A UN envoy, Tomas Ojea Quintana, is visiting the Irrawaddy delta in Burma to check on the conditions there. He also met with senior members of the State Sangha Organization but no details of the discussions were released. Meanwhile as expected China is intensifying its crackdown on Tibet as the Olympics loom closer. Beijing has beefed up the police presence in Tibet and wants “absolute security” in the region for the Olympics. Meanwhile a court in Spain has agreed to hear a case from a Tibetan rights group accusing seven Chinese leaders of genocide related to the crackdown. In a related story, don’t be surprised if Spain wins no medals this Olympics.

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