Nobel Peace Prize - The Chinese Drama !!!!

Sometimes the signs of resistance & defiance to Peace movements are ominously disturbing. Its a telling warning that Love & Peace face the constant wrath of violence & the path ahead is by no means easy.

Yesterday, 10th Dec'10, the whole world watched, albeit with a fair amount of dismay & concern as Nobel Peace Prize Committee Chairman, Thorjoern Jagland felicitated the empty chair of this year's laureate Liu Xiaobo, in absentia, with a diploma & a gold medal !!
Sitting alone on stage, amidst thunderous claps, Jagland kept looking balefully at the vacant chair to his left, while the life size potrait of Liu Xiaobo to his right, kept smiling meaningfully, looking for the World support. The Nobel Ceremony at Oslo had to content with an Empty Chair for the fifth time ever, as Liu Xiaobo probably smiles ruefully behind bars, somewhere in China.
Strange are the ways of today's world.

The winner, Liu, languishes in jail, as a result of his attempt to stand against the Communist Govt in China, demanding radical democratic changes. He is currently serving an 11 year imprisonment sentence for inciting subversion of the State Power.
The world would remember with horror the Tiananmen Square massacre on 4th June'1989. Untold number of civilian protesters(the count certainly running into a few thousands), mostly students, were killed or wiped away. The People's Liberation Army ruthlessly, crushed the human barricades set up by the innocent students demanding democratic reforms.
Many of us would remember, the famous footage of a lone man in white shirt blocking a convoy of advancing tanks. Eyewitness mention that he was later removed by the army & possibly executed for his defiance. Time Magazine had dubbed him "The Unknown Rebel", & named him as one of the 100 most influential men of the 20th century.
Liu Xiaobo, an activist in that  movement has been in the news since then, writing strongly against the Communist Party. he has dedicated this prize to the "lost souls of 4th June".
The Tainanmen Square massacre occurred concurrently with the 1989 French Open tennis tournament, which, as providence would have it, was won by the 17 year old Michael Chang. He too dedicated his win to the departed souls, saying, "It was God's purpose for me to win here, because I was able to put a smile on Chinese people's faces across the world at a time when there wasn't much to smile about."

The Chinese Govt continues to live in defiance. Demonstrating their Iron fist control, the State shut down all conceivable international news channels & websites to ensure that the 1.3 billion Chinese people do not get to see the Nobel Peace awards ceremony. Close friends & family of Liu have been barred from travelling abroad & his wife lives in house arrest. A complete black out !!!!
What is disturbingly outrageous, is that the common man in Beijing is also not so aware of Liu Xiaobo & his activities. While he is lauded by the international community for his attempts to promote Human Rights & Democracy, Liu probably remains in dark & oblivion within the walls of China. Or should we say, the common man is scared to speak out, & live in fear of being wiped away, lest they join voices against the State. Don't know if we can call this progressive & China is supposed to be the super power surging ahead !!! 
The Chinese Govt has been recently showcasing their power & capability to the world through Olympics & Asian Games. There is no doubt that they are a power to reckon with in the world today. But where are they placed in humanitarian activities ??? Dalai Lama lives in exile for years, screaming for an independent Tibet. The Chinese army keeps infiltrating the poorly managed Indian borders, attempting every instance to occupy Arunachal Pradesh & the nearby areas. They keep on supporting terror states like Pakistan.
Interestingly around 20 countries, who have close diplomatic ties with China, have declined Norway's invitation to come for the ceremony. Countries strife with internal turmoil & unabated terrorism like Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Kazakhistan, Algeria, Vietnam etc are a part of this elite group !!!
Lets pray & come together against such inhuman associations !!!

The world has to realise that flying white pigeons as a display of peace will not do. The marauding vultures & eagles in the sky would swoop down on these unsuspecting birds & kill without any qualms.
We need to universally strengthen peace efforts & support them from all ends.

Lets hope to see Liu Xiaobo set free soon.