Disgruntled and Disgusted

Associated Press

BEIJING - A Chinese man stabbed the in-laws of the U.S. Olympic men's volleyball coach, killing one and injuring the other while they visited a Beijing tourist site near the main venue where Olympic competitions began Saturday, officials said.

The victims were Todd and Barbara Bachman, parents of former Olympian Elisabeth Bachman, who is married to men's volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon. Bachman's father was killed.

The assailant also stabbed and injured a Chinese female tour guide with the Americans. He then committed suicide by throwing himself off a 130-foot-high balcony of the ancient landmark the Americans were visiting, the 13th century Drum Tower, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

"They are deeply saddened and shocked," Darryl Seibel, a spokesman for the U.S. Olympic Committee, said of the volleyball team.

He said the two victims "were not wearing apparel or anything that would have specifically identified them as being members of our delegation" or as Americans.

The U.S. Embassy said it believed the attack was an isolated act and not directed at Americans or foreigners, given that the Chinese tour guide was also hurt.

"We don't believe this was targeted at American citizens, and we don't believe this has anything to do with the Olympics," embassy spokeswoman Susan Stevenson said.

Ramped-up security
The killing was a rare instance of violent crime against foreigners in tightly controlled China, which has ramped up security measures even more for the Olympics.

The attack shortly after noon at the busy tourist site darkened the mood at the games the day after a spectacular opening ceremony had set an ebullient tone after years of nervous buildup.

Beijing's communist leaders are hypersensitive to anything that could take the shine off the games, insisting issues such as China's human rights record, harsh rule in Tibet and ties with Sudan should not be raised at the sports event.

China's Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment on the attack.

Xinhua identified the attacker as Tang Yongming, 47, from the eastern city of Hangzhou. It said Tang attacked the two Americans and their Chinese tour guide on the second level of the ancient tower, then leapt to his death immediately afterward.

Seibel said it was "too early to say" whether security would be stepped up for the U.S. team. But some athletes were already thinking about it.

Jennie Finch, a member of the U.S. softball team, said her heart skipped a beat when she heard about the attack, but she was undaunted.

"I'm here with my husband and son, so it's not easy but we're living our dreams and we're not going to live in fear," she said. "We're going to go out there every day and enjoy every day and celebrate it."

'Thoughts and prayers'
U.S. Ambassador Clark T. Randt visited the victims at a hospital in Beijing to convey the condolences of President Bush, who is in Beijing for the first days of the games.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families," Bush told reporters. "And the United States government has offered to provide any assistance the family needs."

At the scene, police blocked off streets leading to the Drum Tower, which is just five miles from the main Olympics venue in China's capital. They cordoned off the area with yellow police tape while officers collected samples from the tower and the street below.

Some details of the attack, including the motive and weapon used, were not immediately clear.

Attacks on foreigners in China are extremely rare. A Canadian model was murdered last month in Shanghai — police said she had stumbled onto a burglary.

In March, a screaming, bomb-strapped hostage-taker who commandeered a bus with 10 Australians aboard in the popular tourist city of Xi'an was shot to death by a police sniper.

Shanghai and Beijing are still safer than most foreign cities of their size. Punishments for crimes against foreigners are heavier than for crimes against Chinese, and citizens are not allowed to own guns.

Even so, the U.S. government now warns Americans against muggings, beatings and even carjackings, especially in the nightlife and shopping districts of large cities.

Built in the 13th century, the Drum Tower is one of few ancient structures still in fast-developing Beijing. Drummers pounded their massive instruments on the hour to let people in the imperial city know the time.

When are we going to realize that when we send a large group of our citizens to a foreign country for a highly-publicized event, we need to protect them and their families? We are in no position to just blindly trust the security of the land we are visiting. If we extend the same protective measures to our citizens in these types of circumstances regardless of the country we are visiting, foreign countries will see that we are not picking on them, but are being consistently protective in each nation we visit. The Olympics have historically been a great opportunity for those who wish members of another nation harm and attacks have taken place many times on the members of various Olympic teams over the years. Considering our position in the international community right now, maybe we should invest some of our "Homeland Security" money into protecting our people abroad.

Oh, and I love how they don't think the victims appeared American. Puh-lease! I have a funny feeling that a couple Americans walking around Beijing with cameras around their necks and backpacks on their backs probably stick out when surrounded with Chinese men and women. Even if they had been Chinese-Americans, I guarantee they wouldn't have carried themselves the same way as Chinese citizens. However, with a name like Bachman, I suspect they were quite "white," not to mention possibly blond-haired and blue-eyed.

My thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victims. I can't imagine losing my father in such a violent, terrible way.