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Tibetans kick off protests
DHARMSALA, India (AP -- Tibetans in exile have begun a fresh round of demonstrations to protest China's bid to host the 2008 Olympics. Organized by the Tibetan Women's Association, a protest march on Saturday was one of a series planned ahead of a meeting of the International Olympic Committee next month. The IOC meeting will decide the location of the 2008 Games. Beijing is widely believed to be favored over rivals Toronto and Paris. "It would be a travesty for China to host the Olympics while its government continues to unconcernedly violate human rights laws in China and Chinese-occupied Tibet," said a statement by the TWA in Dharmsala, the headquarters of the Dalai Lama in northern India. The campaign against Beijing's bid was started earlier this year by the TWA, the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) and overseas support groups. Demonstrators staged a noisy protest outside IOC headquarters in Lausanne in May when a report by the Committee's bid evaluation commission lavished praise on Beijing's proposal. "It is the commission's belief that a Beijing games would leave a unique legacy to China and to sport and the commission is confident that Beijing would organize an excellent games," said the report, which confined itself to technical matters. China lost its bid for the 2000 Olympics by two votes to Sydney after campaigners, including the Tibetans, targeted its poor human rights record. Beijing appears to be in a stronger position this time, as the 126 members of the IOC prepare to meet in Moscow on July 13 for a final vote. "China did not deserve the Olympics in 2000, and that situation has not changed," said TYC President Tseten Norbu. "There is no sign that political repression will ease soon. Human rights violations, religious repression, increasing numbers of prisoners of conscience and extremist policy to erase the national identity of Tibetans, Uigurs and Inner Mongolians are clear indications to that end," Norbu said. The Tibetan government in exile said that awarding the Games to Beijing may lead to greater, not less, repression. "If you go according to China's past behavior, we believe it will encourage China to do what it wants with the Tibetans, with the Mongolians and with their own citizens," said government spokesman Thubten Samphel. Tibetans living in exile and their supporters are expected to converge on Moscow from around the world in the days leading up to the vote to lobby IOC members and stage peaceful demonstrations. Representatives from the several Tibetan groups and international groups and Takster Rinpoche, the Dalai Lama's elder brother, are expected to be there. In recent months, the IOC has been bombarded with 20,000 postcards, a 50,000 signature petition and numerous faxes and e-mails as a result of the campaign. Even if the vote goes Beijing's way, the campaign is expected to continue.
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