Posted 2009-11-17 00:54:59:

Monday, November 16, 2009 Where does this new President stand?

As the President of the United States sleeps in China tonight, one must wonder what thoughts remain in his mind for tomorrow's talks with Hu Jintao.

Human rights have been heard coming from President Obama throughout the visit, but in a vague and wire-walking way. He addressed a group of students in an open format, which is a first for a US President in China, stating the need for freedom of expression, open access to information, religious freedom and expression.

While it is hard to know exactly what will be said during the meeting between the two heads tomorrow, the abuse and stamping out of independent voices is certain. Just recently, three Tibetans were executed connected to a riot that occured during a protest in March 2008.

Kunchok Tsephel was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for allegedly disclosing state secrets. The charges stemmed from Kunchok running the Tibetan cultural and literary website, www.tibetcm.com, whe... (read and comment)