By Xu Chunzi (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-04-14 07:15

MELBOURNE: Members of the Chinese expatriate community in this southeast Australian seaport gathered at the city center yesterday to protest against "riots, violence and media distortion" associated with the recent strife in Tibet.

More than 4,000 demonstrators, many of whom were overseas Chinese students, marched through Melbourne's main street from Federation Square to the State Library on Sunday, carrying Chinese and Australian flags and displaying signs advocating "one China", "peace in Tibet", and "respect for truth".

The protesters condemned Western media for biased coverage of the violence in Tibet and subsequent anti-China protests.

"Journalists from Western media interview only the (pro-)Tibetans without getting the other side of the story," protester Tian Jingdong said.

Hua Bing, one of the protest organizers, said his main goal was to show foreigners the true voice of the Chinese people.

"Foreigners think we are brainwashed by the government, but it's been over 30 years since the opening-up policy we know a lot more about them than they do us," he said.

"As a true Chinese person, I support the Olympics and a unified China."

Chinese volunteers organized the protest through online forums, and they said private donations funded the event. A similar demonstration ran concurrently in Sydney.

The organizers are planning to stage another rally in the Australian capital of Canberra when the Olympic torch arrives there on April 24.

(China Daily 04/14/2008 page5)