China: Citizen reporter to be deported

The day after live-vlogging the rare phenomenon that is a loud Free Tibet protest in the middle of Tiananmen Square, Noel ‘noneck’ Hidalgo has just tweeted that he is to be deported. Guess he wasn't using Tor.

40 comments

  • Tan Lye Huat

    The so-called human rights activists clearly lack basic manners. In Chinese culture, when you are a guest, you behave as a guest. It is barbaric to come to someone’s house and start a fight. And the more so when you do not even understand the history of China (including Tibet) but simply take as gospel truth lies that have been propagated by biased and disgruntled traitors.

  • John Keeley

    Reply to Tan Lye Huat: I’ve heard a lot of garbage this year about “don’t shame the Chinese, it’s very important for them not to lose face”. How much mileage can the CCP get out of this? And now you’re saying we must have “manners”?
    When a Chinese student in Britain threatened a shopkeeper for displaying a Tibetan flag, was this good manners? When the shop window was smashed at night and the flag removed, was this good manners?
    When PAP troops ran through the streets of London with the Olympic torch, pushing British people around, was this good manners?
    When Australians in Australia held a Tibetan flag (their democratic right to do so) and were attacked by Chinese, was this good manners?
    When Koreans in S. Korea shouted “free Tibet” and were beaten by Chinese students, was this good manners?
    YES, WHEN YOU ARE A GUEST YOU MUST BEHAVE LIKE A GUEST. Unless you are speaking out for injustice. Then you have to make compromises.
    I have been to Tibet, and I have seen Tibetans pushed around by rude and obnoxious Chinese tourists – guests – visiting Tibet (I also saw many nice, kind Chinese tourists). And I have seen Tibetans living in fear from the Chinese. I have met Tibetans who have been tortured for standing in the street and shouting “long live the Dalai Lama”. If you want to preach about respecting culture, understand that in Tibetan culture, the Dalai Lama is everything. You ask a question of “is it not barbaric…?” Well, I’ll ask you this: Is it not barbaric that Chinese soldiers strip naked teenage Tibetan girls and torture them with electric cattle prods, just because they expressed their own culture?
    How can you understand the history of China and Tibet more than a victim of the brutal dictatorship that is the CCP/PRC? Would you call a victim of torture stating facts about their experiences a “disgruntled traitor”?
    Tan Lye Huat, you are living in a bubble. Do not simply take as gospel truth lies that have been propagated by a biased, totalitarian government that controls all media from the history books you study in school to what you can access on the internet. Go and find an exile Chinese human rights protester and tell him or her that he/she is a traitor. I’d like to see their reaction.

  • Tan Lye Huat

    Mr John Keeley, Your statement that ‘the Dalai Lama is everything’ shows very nakedly that you are biased and indoctrinated by a particular religion. It is very difficult to reason with a doctrinaire and agitated person. Nevertheless, I suggest you cool down and take a cup of chocolate. You may wish to note that Tibet has been part of China for hundreds of years and that even the Dalai Lama has repeatedly stressed that he is not seeking independence from China. China has 56 ethnic groups, the Han Chinese being the majority. You gave examples of Chinese responding to the display of the Tibetan flag, and yet you failed to realise that it was those misguided desperadoes who first started the fight by deliberately displaying the separatist flag. Please give up all hatred and anomisty, and learn from a non-religious philosopher,Confucius, who taught that ‘With the four seas, all men are brothers.’

  • John Keeley

    Tan Lye Huat: I did not say that for me the “Dalai Lama is everything”. He is not. I said that for TIBETANS the “Dalai Lama is everything”. This was a response to your demands that culture should be respected. I was agreeing with you.
    Now you patronise me and tell me that it is very difficult to reason with a “doctrinaire and agitated person” and that I need to “cool down and take a cup of chocolate”. Like I said before, go and ask someone abused by Chinese soldiers for expressing themselves whether they are a “doctrinaire and agitated person”. YOU are a “doctrinaire and agitated person”. All you do is quote CCP propaganda of the “56 ethnic minorities” and “Tibet has been part of China for hundreds of years”. IT HASN’T. And you say that, for example, Australians in Australia started the fight because they were peaceful protesting in their own democratic country, holding Tibetan flags??? Theirs was a non-violent expression. In typical PRC/CCP/PLA/PSB/PAP fashion, the peaceful expression was made into a violent incident by Chinese. IN A DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY WE HAVE FREEDOM TO DISPLAY THE TIBETAN FLAG. Chinese do not have the right to beat up citizens in foreign democratic countries, just because they disagree with something. If Chinese in foreign countries don’t like what they see – go home, back to your oppressive government. And remember your own words: “It is barbaric to come to someone’s house and start a fight”.
    I disagree with Chinese policy in Tibet, but I don’t go round beating up Chinese guests in my country. Because I have no “hatred and animosity”. I want the same human rights for Tibetans as I want for Chinese. I don’t want Chinese to be imprisoned and tortured for their beliefs.
    It’s ironic that you should quote Confucius. I understand that he wasn’t always in favour with China’s rulers. And now he is celebrated. The Dalai Lama springs to mind. Right now he is seen as “evil” by the government, but increasing numbers of Chinese are converting to Tibetan Buddhism and following the teachers of the Dalai Lama. Maybe you haven’t heard about it. That’s because they are scared and they don’t shout about it. As Confucius said: “An oppressive government is more feared than a tiger”.

  • chan

    What is “An oppressive government is more feared than a tiger”. “And remember your own words: “It is barbaric to come to someone’s house and start a fight”.” ????

    Enjoy reading the below:-
    Western Leaders Are War Criminals’
    By Mick Meaney – RINF | The former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad, has echoed calls for Western leaders to be charged with war crimes over the invasion …
    rinf.com/alt-news/contributions/western-leaders-are-war-criminals/

  • Tan Lye Huat

    Mr John Keeley, I am glad you have finally become less agitated. As to your point that the Dalai Lama represents Tibetan culture, let me tell you you are completely misguided. Among those Tibetans living outside China, they disagree with one another and they have actually formed different sects. The Dalai Lama had openly and repeatedly voiced support for the Beijing 2008 Olympics but his calls had fallen on deaf ears. It is unfortunate that he has lost much of his influence among the Tibetans living outside China. His influence in Tibet is even more bleak. If he were so infuential in Tibet, the whole of Tibet would have been like Palestine, but it was not. You did say you had visited Tibet. How could it be possible if the whole region were a war zone?

    When I first visited Beijing in 1990, I was surprised to see young Tibetans in their traditional costumes queuing to enter Mao’s mausoleum. When I visited Beijing again a few times, the last being in last April, I never failed to see Tibetans in their traditional costumes having a good time in the Forbidden City. If you sincerely believe in democracy, then you must allow me to air my views. For your information, I am not from mainland China. I was born in a South-east Asain country and have toured China as much as I have toured Western countries. I do not accept any religion and that is why I am never dogmatic. And because I am not dogmatic, I do not think that democracy is the best or only way to govern a country. If you allow me freedom of expression under the guise of democracy, will you keep quiet if I step on the Union Jack, spit on the Queen’s portrait and dip the American flag in faeces? You probably would not and I would never do such a thing because I embrace the teachings of Confucius. I treasure manners and good behaviour. I think non-religious Confucius had given mankind, more than two thousand and five hundred years ago, one good method of governing a state. Within the four seas, all men are brothers. We must never blame heaven or other people. China has come to realize the rich legacy of Confucius and the Chinese government is now promoting harmony among people all over the world. The Olympic torch run was a hard-to-come-by opportunity for the Chinese people to reach out to the rest of the world. The majority of the people in the whole world are peace-loving, and if you fly to Beijing today, you will see many happy Europeans and Americans enjoying their stay in China. China is now the top destination for Japanese tourists. Unfortunately, there are surely some disgruntled people who advocate hatred, war, revenge and bloodshed. In the name of freedom, one desperado tried to hurt a defenseless torch bearer, a lady in wheelchair. Hatred and revenge became the order of the day when the Olympic Torch had its run in the democratic countries. I believe you are an intelligent man and I sincerely hope you will give up hatred, animosity and revenge. Please don’t do what the terrorists do: to perpetuate hatred and revenge all in the name of religion. Good luck.

  • […] and colleague Noel Hidalgo, who was in China covering the Olympics as a citizen journalist, was deported for livestreaming a protest in Tiananmen Square. He’s safe at home now, but wow what a […]

  • Ben

    Yes, we need to mind our manners as guests…and follow our host’s order to go to the reserved park area to protest. That would be in line with the Confucius teachings embraced by CCP nowadays, unlike in the days of Culture Revolution and Gang of Five.

  • Wei

    @Ben…

    that would be Gang of Four ;)

  • John Keeley

    Tan Lye Huat, please do not patronise me about how agitated you think I am or was, or how misguided. Do not jump to conclusions.
    You are right that Tibetans in exile are not singular in their views, but the overall majority have faith in the Dalai Lama as a religious and political leader. While some may not agree with him politically, they have not lost faith in him. I can promise you that much. The Dalai Lama made a huge compromise with his middle way approach, but if there have been any “deaf ears”, they are those of the Chinese government and people who refuse to compromise. And this is why there is still a Tibet issue. I think you will find that his influence inside Tibet is not bleak at all. Well, it’s bleak for the CCP, but it’s not bleak for Tibetans. More than one hundred protests inside Tibet this year, and every report tells of how the protesters were calling for the return of the Dalai Lama. It is, however, rather bleak that people are arrested, imprisoned, tortured for doing so. Tibet is not Palestine. Israelis and Palestinians are in agreement that there is a problem. With Tibet, China projects an image of calm and normality. China wants the tourist dollar, just as it wants every other resource that Tibet has to offer. But this spring, Tibet did turn into a war zone with de facto martial law. Journalists and tourists were kicked out, a curtain was drawn, and the army sent in. We know that behind the curtain is anything but calm and normality. “Chinese government is now promoting harmony among people all over the world”, you say. I say that it’s a shame that it’s a barefaced lie. Hypocrites! You refer to Tibetans “having a good time” in the Forbidden City in Beijing. Clearly they are being manipulated. What Southeast Asian country were you born in, and where were your parents born? I would like to know.
    By the way, dogma is not exclusively a religious phenomenon. Therefore, to say that you are never dogmatic is actually quite ridiculous. I think now you need to follow your own advice: go and have a cup of chocolate and calm down!! You’re quite dogmatic when it comes to Confucius, I feel. And sticking up for the status quo in China. So dogmatic that you don’t even see that you’re doing it.
    I would be happy for you to protest against my government if you object to its actions. I would rather you pointed this out than I spend my life living in ignorance and denial. Maybe if you step on the Union Jack or spit on the Queen’s portrait I will be a little upset. But I won’t beat you up for flying the PRC flag, just because I disagree with the PRC’s policies. There is a big difference. You say there are “many happy Europeans and Americans enjoying their stay in China”. I too enjoyed my stay in China – and in Tibet, under China (although the way Tibetans are treated makes me feel sick). But we vote with our feet. We go home.
    Have a read of this fascinating article: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/baotong-08062008132212.html
    As for the Olympic torch relay: when protesters tried to snatch the torch from an “able-bodied” torch bearer, there was one response. When a protester tried to snatch the torch from a disabled torchbearer, there was another response. Isn’t that rather patronising for the “defenceless” torch bearer? Especially as she is an athlete with probably more physical strength and stamina than the average person on the street. The protester tried to snatch the torch from her. The protester didn’t try to “hurt” her any more than protesters tried to “hurt” other torch bearers. The claims that she was attacked were drummed up by Chinese propagandists. As you say, “Hatred and revenge became the order of the day when the Olympic Torch had its run in the democratic countries”. People were angry at what was going on in Tibet and the blood on the hands of the Chinese government. As for “revenge”, I think you have to attribute some of the hatred and much of the revenge to the Chinese who beat up Australians in Australia and Koreans in Korea. Then there was the Chinese student in America who tried to encourage calm dialogue between “pro-Tibet” and “pro-China” students. She was threatened by Chinese people who wanted revenge, telling her she would die when she returned to China. Meanwhile, her family in China were forced into hiding by zealous and dogmatic (of the non-religious kind) nationalistic fanatics.
    Please give up your patronising tone and stop lecturing me on giving up “hatred, animosity and revenge”. Nothing I have said is “in the name of religion”. It is in the name of human rights and people (including Chinese) being able to express their views without living in fear of oppression. Please don’t do what the terrorising oppressors do (i.e. the security organs of the PRC): perpetuate hatred and revenge and crimes against humanity in the name of the Party.
    Good luck to you too.

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