warn.
We have made ample preparations and can guarantee the security of Olympic activities in Tibet with complete confidence,'' the region's Communist Party vice-secretary, Xiangbapingcuo, told reporters in Beijing today. Kang Jinzhong, a member of the political affairs committee of the region's PLA Armed Police, also warned anyone aligned to exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama to stay clear of the region. If any destabilising factors appear, such as sabotage by the Dalai Lama clique, we will take corresponding measures to safeguard stability,’’ Kang said.
Both men were responding to questions about how authorities would handle potential demonstrations or other disturbances before and during the Beijing Olympics amid fears free-Tibet groups intend to use the world spotlight to publicise their cause.
They were speaking on the sidelines of the annual parliamentary session in Beijing.
Pro-Tibetan independence groups have already sought to use the August Olympics as a platform to publicise their cause with publicity stunts in Tibet and Beijing that have embarrassed authorities.
In April last year, five Americans from Students for a Free Tibet were expelled from China for staging a demonstration on Mount Everest in which they called for Tibetan independence.
In August, during celebrations to mark the one-year countdown to the Games, another six foreign free-Tibet activists staged a two-hour protest on the Great Wall near Beijing and were promptly kicked out of the country.

China has ruled Tibet since 1951, a year after sending troops in to ``liberate’’ the devoutly Buddhist region.

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i like china… crime rate is low, no Pride Day,
official are not corrupt,punishment is swift,
people have rights to doctors…

bottom line… china is for real people,not trouble makers like democracy…

ciao a tutti…

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WOW!!! Last time i checked this was a democratic site!! I don’t believe we are trouble makers?! Are we boys and girls??

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Just as it was in Mussolini’s day, eh :wink: :eek:

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all of that is why old ladies spit on your previous avatar’s corpse.

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HAHAHAHAH!! gold!

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not at all… you have been blinded by the smoke… oh well… god bless america’s constitution… ciao 4 now…

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Just like Italy- they make the trains run on time!
BTW- what’s Bjork’s event?
(Must be one of those distance runners or something!)

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Charlie,

Bjork (female) is a music artist from Iceland. In her hayday was known to be quite controversial.

Rupert
CharlieFrancis.com

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I’m with China banning Bjork and Richard Gere :smiley:

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HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH!!!