When I lived in England I refused to have a holiday in Spain which was then under the rule of General Franco. Other friends lived there because it was cheap.
As a singer I refused work in South Africa because of apartheid. Other British singers learned difficult roles there and advanced their careers.
Some young Australian friends have gone on a scuba-diving holiday in Fiji. Fiji is ruled by a government which staged a coup d'etat. A relative of mine is part of an international diplomatic mission to discuss the need for elections in Fiji.
Nemo writes beautiful poems about Burma. Most people I know refuse to go there because of the military government.
There is one point of view which encourages communication between people. There is a lot of sense in that. It doesn't seem to be working in Burma (Myanmar).
I still think I was right not to go to Spain and South Africa. It's a huge subject.
Since the Olympics are being held in China I think it's very important to take part in them and to engage with the Chinese. Not all situations need the same response.
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