Foreigners not welcome (for now)
It's not just the Tiananmen protests that cause political jitters in Chinese authorities.
China bans foreign travellers from Tibet as 1959 uprising anniversary looms
China is barring foreign travellers from Tibet over a period of several weeks that includes a pair of sensitive political anniversaries questioning the legitimacy of Beijing’s rule over the Himalayan region…
The ban was confirmed by the online customer service portal of the Tibet Youth International Travel Service, as well as staff at the Tibet Vista and Go to Tibet travel agencies. Both are based in the southwestern city of Chengdu, the main jumping-off point for visits to Tibet…
March 10 is the 60th anniversary of an abortive 1959 uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet, while anti-government riots occurred March 14, 2008, in the regional capital Lhasa.
Although the foreigner travel ban is an annual occurrence, the occasion of the 60th anniversary is drawing added attention…
The 1959 uprising resulted in the flight of Tibet’s traditional Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, into exile in India and the start of increasingly harsh Chinese rule over the region. Nearly five decades later, anger exploded in a series of protests in an around Lhasa that culminated in attacks on Chinese individuals and businesses in which the government says rioters killed 18 people.
An unknown number of Tibetans were killed by security forces in the aftermath.
China claims Tibet has been part of its territory for more than seven centuries and regards the Dalai Lama as a dangerous separatist.
Some Tibetans insist they were essentially independent for most of that time and have protested against what they regard as China’s heavy-handed rule imposed after the People’s Liberation Army battled its way into the Himalayan region in 1950...
Despite the suffocating level of security, Tibet is an increasingly popular destination for tourists looking for mountain adventure and monuments to its unique Buddhist culture.
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Labels: China, demographics, history, protests
Protests in Russia
What's the Russian equivalent of 200,000 to 300,000 people protesting in Washington, DC? Does 10,000 people protesting in Moscow make the grade?
Russia pension protests: Fresh anti-reform rallies held
Further protests against pension reforms have taken place in Russia, despite the recent concessions offered by President Vladimir Putin.
Independent observers say more than 10,000 people took part in rallies in Moscow. Other cities also saw demonstrations.
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| Communist protesters in Moscow |
The initial proposal was to raise the retirement age for women to 63 from 55, and for men to 65 from 60.
On Wednesday he said the pension age for women would only be raised to 60.
Mr Putin has said reform is a financial necessity, but it has been met with a hostile reception and led to a steep fall in his popularity…
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has previously said the decision was motivated by the fact that Russians are living longer and leading more active lives…
In a TV address last week, Mr Putin said the move to raise the retirement age for men and women had been delayed for years and risked causing inflation and increasing poverty.
Postponing it further would threaten the stability and security of Russian society, he said.
"Any further delay would be irresponsible," he said. "Our decisions should be just and well-balanced."
Until his TV address he had attempted to distance himself from the row, and had in the past promised that the pension age would never be raised on his watch.
Tens of thousands have rallied across Russia in recent weeks.
Sunday's Moscow protest saw many carrying the red flags and banners of the Communist Party, the principal organiser of the protest.
A smaller protest was held by the centre-left Just Russia party, which police said attracted some 1,500 people.
Unusually for Russia, protesters against the reforms come from all sides of the political debate…
Most economists and many Russians agree there is a problem. The population is getting older and the state is spending more and more on pensions.
After the economic chaos of the early 1990s, Russia's population plummeted. The birth rate has since shown some signs of improvement, but it is not happening fast enough.
Based on current trends, 20% of Russians will be over 65 by 2050, says the UN…
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Labels: demographics, politics, protests, Russia
Unrest in Iranian cities
Things are not going well at the grassroots in Iran. BTW, when there are protests in South Tehran, the less affluent area of the city, unrest has spread beyond the wealthy, educated people.
Iran protests resume for 6th day amid violent clashes with security forces
Protests renewed in Tehran and several Iranian cities on Sunday evening, marking the sixth consecutive day of protests against the regime’s policies while some violent clashes erupted between protestors and security forces in some cities.
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| Scene in Tehran, August 5. |
According to videos published by activists, there were protests in the neighborhood of Ekbatan, northwest of Tehran, in other areas like Daneshjoo Park in the center of Tehran, and in the streets of Karagar and Amir Abad in South Tehran.
Protestors in Enghelab Street, in the center of Tehran, were chanting “Death to the Dictator.” A video showed security forces attack protestors while some young men burnt trash bins to obstruct the security forces’ advance.
Violent clashes also erupted between protestors and riot police in the park of Tehran’s theatre, and according to some reports, there were violent clashes between protestors and riot police in Qom and Karaj.
Activists said the government shut down cellular services and cut off the internet in both cities, Qom and Karaj, to prevent citizens from publishing photos of protests and clashes.
Meanwhile, in Kazerun, in the Fars Province, hundreds of people protested in the center of city and chanted anti-regime slogans.
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Labels: economics, Iran, protests
Civil unrest on Chinese roads
When public protests become visible to outsiders, I'd assume that we're just seeing the surface of the situation.
Chinese truck drivers, activists warn of more protests over fuel, fines and cutthroat rates
Thousands of truck drivers are believed to have taken part in protests in a dozen places – including Shanghai and Chongqing…
Footage and photos posted online showed drivers honking horns, driving slowly, chanting slogans and holding up banners.
As well as complaining about high fuel costs and random traffic fines, the drivers were protesting over changes to an Uber-like online truck logistics platform that pairs owner-drivers with freight shippers.
Long-distance truck drivers have protested before but the action this time is significant for breaking through the heavy censorship of China’s media to show the impact of internet companies on Chinese workers…
“We are struggling just to survive,” one driver based in Yantai, Shandong province, said, refusing to rule out similar action later this year.
“We did not plan the strikes, there is no leadership or organisation. We speak out from time to time.
“We can’t make a living any more now that haulage rates are under fierce competition and the diesel price is 7 yuan (US$1.09) a litre ... We are also often randomly fined for traffic violations.”
Diesel prices have climbed steadily – this time last year the price was 5.6 yuan per litre.
In the online videos, a number of trucks were also vandalised after their drivers refused to take part in the protests…
According to Ministry of Transport, there are 18 million long-distance truck drivers but other estimates put the number at 30 million – a sizable group whose growing grievances the authorities cannot afford to overlook…
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Labels: China, political culture, protests
Iranian protests
Do big changes begin with small gestures?
Tired of Their Veils, Some Iranian Women Stage Rare Protests
Climbing atop a five-foot-tall utility box in one of Tehran’s busiest squares… an Iranian woman removed her head scarf, tied it to a stick and waved it for all to see.
It was no small feat in Iran, where women can be arrested for publicly flouting the Islamic requirement that they cover their hair.
But there she stood, her curly hair blowing in the breeze. No one protested. In fact, she was applauded by many people. Taxi drivers and older women took her picture. The police, who maintain a booth in the square, either did not see her or decided not to intervene…
She was not alone…. several other women, a total of six, according to social media accounts, made the same symbolic gesture: taking off their head scarves in public and waving them on a stick, emulating a young woman who climbed on the same sort of utility box on Dec. 27 and was subsequently arrested. Activists say she has since been released, but she has still has not resurfaced in public…
The protests, still small in number, are nevertheless significant as a rare public sign that dissatisfaction with certain Islamic laws governing personal conduct…
And some said this might just be the beginning. “My guess is that more of these protests will follow,” said Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer and human rights activist. “It’s obvious that some women want to decide for themselves what to wear.”
That remains to be seen, but the protests have already gained enough attention to provoke angry reactions in some quarters.
“These protests are done by instigators, saboteurs and vandalists and anarchists,” said one critic, Kazem Anbarlooie, the editor in chief of the hard-line newspaper Resalat. “Recently our enemies were communists and liberals, now Americans are provoking masochists against us.”…
The Islamic head scarf, or hijab, is seen by Iranian ideologues as a pillar of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The law regarding the scarf has been enforced since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and a head scarf is obligatory for every woman in the country, even tourists and visiting foreign dignitaries…
During the past decade, influenced by the rise of the internet, satellite television and cheap foreign travel, many Iranians have grown deeply resentful of rules that they can see for themselves are out of step with most of the rest of the world. Many have become relatively secular and feel increasingly unwelcome in the fixed-in-stone state version of Shiite Islam, and many have taken to flouting the rules whenever and wherever they feel free enough to do so…
In past years, the morality police zealously enforced the rules, arresting women and men who violated them. But under the current president, Hassan Rouhani, a moderate, those officers have largely been taken off the streets.
Their removal was a gesture to a radically changed society, but it was also a recognition that there were not enough enforcers available to control a society that resents and rejects the rules. Women without head scarves can been seen everywhere in Tehran, in their cars, in shopping centers and even on the street, but always with the scarves draped over their shoulders, as if they have only just slipped off…
See also: Iranian Chess Player, Shunned for Refusing to Wear Hijab, Will Play in U.S.
Iran and Saudis’ Latest Power Struggle: Expanding Rights for Women
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Labels: Iran, politics, protests
A second from the Supreme Leader?
After the Iranian president's remarks, the Supreme Leader might be seconding those sentiments.
Iran’s leader blames U.S. for unrest but says public demands ‘must be answered’
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tuesday that people have genuine grievances that should be addressed by the government…
His remarks — which come as demonstrations have dwindled — constituted a rare admission from the hard-line cleric, who wields ultimate authority in Iran…
Khamenei… accused the United States and Israel of a “carefully organized” plot to overthrow Iran’s government. He said “the enemy” had started chants against high prices, attracting Iranian demonstrators…
The remarks were standard fare for Khamenei, who has presided over Iran’s powerful clerical and security establishments for 29 years…
Still, Khamenei acknowledged that hardships have led to discontent in Iran. He pointed to what he called “problematic financial institutions” as having left many Iranians “dissatisfied” with the economic situation.
A handful of illicit credit institutions have collapsed across Iran in recent years, wiping out deposits from ordinary Iranians. Many aggrieved depositors have staged protests outside banks and government offices, demanding to be reimbursed…
His remarks appeared to align with those made by President Hassan Rouhani on Monday. Rouhani urged the government and his hard-line rivals to recognize the demonstrators’ demands…
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Labels: Iran, leadership, politics, protests
Defusing the Iranian protests
Whether his words have any affect on policy or not, the message might reduce protests.
Iran Can’t Keep Dictating Lifestyle, Its President Warns
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| Rouhani |
President Hassan Rouhani of Iran lashed out at his hard-line opponents on Monday, saying the protesters who have shaken Iran in recent weeks objected not just to the bad economy but also to widespread corruption and the clerical government’s restrictive policies on personal conduct and freedoms.
In his most extensive comments yet on the protests, Mr. Rouhani said that those people who took to the streets across the country did so because they were seeking a better life. “Some imagine that the people only want money and a good economy, but will someone accept a considerable amount of money per month when for instance the cyber network would be completely blocked?” he asked. “Is freedom and the life of the people purchasable with money?…
Mr. Rouhani, a moderate, has been seeking a relaxation in social controls, but he faces resistance from hard-liners in unelected power centers like the judiciary, vetting councils and the state news media. They want to keep in place the framework of Islamic laws that effectively dictate how people should live, despite enormous changes in Iranian society in the past decade alone.
Iran’s judiciary and the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, blame the country’s “enemies” for the protests in over 80 cities, which started on Dec. 28. They said the actions were organized by the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia with the aim of bringing down the Islamic government…
Several political supporters of Mr. Rouhani say that the first protest in the city of Mashhad was actually masterminded by the hard-liners, in an attempt to discredit the government…
But the protesters have also spoken of a host of other problems, including endemic corruption and the government’s expensive support for the Syrian government and Shiite groups throughout the Middle East, particularly Hezbollah, the Shiite movement in Lebanon.
Seeking to blunt criticism over the economy, Mr. Rouhani stressed the breadth of the protesters’ demands as well as their validity.
“The people have demands, some of which are economic, social and security-related, and all these demands should be heeded,” he said on Monday. He did not directly refer to slogans calling for Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, to step down, but he said that no one was exempt from criticism…
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Labels: Iran, leadership, politics, protests
