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发表于 2008-8-10 01:12:40
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First day of Olympics marred by street killing in Beijing A Chinese security guard locks the gates at the Drum Tower in Beijing, following the murder of a US citizen at tourist attraction. Photograoph: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images
China's winning start to the Olympics was partially overshadowed today by a murder-suicide involving a relative of the US men's volleyball coach.
A knife-wielding Chinese man fatally stabbed an American man and his female Chinese tour guide before throwing himself off the 40m-high viewing platform of the Drum Tower, one of Beijing's most famous tourist spots.
The dead man's wife was seriously injured in the early afternoon attack - an extremely unusual occurrence in Beijing, which has a low crime rate compared to most cities of its size.
US officials identified the dead man as Todd Bachman. His wife, Barbara, was injured. They are the parents of former US Olympian Elisabeth Bachman, who represented the country at volleyball in 2004 and is married to the current US men's volleyball coach, Hugh McCutcheon.
State-media named the killer as Tang Yongming, a 47-year-old native of Hangzhou in the south-eastern province of Zhejiang. His motive is unknown, but local law authorities described him as a lone assailant.
The crime put a damper on the festivities, which came to life with yesterday's spectacular opening ceremony and a strong start for China today, winning two gold medals.
"They are deeply saddened and shocked," the US Olympic committee spokesman Darryl Seibel said of the volleyball team.
He said the two Americans "were not wearing apparel or anything that would have specifically identified them as being members of our delegation" or as Americans.
The crime scene was quickly cleared by police. By mid afternoon, the green gates of the Drum Tower - normally a popular tourist site - were locked. Through the rails, all that was visible was a sanded area on the sloping, grey tiled floor where bystanders said the body had lain, covered by a police blanket.
"I heard a woman screaming and then people running in the direction where the screams came from. It sounded like the screams came from the top of the Drum Tower,' said a foreigner who was in the area.
Chinese residents who live and work within a few seconds walk from the scene of the crime, appeared to be under orders not to discuss the incident.
"Why are you paying so much attention to this. Murders happen all the time. You should pay attention to the two gold medals that China won today," said a middle-aged woman in a floral-patterned shirt. Beijing has drafted in an extra 100,000 police and paramilitaries to ensure security at the Olympics, which China hopes to use to highlight its re-emergence as a global power.
But sporadic, small-scale protests continue to deflect attention from the sporting spectacle.
On the opening day, five pro-Tibet activists draped themselves in Tibetan flags and lay down on Tiananmen Square in protest at the Chinese government's heavy-handed rule. They were swiftly dragged away by plain-clothes police officers.
At the start of the equestrian events in Hong Kong, police removed a student in the crowd after she tried to display a Tibetan flag that she had concealed beneath a Canadian banner.
Following the precedent set by previous hosts, the organisers in Beijing have established three protest zones, but nobody appears to have used them. Two groups of those who tried to do so were reportedly either forced to leave Beijing or detained by police.
Concerns about human rights violations have been strengthened by the disappearance of activist Zeng Jinyan, who has not been seen since Thursday, when the Olympic torch passed close to her home.
Since Zeng's husband, Hu Jia, was jailed earlier this year, she and their eight-month-old baby have been under constant watch by the authorities. In her last blog post, Zeng said she was under extra surveillance ahead of the games and asked friends to stay away.
"All attempts to contact her have failed. It is feared that Zeng has been taken into police custody and might be mistreated," China Human Rights Defenders said. Another prominent activist, Maggie Hou, has also been out of touch for several days.
Human rights disputes and security concerns have taken some of the shine off the lavish celebration and warm welcome by local people. Ahead of the games, organisers forecast the lavish spectacle would draw 500,000 foreign visitors, generating hundreds of millions of dollars of business for hotels, restaurants and taxi firms.
But a tightening of visa regulations, security concerns and negative reports about pollution appear to have discouraged many people from coming.
"It's as though we spent a long time preparing a big feast, and then nobody turned up to eat it," said a local taxi driver, as she surveyed the unusually empty roads and complained about the lack of customers. |
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好可怕啊。
楼主
发表于 2008-8-10 00:01:25
发表于 2008-8-10 02:52:55
