China Works To Clear Country Of Protesters Day Before Olympics

On the same day that China condemned President Bush's speech on its human rights policies, the country tried to hide an undercurrent of protest ready to burst in the limelight of the Olympics.

Read below about the documented arrests and deportations that occurred yesterday:

From The Washington Post:

China's intense efforts to block any protest that would mar the Olympic Games were challenged Wednesday by foreign activists equally bent on diverting attention to issues as varied as Tibetan independence, the crisis in Darfur and religious freedom.

Two American and two British protesters slipped through a smothering Olympic security net, climbed a pair of lampposts and unfurled banners demanding freedom for Tibet near the new stadium where the Beijing Games are to open Friday night. In Tiananmen Square, three American Christian activists spoke out against China's rights record and protested its population control policies. The four pro-Tibet protesters have been deported, while a second demonstration by Christian activists on Thursday was disrupted when plainclothes police removed the protesters from Tiananmen Square.

The AP reports on more action by China to clear the country of protesters:

At least two women who have protested being evicted from their homes ahead of the Olympics were taken to a police station amid ramped up efforts by activists to use the games to spotlight their causes.

Zhang Wei and Ma Xiulan, who have been vocal about the pain of losing their family compounds near Tiananmen Square to make way for Olympic construction, were taken from their homes late Wednesday and early Thursday, according to Ma.

Also Thursday, a Hong Kong lawmaker said immigration officials deported three U.S.-based Chinese pro-democracy activists after denying them entry to the territory, which is hosting the Olympic equestrian events.