04-18-08

中國呼籲民眾降低民族主義熱情 (China Calls on Citizens to Tone Down Nationalist Fervor)

中國當局敦促民眾降低對國際社會抗議中國政府在西藏鎮壓反政府抗議活動的憤怒情緒。在親西藏的抗議人士上星期干擾了巴黎奧運火炬接力活動之後，一些網站在中國創建，呼籲抵制法國貨。

官方新華社星期四發表官方評論，呼籲中國人將他們的“愛國熱情”用在發展經濟上。這篇評論看來是在延續過去的一種模式，就是北京允許民眾表達對境外機構的憤怒，然後在民眾情緒失控之前又爭取收緊對他們的控制。

1999年北約軍機誤炸中國駐貝爾格萊德大使館之後，憤怒的中國學生和民眾發動了反美暴力抗議活動。

China is urging its citizens to cool their anger over international protests of the government's crackdown of anti-Chinese protests in Tibet. A number of Web sites have been created in China calling for boycotts of French goods after pro-Tibet protesters disrupted last week's Beijing Olympic torch relay in Paris. 

The state-run Xinhua news agency issued an official commentary Thursday calling on Chinese to channel their "patriotic zeal" towards economic development.
The commentary appears to follow a previous pattern in which Beijing allows its citizens to express angry sentiments towards outside entities, then tries to rein them in before they spiral out of control.

Angry students and citizens staged violent anti-U.S. protests in 1999 after the Chinese embassy in Belgrade was mistakenly bombed by NATO warplanes.

南非工會拒絕為辛巴威武器卸貨 (South African Union Refuses To Unload Zimbabwe Weapons)

南非主要交通運輸工會說，工會工人將不為一艘裝有為辛巴威軍隊提供武器的中國船隻卸貨。南非交通聯合工人工會發言人霍華德星期五說，在辛巴威政治局勢動蕩之際，南非不能被視為助長武器流入辛巴威。

工會的立場與南非政府立場相左。南非政府星期四說，政府不能干涉船隻或者武器。

這艘船隻目前正在德班港外停泊，等待進港。當地媒體報導說，船上貨物包括為辛巴威軍方提供的彈藥、迫擊炮和火箭助推榴彈(火箭筒)。

辛巴威軍方支援穆加貝總統。在辛巴威3月29號有爭議的總統選舉之後，穆加貝正設法維持權利。

South Africa's main transport union says its workers will not unload a Chinese ship carrying weapons meant for the Zimbabwean army. Randall Howard, a spokesman for the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union, said today (Friday) that South
Africa can not be seen as facilitating the flow of weapons into Zimbabwe at a time when the country's political situation is volatile.

The union position is at odds with the South African government, which said on Thursday that it could not interfere with the vessel or the arms.

The ship (the An Yue Jiang) is currently anchored outside the port of Durban waiting to dock. Local media reports say the cargo includes ammunition, mortars, and rocket-propelled grenades for the Zimbabwean military.

The military backs Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, who is fighting to retain power after the country's disputed March 29th presidential election.