The Chinese People's Liberation Army is to appear at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a fact which appears to cause consternation to some human rights activists.
Campaigners against the group’s presence had called for the band to be booted out of the programme amid claims they are a "symbol of brutality" and warnings that performances could be disrupted throughout the run of the Tattoo, from August 6-28.It's an age old question I suppose, does engagement offer a route to subtle influence or does it reward the abuses.But the event’s producer, Brigadier Melville Jameson, said he had "absolutely no regrets" about the decision to include the PLA band, and added that the invitation would be "good for democracy" in China, where the BBC broadcast of the Tattoo is expected to be shown before around 500 million people.
He added: "I am absolutely convinced that we are doing the right thing in terms of engaging with China and it is similar to the work that the Government is doing at the moment."
The PLA band is billed as a "show-stopping" attraction at this year’s Tattoo and is appearing in the UK for the very first time.
Posted by Paul in Culture Edinburgh at July 28, 2004 01:28 AM | 0 Comments
