HONG KONG (AFP) — American actress Mia Farrow, who is pushing China to help stop the violence in Sudan, will speak in Hong Kong as the Beijing Olympic torch passes through the city, organisers said Friday.
Farrow will give a speech entitled "Darfur and the Olympics" to the Foreign Correspondents' Club on May 2, the club said in a statement.
"Actress and human rights activist Mia Farrow will speak about using the Olympics to put pressure on China to take action on the crisis in Darfur, Sudan," the club said.
The club did not provide further details about Farrow's visit or whether she would be taking part in protests during the torch relay.
Farrow has been a tireless campaigner to end the violence in Darfur, where the United Nations estimates at least 200,000 people have died in five years of war, famine and disease.
In the run-up to the Olympics, China -- which is by far the largest foreign investor in Sudan and takes almost two-thirds of its oil output -- has been under mounting pressure to use its influence over Khartoum.
The Hong Kong leg of the relay is the first time the torch will touch on Chinese soil since its epic journey around the world -- a relay that has been dogged by protests against China's recent crackdown on protests in Tibet.
In angry scenes in London and Paris, demonstrators tried to extinguish the flame, prevent torch-bearers from participating in the relay and scuffled with police.
Hong Kong, with its open media and tolerance of protests, is expected to be a target for campaign groups hoping to use the relay as an opportunity to criticise China on a range of issues.
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