As the headlines report on the apparent readiness of the Chinese, according to Wikileaks, to drop their North Korean ally, here's the video, from the Telegraph, from which this image was taken of the young woman foraging for grass this summer. It tells its own story.
Evidence of the rising tide of discontent has been captured on film by a small group of "citizen journalists", who newsgather at great personal risk to themselves. They then carry the footage across the heavily guarded border into China.
In one dramatic clip, a woman who is trying to board a truck to take her to work flies into a rage after a uniformed policeman demands a bribe. She shouts at him and waves her finger in his face until he backs away. Emboldened, other people come to her aid, shouting at the officer.
The clip ends with the unidentified woman yelling: "This cop is an idiot!"
In another chilling scene, a dejected and apparently emaciated woman is seen scavenging for grass to feed her animals. Asked what she herself eats at home, she pauses before replying flatly: "Nothing."
[See Isabel Hilton's piece at CiF, suggesting that these latest Wikileaks might make matters worse. See also comment#2 - "I hope that they can hold out against the death march of capitalism. They are one one the few socialist countries left." Satire, perhaps? Or perhaps not.]
I don't believe those articles for a second, the Chinese are well capable of stringing the Americans along by telling them what the want to hear.
Posted by: Martin Adamson | November 30, 2010 at 11:25 AM