Saw the protests on CNN last night. Almost made me wish Taiwan HAD let itself be a part of the torch relay. Mighta made for one helluva show!
The network also featured the efforts of Tibetans to form their own alternative "Tibetan Olympics." Kind of a slapdash affair, it looks like. Nevertheless, if Western governments really want to rebuke Beijing, they might want to forget about the whole boycott thing and instead send a few athletes to the Tibetan Olympics as well.
And if Beijing objects? Hey, just innocently remind them of their own mantra: international athletics should always be kept non-political…
That would have been awesome. The rest of the world seems to be suppressing freedom of speech for China. If the DPP was still in power and the torch route went through Taiwan, Taiwan would be the only country to allow free speech. I can imaging Falungong, Tibet, Darfur protests along the torch route.
Alas, with the KMT in full power, it would not matter even if the torch route went through Taiwan. The KMT is sympathetic to China and would likely refuse permits for protests along the torch route.