China restricts Mount Everest ascents

The Chinese government is denying mountaineers to climb there side of Mount Everest this spring, this move shows the governments concern that Tibet activist may try to disrupt the plans the carry the Olympic torch to world’s tallest peak. No applications for climbing are being accepted, not for groups and not for individuals. It is said that it will be impossible to get permission between the months of March and June.

Bringing the Olympic flame to the summit of the mountain is shaping up to be one of the grandest and most politicized torch relay in history. The relay has touched on one of China’s most sensitive issues: its 57- year, frequently callous rule over Tibet. Many Tibetan activist groups have criticized the Everest run as an effort by Beijing to add legitimacy to Chinese control. The plans to bring the torch to the summit have been cloaked in secrecy, but measures taken by the Beijing Olympic organizers point to an early May ascent. The Chinese government has said that taking the torch up the peak would be a demonstrate of international sportsmanship and a point of national pride.
Beijing’s Vice Mayor Liu Jingming has said “The torch relay to Mount Everest is a highlight of the whole relay, and it also represents the idea of Green Olympics, High-Tech Olympics and People's Olympics." Jingming is supervising Olympic preparations. He says that the ascent will happen even if there is bad weather.
As a sign of anger and passion surrounding Tibet, over 300 Buddhist monks staged a demonstration in Lhasa, this is one of the largest demonstrations in nearly 2 decades. John Ackerly, president of the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet says "Beijing is using the Olympics torch ceremony, which should stand for human freedoms and dignity, to bolster its territorial claim over Tibet."

"China restricts Mount Everest ascents to clear the way for the Olympic torch." International Herald Tribune. 14 Mar. 2008 <http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/12/asia/AS-OLY-China-Everest.php>.
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