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BLOG Interview Le Minh Phieu: Vietnamese Olympic torch bearer denied to bear the torch by BOCOG
BLOG Interview Le Minh Phieu: Vietnamese Olympic torch bearer denied to bear the torch by BOCOG | Interview Le Minh Phieu: Vietnamese Olympic torch bearer denied to bear the torch by BOCOG |
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This interview was done by DCVOnline with Le Minh Phieu after he was denied his right to bear the Olympic torch in Ho Chi Minh City by BOCOG (Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games). DCVOnline: Hello Le Minh Phieu, it was reported that yesterday you were not allowed to bear the torch, how did this incident come about? LMP: I was invited to come to the gathering place, invited onto the vehicle that took the bearers to the designated torch bearing location. But when arriving to the spot where I was to carried the torch, I was not allowed to do so. DCVOnline: Where is this spot?LMP: The place where according to the route, I was to carry the torch. DCVOnline: Where specifically is this spot in HCMC? LMP: From DCVOnline: From the vehicle, how would you describe the view of the torch relay? LMP: Very lively, but this liveliness only came from the Chinese community. DCVOnline: Can you describe this liveliness? LMP: Where the torch had yet passed, the atmosphere was relatively quiet. There were many women and young people holding Olympic flags on both sides of the street. When the torch came to a certain place, there were many young Chinese people following, cheering loudly, and waving Chinese flags. DCVOnline: Why would there be many Chinese people here? Can you explain more clearly? LMP: I don’t understand myself, but there were many big tour buses taking them to the location and then after that taking them back. DCVOnline: These vehicles had foreign or Vietnamese license plates? LMP: Vietnamese license plates. DCVOnline: Did you witness pushing between young Chinese and Vietnamese people over the Chinese group holding a banner with the Paracel and LMP: I did not know of this news. But I do know that there was a group of Chinese holding a map of DCVOnline: You said that you knew of a group of Chinese holding a map of LMP: Through a friend and a web blog. DCVOnline: Since you returned to LMP: I feel it was ordinary. DCVOnline: The 24 April issue of Travel magazine had an article entitled “The torch and Vietnamese spirit”. Your letter was mentioned in this article, but was not reprinted in full. Are you happy with this fact? LMP: I believe that they did their best in the situation. It is something that we should respect. DCVOnline: Even when they avoided mentioning the letter accusing China of politicizing the Olympics along with the inclusion of the Paracel Islands in the map of China? LMP: Yes, because they did to the best of their ability. DCVOnline: What do you think when a torch ceremony took place in HCMC with such a great presence of Chinese people and Chinese flags? LMP: I feel that it was strange. DCVOnline: Can you describe more concretely? LMP: To be fair, this also happened in many countries. But in those countries, there were also many flags of the country in which the event took place. The strange thing is in DCVOnline: Until now has anyone explained to you why you were not allowed to bear the torch? LMP: Samsung said that Samsung and the Sports Bureau fought their best to protect my right to bear the torch. But BOCOG eliminated me at the last minute. According to Samsung, they themselves were very surprised and unhappy with this issue. I am waiting for an explanation from the Sports Bureau and BOCOG. DCVOnline: Did Samsung tell you how BOCOG explained their action? LMP: Sansung said BOCOG eliminated me after reading the letter that I sent to the IOC President. DCVOnline: But that letter was sent on 7 April, and it wasn’t until 29 April, while on the torch route did you find out that you were not allowed to participate. What do you think about this? LMP: It is peculiar. Anyhow, that letter never violated any item of the Olympic rules. Therefore, not allowing me to bear the torch is an action that violates Olympic rules. BOCOG, even after removing the Since I was officially chosen to bear the torch, all my actions followed the criteria of civility. I took actions based on standards of civility that humanity has accumulated in the areas of sports, law, and culture. I never did anything wrong from the perspective of law, the spirit of sports, and cuture. Unfortunately, the people who took these actions did not deal with the issue in the same manner that I did. In my opinion, this decision in the Olympics event is a challenge against civilized values that humanity has developed through thousands of years of history. DCVOnline: What will you be doing in the days ahead? LMP: The fact that I was denied the right to carry the torch is a violation of the spirit of sports, the Olympic rules, and standard of civil behavior in modern society. It damaged my reputation, the Samsung trademark, and the reputation of DCVOnline: When do you plan on returning to LMP: On 13 May, as was planned before returning to (translated from Vietnamese by Tony Le) Source: http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-UHzTMyU9fquQ3KuMrYpCZ8qXtg--?cq=1 |
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