Beijing designates three protest spots for Games

Peaceful public demonstrations will be allowed during the Olympic Games in Beijing, but all gatherings will be subject to approval and must be contained within the designated areas, Liu Shaowu, director of the security department of the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee announced yesterday.

Under Chinese law, an application for organizing a protest detailing the number of persons expected to attend and possible slogans must be submitted to the local public security bureau five days in advance. However, as the law forbids any demonstrations that are deemed harmful to national unity and social stability, it is likely that most legal protests will not be approved, The New York Times writes.

The rules are aimed at maintaining smooth traffic flow, a pleasant environment and good social order during the Games, Liu explains.

Three parks, the World Park in Fengtai District, the Purple Bamboo Park in Haidian District and the Ritan Park in Chaoyang District, have been chosen to serve as legal protest spots for demonstrators to express their opinions.

The parks are located far away from the Games venues because the Olympic Charter prohibits demonstrations or "political, religious or racial propaganda" there, Liu says.

Nicholas Bequelin, a researcher for the Asia division of Human Rights Watch, told The New York Times that Beijing’s protest zones are inadequate and that Chinese citizens would be very reluctant to use them.

According to AP, there is speculation over whether Beijing's decision to allow public protests in the first place might backfire, ruining the Chinese government's attempts to polish its image among the public.

Liu Sahowu says that some people have complained about the tightened security in the capital, but as the Olympics present the largest-scale event ever staged in the city, safety was the topmost priority. Most of the safety measures are not unprecedented, as other host countries have also, for example, tightened visa regulations before the Games, Liu says.

About 110,000 people, including policemen, army troops and volunteers will be seeing to the safety of the Games in Beijing, Liu says. In addition, the authorities have appealed to the public to help them in the task.

"We are confident we can create a safe and joyous atmosphere for the Games," China Daily quotes the security official as saying.