China sets up special 'protest zones' for rallies during Olympics

Officials sidestep questions about access to demonstration areas China’s government will set up specially designated zones for protesters during next month's Beijing Olympics, but demonstrators will have to apply for special permission to hold rallies, a security official in the Chinese capital said Wednesday. Traditionally, the authorities in China clamp down hard on organized protests, especially on the sensitive issues of Tibetan independence, the Falun Gong religious movement or the rights of Uighurs and other minority groups in China. Security in Beijing has been tightened considerably in the months leading up the Olympics. Vehicle checkpoints ring the city. Visa rules have been tightened to keep out foreign activists. Police have swept Beijing neighborhoods to remove Chinese anti-corruption campaigners. But Liu Shaowu,... [read full story]