Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - March 15, 2001, Winnipeg, Manitoba Focus a11 Lii ii Phi 11 2001 chinese treatment of dissidents Europe lags on human rights Issue Edmont censure China at despite Lead by Jonathan Power London nothing could have been More revealing of the ambiguities at the heart of Western policy towards China than in March the annual vote came up at the in human rights commission to condemn chivas record on the treatment of its dissidents and Den with Strong support from the had tabled a critical the chinese lobbyists went into Denmark was told by Beijing that its criticism would be a Rock that smashed Down on the danish governments several danish contracts were cancelled As Chris now the euro Pean Union commissioner responsible for foreign wrote in his East and and what did anyone do what in partic ular did members of the eur do they looked the other step backwards in Europe went one step fur ther As human rights watch described a major step Back rewarding China for its bad behaviour the previous the european foreign ministers threw in the the president of the us foreign affairs the British foreign Robin cited the Token release of Wei chivas bes known political prison As an example of the results of the a proposition roundly denounced by Wei in conversation with Wei when Beijing relations with the West conditions got worse for the dissidents inside chivas it was with an almost audible sigh of Relief that Washington joined Europe in dropping its sponsorship of the a senior Clinton administration figure was quoted in the new York times As saying it is being done As a it is being done because we believe it is the Way to make Progress in the As Wei shrewdly the chinese governments concept of human rights has not moved towards the Universal Standard of human on the the human rights values of Western politicians have moved closer to those of communist it is quite it is but above All distasteful that Western countries regularly betray each other in so the human rights activists inside in an Effort to better position themselves in this quite modest Market if chinese military police officers patrol across the infamous Tiana men Square in Geo Baker associated press Western governments could stand shoulder to shoulder and say to Bei Jing and mean it Stop using eco nomic and Trade you Are in no position to do it is unacceptable Beijing would get the As Patten once said before he took his present Post one has to Pinch one self to remember who needs whom to begin we should never forget that China represents Only per cent of All Western exports added Only quite recently have cracks appeared in the unseemly Union Between the old time fanta lists who have sup ported revolutionary China through thick and thin and the right Habi tues of the White House and european capitals who first came to Beijing to balance Moscow and who stayed enthralled by its vast potential just Over a year the mood began to in february last the state department in its annual report noted that chivas human rights record had worsened Over the past for the first the state departments reporting was As vigorous As that of amnesty International and human rights two months later the but not the eur cast its vote against China at the annual meeting of the in human rights at the human rights lobby had Bro Ken through the left ened Over the past right consensus that the state department in its annual report noted that chivas human rights record had wors had protected China for so at the same president Bill Clinton balanced this by finally deciding that the time had come to support chivas entry into the world Trade organization and by successfully persuading con Gress to give China permanent most favoured nation Trade this is the right mix the continuous drumming and Tattoo of human rights at the same time As commercial and educational links Are being Over time it might if anything to loosen up the dictatorship and Widen the political space for Diss perhaps rather Given previous Republican administrations Lack of concern about chinese internal the White House has indicated it is going to follow Clinton Lead and cast its ballot to censure China on March 19 when the vote comes up at this years in but it appears the euro Pean still More anxious about gaining commercial favours from Beijing not least for the Airbus super jumbo plane than giving sup port to important principles despite patterns now lobbying efforts will not follow on such an important Issue of the Day does Europe want to be seen As lagging behind the for the moment the answer is a very disappointing and quite counterproductive Jonathan Power is an Independent commentator on International affairs based in Uleis to the editor keep chemicals off my property i have been thinking a great Deal lately about what is going to happen this year with the Mosquito problem and i found your article Bug Guy wants More March 9 to be perfectly timed for the Public City entomologist Randy Gadawski notes he requires More Money to implement the Larvic iding Gadawski also would like to have the cites permission to enter Peoples Yards to do the excuse me How dare you even suggest coming onto a persons private property with Chemi cals against their wishes or without their permission perhaps i want mosquitoes in my Yard and dragonflies and butterflies and All sorts of Birds and other Mosquito eating elimination of anything that annoys humans seems to have become the Creed of our and usually with a Cost to the Ever wonder Why the old houses had screened porches on them Gladys Kusmack Winnipeg Gadawski plan commendable i was delighted to read of the City entomologists proposal to City Council for Mosquito abatement in As i the City of Winnipeg task Force of which i was a member on pesticide use a few years ago made similar recommendations emphasizing the increased use of bit Bio pesticide in Larvic iding and collaboration with sur rounding municipalities in Mosquito abatement thereby reducing potential adult Mosquito migration into the City and reduced residential chemical pesticide i also recall that some local scientists were critical of the task Force on the other the Public and free press editorial response were highly sup usually scientists tend to criticize in a constructive accept ing some ideas and rejecting the City entomologist seems to have taken an objective View of the task Force recommendations and has now offered some commendable solutions to our Mosquito abatement Randy Oswald Winnipeg expand advocacy for children your recent editorial kids have too March 3 hit the Issue of the need to animate the voices of Manitoba children right children a id youth do have but these rights Are All too often unheard or Nrec the ombudsman dealt with 170 inquiries cases last year the office of the childrens advocate handled a further the office of the childrens advocate is an Independent office of the Manitoba legislative As we represent the interests and viewpoints of children and youth in the child and family services the offices of the ombudsman and the advocate complement each yet neither has the mandate or the Abil Ity to speak for All of Manitoba Chil the ombudsman provides an impartial review of administrative decisions or omissions by depart ments or agencies As it May relate to the advocates role is to rep resent the interests and viewpoints of the child whose life has been affected by those decisions or the advocate is not Neutral in her role in ensuring that the Childs position is the advocate Speaks on behalf of the the office of the childrens advocate is How to the child welfare How Many children Are there in our province who need someone to speak for them and cannot get an advocate because their Case Falls Between the cracks if childrens rights Are to be their right to have some one assist them or speak for them must be in my 19992000 annual i recommended that the mandate of the office of the childrens advocate be expanded to ensure advocacy services for All children and youth receiving services from the guaranteeing of childrens rights is truly needed and should be ensured without further thank you for continuing to keep the Issue of children and youth rights in the Public Janet Mirwald childrens advocate Winnipeg headway made in kids health care the information about the health of children in the Point Douglas area kids pay for March 8 should come As no and Speaks to the need to address the Broad determinants of including hunger and with respect to primary medical i believe we Are making some headway with a Point Douglas coalition of Inte grated multidisciplinary clinics mount and Aikens Street these clinics provide a wide Range of expertise and and because the physicians and other healthcare staff Are they Are better Able to Deal with the scheduling difficulties found in such the Warha has requested increased resources for this and has As Well begun to consider How relationships with traditional Feero service physicians might be strengthened to provide better Pri Mary care for this vulnerable Popula True primary care begins Well before the visit to a doctor for the ear and certainly consists of More than an Antibiotic As pointed out by Garey Mazowita Winnipeg regional health authority Winnipeg Scott ruling opens door first id like to commend Paul Wiecks coverage of the Scott Curling regarding just Brush it Oft 28 which reported on Colleen Jones rink winning despite two sweep ers behind the tee i agree with him that had it been Kelly Laws there have been the like he people dont like Colleen the gum chewing was totally the cameraman always seemed to be taking closeups of her that you could almost see the Brand she was and the i like me who do you like attitude is hard to having said i would like to Point out a different if a Rock is taken out of the free guard zone it is put Why because it is a if a player in the Hack does not release the Rock before the hog it is taken out of would this had it been left in have made a difference in the outcome of the game had the thrower left her hand on the Rock an extra millimetre Over the line but it is still taken out of Why because it is a so if it is in the Rule Book that two sweepers Are not allowed behind the tee the Rock should have a penalty against if the rules Are not going to be take them out of the Rule this is a gentleman but a Rule is a the door is now open the next time something like this comes what happens this one was Dis missed too Jan Askew Andrews doonesbury by Garry Trudeau Thrpo Imhof act Aux asking to tvotiu3a think Itu you 110e of Wous Sorto ;