[+/-] : No Torch Through Tibet, say NYC Tibetans

No Torch Through Tibet, say NYC Tibetans

New York, June 17, 2008 - As Beijing postponed its Tibet leg of the Olympic torch relay, the Tibetans went ahead with their protest against the Olympic torch here today. Organized by Regional Tibetan Youth Congress, Students for a Free Tibet, Regional Tibetan Women’s Association, New York and New Jersey Tibetan Community and US Tibet Committee, the event marked the 100th day of China’s crackdown in Tibet following March 14th protests in Lhasa and daily protest by Tibetans in New York.


Tibetans and supporters from New York, New Jersey, Boston, and Philadelphia gathered this morning at the Chinese Consulate with Tibetan national flags, banners, placards and leaflets to condemn the Chinese government’s decision to pass the Olympic torch through Tibet. The Tibetans say that the Chinese government is deliberately putting Tibet in the torch route to reaffirm its domination over Tibet by attributing its claim over Tibet to the passage of the torch through Lhasa. The Tibetans also fear that the China would not hesitate to resort to violent crackdown in the event of Tibetans in Tibet protesting the torch relay. Tsering Palden, the president of the RTYC, NY&NJ, told phayul that the 5 organization strongly condemn the Chinese government’s repressive policies in Tibet and that the organizations stand in complete solidarity with the Tibetan people inside Tibet which is locked down since the March crackdown. “We seek the International Olympic Committee’s intervention to remove Tibet from China’s route for the bloody torch relay, “said Palden.


Youngsters dramatizing Tibet leg of the Olympic torch relay as protesters watch, 06/17/08
The organizers said they are gravely concerned about the situation inside Tibet as reports of arrests and killings continue to reach the outside world particularly as China keeps the international media at bay. A banner that read ‘China! Allow Free Media into Tibet’, made rounds in the sky opposite the Chinese Consulate as the Tibetans shouted slogans below.

After an event that featured speeches by the organizers, a political skit by volunteers of Students for a Free Tibet, and slogan raising, the Tibetans walked from the Chinese Consulate to the UN Plaza where another gathering was held. The Tibetans raised slogans against China’s killing of Tibetan protesters in Tibet in the last three months and condemned the Tibet leg of the torch relay due this Saturday. A group of Tibetan youngsters performed a skit depicting Chinese repression in Tibet. The skit arranged by Regional Tibetan Youth Congress dramatized events related to the Olympic torch relay in Tibet and consequent clampdown by Chinese security forces. The event concluded with a march to the Chinese mission where the Tibetans continued to protest vehemently.


...
Read more

[+/-] : Olympic torch relay cut to one day in Tibet

Olympic torch relay cut to one day in Tibet

China has scrapped its original plans for a three-day Olympic torch relay tour of Tibet and will send the flame there just for one day this weekend, a Beijing Olympic official said Wednesday.


Zhu Jing, a spokeswoman at the Beijing Games organising committee, said the decision to cut short the relay and run it through the Tibetan capital Lhasa on Saturday was taken following last month's earthquake in Sichuan province.

"Following the earthquake on May 12, BOCOG has announced adjustments to the domestic legs of the torch relay," Zhu said.

"The Tibet leg of the relay will be on June 21, with the relay taking place in Lhasa."

The torch was originally scheduled to tour Tibet for three days from June 19 to 21 as part of its long international journey to the Games being hosted by the Chinese capital in August.

The torch is currently travelling through Xinjiang, a largely Muslim region in China's northwest, on a three-day, four-city tour scheduled to end Thursday.

The stops in Xinjiang and the Tibetan regions of China are regarded as the most sensitive of the domestic relay route, which runs for thousands of miles (kilometres) over three months through every part of the country.

China accuses Muslim separatists in Xinjiang of plotting terrorist attacks on the Games and stepped up security in the region ahead of the relay.

Tibetans are also accused of targeting the Olympics, following a crackdown on anti-Chinese government unrest in Lhasa in March in which exiled Tibetan leaders say 203 people died.

China has reported killing one Tibetan "insurgent" and says "rioters" were responsible for 21 deaths.

Despite the unrest China stuck with its original plan to take the torch relay to the top of Mount Everest on May 8 using a separate flame from the one used on the relay route through the rest of the country.

The ascent took place under tight security and triggered protests from exiled Tibetan groups who said it was a provocation and politicised the torch relay.

China's rule over Tibet was a major rallying cry for protesters who dogged the torch's month-long global journey in April before it came here.

Pro-Tibet activists have argued that the leg in Lhasa should be cancelled due to the unrest.

New York-based Human Rights Watch said Chinese authorities were using the relay as a propaganda tool and had been carrying out arbitrary arrests to prevent protests during the relay.

"It is irresponsible for the Chinese government to deliberately send a torch into a powder keg, and the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and Olympic sponsors should ask Beijing to cancel this part of the relay," the group said in a statement.

BOCOG said that 50 journalists from 31 news organisations would be allowed to cover the relay in Lhasa, which has been off limits to foreign reporters and tourists since the crackdown on unrest there three months ago.

"We will make proper arrangements for media coverage of the relay in Lhasa," said Zhu.

She declined to say whether scrapping the original three-day torch leg was connected to security fears in the Himalayan region following the unrest.

"The adjustment to the Tibet leg of the torch relay is because of the earthquake, which has caused us to make several changes to the original route," said Zhu.

According to the original torch relay schedule, the Tibetan leg was to be followed by a trip to neighbouring Qinghai and then Gansu province, which both have ethnic Tibetan communities.

Zhu said the future route had yet to be officially announced. Torch relay organisers in the Qinghai capital of Xining told AFP that they had no information and calls to the torch relay office in Gansu's capital Lanzhou went unanswered.
...
Read more

[+/-] : Olympic visitors' data is at risk

Olympic visitors' data is at risk
Officials: China targets secrets in laptops, PDAs
By Peter Eisler, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — National security agencies are warning businesses and federal officials that laptops and e-mail devices taken to the Beijing Olympics are likely to be penetrated by Chinese agents aiming to steal secrets or plant bugs to infiltrate U.S. computer networks.


Chinese government and industry use electronic espionage to "easily access official and personal computers," says one recent report by the Overseas Security Advisory Council, a federally chartered panel comprising security experts from corporations and the State, Commerce and Treasury departments.

Equipment left unsupervised for just minutes in a hotel or even during a security screening can be hacked, mined and bugged, adds Larry Wortzel, who chairs the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, a federal panel that monitors China-related security issues for Congress. China's government also controls Internet service providers and wireless networks, he says, so computers and PDAs can be monitored and planted with bugs remotely, too.

"There is a high likelihood — virtually 100% — that if an individual is of security, political or business interest to Chinese … security services or high technology industries, their electronics can and will be tampered with or penetrated," Wortzel says.

China's embassy did not respond to requests for comment but usually dismisses espionage charges.

"The so-called accusation of the Chinese military espionage against the U.S. is groundless and fabrication with ulterior motives," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a news conference last month.

China's pursuit of American government and business secrets has been noted repeatedly in federal threat assessments.

Last year, the office of the Director of National Intelligence reported that China's espionage services are "among the most aggressive in collecting against sensitive and protected U.S. targets."

Thousands of Americans are expected to attend the Olympics, including President Bush and a large entourage of federal officials. The government isn't doing enough to publicize the potential espionage risks, says Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., a former FBI agent who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, which has been briefed on Chinese espionage threats.

The reticence stems partly from the administration's reluctance to anger China, a key U.S. trading partner, Rogers says. "I appreciate their position," he adds, but by "underreporting" the threat, national security officials let potential targets get "lulled into this notion that they don't have to worry about it."

The Chinese "will take full advantage of any opportunity to not only take a peek at what's on electronic devices but also to implant them" with bugs that could provide access to U.S. computer networks, Rogers says.

Rogers and others briefed on the threat suggest that Olympic visitors purge sensitive information on laptops and e-mail devices, or leave their regular equipment at home and carry "clean" surrogates.

Travelers returning from the Games also should have their equipment checked for bugs or viruses before reconnecting to U.S. computer networks, says Ray Mey, who ran Olympics security at the FBI before joining GardaWorld as a corporate security consultant.

FBI spokesman Richard Kolko declined to discuss briefings given to federal officials and businesses. Any time executives are in a country capable of "exploiting electronic media," he says, the FBI strives "to notify them of these risks and … appropriate precautions
...
Read more

[+/-] : Behind the music

kd lang speaks out on Tibet (full interview)

Behind the music
For someone who says she's not a political person, k.d. lang has no trouble speaking her mind
by Jen Zoratti,Uptown Magazine

Although k.d. lang has a new, big-deal record to promote - the recently released Watershed marks her first collection of original material in eight years - the four-time Grammy winner is focusing her attention on Tibet.


The 46-year-old singer/songwriter made headlines in late April when she made a special trip to Canberra, Australia to join pro-Tibetan demonstrators protesting the Beijing 2008 Olympic torch relay as it made its way through the Australian capital. She also spent time in Melbourne as a guest editorialist for The Age, another forum in which she worked to raise awareness about human-rights issues in the repressed country.

Although "Free Tibet" has been a rallying cry among many musicians over the years - a certain trio of white rappers from New York and its groundbreaking Tibetan Freedom Concert series in the late '90s immediately comes to mind - lang has personal reasons for speaking up for Tibet.

"I'm a Tibetan buddhist, that's foremost," she says matter-of-factly, over the phone. "And I have a lot of Tibetan friends. So it's my job, in a way, to be a voice of the Tibetan people."

The upcoming Olympic games in Beijing has certainly put an amplified spotlight on China's spotty human-rights track record - Google 'Beijing Olympics' and see what pops up - but Beijing isn't the first host city to endure international criticism. The 1936 Olympics, hosted by Berlin during the rise of Nazi Germany, faced a boycott by the U.S. Sixty-two countries didn't participate in the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, most protesting the 1979 Soviet invaison of Afghanistan. Over 20 African countries withdrew from the 1976 games in Montreal, protesting New Zealand's rugby ties with South Africa.

And who could forget the 1972 Olympics in Munich, in which 10 Israeli athletes and a coach were murdered by a Palestinian terrorist group?

lang says the Olympic Games has a more political past that some care to admit.

"I think the Olympics has, historically, been a political platform," lang says. "This is no exception, especially with a country who's been historically very cryptic and don't want people questioning their human-rights practices. And it's the Chinese government, not the Chinese people."

Still, there's many that would - and do - argue that sports and politics don't mix.

"That's not true," she says, simply. "Politics is people. The Olympics is the perfect place. I don't think it's necessarily the athletes themselves - they aren't hurling their politics back and forth with the tennis ball - but when you carry the torch through a country that's repressed, you make yourself open to commentary."

It would be easy to assume that lang is political in all areas of her life - and indeed, her storied music career has been punctuated with bold acts of activism, both intentional and unconscious.

When lang exploded onto the Canadian music scene in the mid-'80s and came out as a lesbian shortly thereafter, the gay community quickly embraced her as its own. Although being an openly gay musician wasn't necessarily a political move by lang, posing on the cover of Vanity Fair in a barber's chair while supermodel Cindy Crawford shaved her face with a straight razor certainly was.

Then there's the notable furor she caused in her home province of Alberta with her Meat Stinks! animal-rights campaign in the early '90s.

Incredibly, as pioneering as lang has been, none of her politics make it into her music.

"I don't use my music to voice my politics - I don't think of myself as a political person," lang says. "I have passions that become political - whether it's my sexuality, or my eating habits or my religion. I think music itself should transcend all those things. I've never used it to promote my gayness, necessarily. Music is about the listeners' relationship with the music."

So while her latest effort, the stunning Watershed, doesn't get political in the social-issues sense, it certainly gets personal. A milestone in her exceptional 25-year career, Watershed is the first record that lang has produced - as well as written and performed - entirely on her own.

Serving as a follow-up to 2004's critically lauded Hymns of the 49th Parallel - an album on which lang lent her pipes to tunes by fellow Canadian songwriters such as Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell - Watershed is a revealing album that sees lang flex her muscles as a songwriter, not just as a singer.

"I wrote over the period from 2001 to 2007," lang says. "I really took my time. It's a culmination of all the things I've touched before. I've gathered all my favourite sounds and genres and mixed them all into one."
...
Read more

[+/-] : EU parliament vice president wants Olympic boycott

EU parliament vice president wants Olympic boycott

The Chinese government's crackdown on Falun Gong followers began in 1999 China's "genocidal campaign of repression" against a popular religion should result in a boycott of the Beijing Olympic Games, a prominent European politician believes.


Edward McMillan-Scott, a Conservative MEP, says he believed the Chinese government was carrying out organ harvesting against those in its prisoners.

He cites research by UN for special rapporteur Manfred Novak that three-quarters of China's seven million detainees are Falun Gong followers.

The religion, which encourages forbearance, compassion and truthfulness, had 70 million followers by 1999 when Beijing launched its campaign against them.

Mr McMillan-Scott says it reflects wider failings within the Chinese government.

"The situation of human rights in China is so severe we need to go back to the 1936 situation where, had we known… the Olympics would not have taken place," he said at thinktank Policy Exchange in London.

"The Olympics are all about the human spirit. China specialises in crushing it."

Mr McMillan-Scott said the European parliament had pressed the International Olympic Committee for its public and private undertakings with China on human rights issues. It responded by saying it had no political standpoint on the issue, he said.

A sense that it was too late to take action against China grew during last week's Policy Exchange debate, which culminated when the speakers focused on the IOC's decision to award China the Games in 2001.

Heavy expectations were placed on China to improve its human rights record then, fundamentally linking sport and politics in a way which attracted criticism from the panel.

Norman Baker, Liberal Democrat frontbencher and president of the Tibet Society, said the IOC "has not done what it should have done – it should have been rather firmer than it has been".

And Mr McMillan-Scott added the IOC had made a "very political decision".

"Politics are in sport. The Chinese government asked what they want and they got it. That was public opinion," he added.
...
Read more

[+/-] : Seven words

China Faces Predicament Over North Korean Refugees

Seven words
By Edward Kim

Calling for a Jewish boycott of the Beijing Olympics, 194 American rabbis recently cited the following reasons: China ’s support for the genocidal government of Sudan; the nation’s human rights record; its crackdown on Tibet; and providing missiles to Iran and Syria.

Seven words strikingly absent from this list and from the whirlwind of protests engulfing the Beijing Olympics are: “. . . Beijing ’s forced repatriation of North Korean refugees.”

What makes the missing seven words here particularly depressing is that they are missing even from the lips of the most conscientious human rights activists. It would be equivalent to 194 American pastors calling for a boycott of the Nazi Olympics and failing to mention the persecution of the Jews as one of the reasons. If that had in fact occurred in 1936, the Jewish rights movement of that time would have done some soul searching in terms of how and why they were failing to communicate effectively the plight of their Jewish brethren to the world.

In 2008, Beijing is perceived as being blamed by everyone for almost everything except for the forced repatriation of North Korean refugees. Accordingly, it is time for the North Korean human rights movement to do some soul searching.

In this opportune moment when the world’s attention is fixed on Beijing and the backdrop of protests has heightened awareness of the Chinese regime’s complicity in some of the worst atrocities of the 20th century, how is it that the issue of the forced repatriation of North Korean refugees has failed to get on the radar of the majority of anti-Beijing protesters or of the Western media?

Another case in point is Western criticism of the Myanmar junta’s response to the recent cyclone.

In circumstances uncannily similar to North Korea - a regime that refuses to allocate aid donations with transparency; that turns natural disasters into man-made catastrophes; that has caused tens of thousands of preventable deaths – Western leaders have reserved their public and bold criticisms to Myanmar and largely stayed silent on Pyongyang.

Here are some hypotheses:

Reason #1:

If the South Koreans do not appear that concerned about human rights in North Korea, then why should the rest of the world be. Put in more recent terms, when the national pride of the South Korean people is more hurt by what 10,000 Chinese students did to their 50 countrymen on their own soil than by the fact that just 50 South Koreans came out to oppose Chinese forced repatriations, then the world’s deafening silence on this issue should not come as a surprise. If kin see no evil, then why should strangers.

Reason #2:

North Korea, unlike Myanmar, has nuclear weapons. Forbidding problems with no available solution in sight are easier on the conscience (and ego) to ignore than to acknowledge and seek to address. Nobody likes to be reminded of their impotence.

Reason #3:

North Korea, unlike Myanmar, borders China, the rising superpower, which does not want hundreds of thousands of refugees to pour into its country and drain its resources. So it is in China’s best interests, and consequently in the best interests of those that desire to do business with China, to downplay anything that might destabilize Pyongyang and thereby upset Beijing.

This is the tragedy that is North Korea. The country draws little attention from the world because it belongs to a dysfunctional family. The world turns a blind eye to the country’s atrocities because doing otherwise would mean looking down the barrel of a gun. And the country’s abusive partner happens to be the next superpower of the world.

What would be the value of uttering the seven words in such a tragic situation?
...
Read more

[+/-] : Boycott the Chinese Olympics?

Olympic bloody games

Boycott the Chinese Olympics?

by Suzana Megles,Opednews

I keep on asking myself: why wasn't there a clamor and protests when the
Olympic Committee selected China for the Summer Olympics 4 years ago?
I know that this announcement made me very angry. How could they have chosen China to host the games? Over the last 30 years I remember reading so many accounts of cruelty to animals in China, particularly in the southern part. Should not the way a country treats its animals be a factor in the selection process?


Now that the "damage" has been done and the Olympic Torch is making its way to Beijing, should I and others of my ilk boycott the games? Someone even hoped that the Olympiads would do so. But that's a very, very big stretch-- seeing as I haven't even heard any rumblings in this direction from the rank and file. But the question persists for me-should I boycott the games? At one internet site, I was one of three at the time who said we would.


I think I'll hold to that even though some incredibly compassionate and brave people who have visited some of China's live animal markets are seeing the Olympic games being held this year as an opportunity for us to urge China to improve the situation at live animal markets. Sadly though, we can't even seem to close down our own cruel ones in San Francisco-- despite wonderfully caring and enterprising people who are continually working to do so.

I guess a very great part of the problem is the customers in SF Chinatown and Fisherman's Wharf who want their frogs, lobsters, turtles, fish, chickens, quail, doves, and pheasants freshly killed and slaughtered on-the-spot. Obviously, they are not all Chinese who keep this cruelty going. But it is gratifying to know that there are Asian-American animal rights activists who are simply demanding that animals killed for food be housed and slaughtered humanely according to existing law.

They have painted for us a horrible visual picture of what happens in these live animal markets: "In Chinatown shops, live turtles are hacked apart limb by limb and shells are cut off while the animal is still alive. Chickens, frogs, and doves are suffocated by stuffing them into plastic bags. Frogs are clubbed and skinned alive."

In 1997 San Francisco attorney Baron Miller, acting on behalf of a coalition of animal rights activists sought an injunction agains 12 Chinatown live animal market merchants. In 1998 Superior Court Judge Carlos T. Bea ruled against the animal rights activists' lawsuit, arguing that the Bible's language granting humans "dominion" over animals condones animal cruelty. I had to read that twice -- for me and I hope the majority of people reading this -it is an absolute perversion of what God meant when He gave us dominion over the animals. And these are the people sitting on our benches of law?

As for the Chinese Live Animal Markets, Wanda Embar of Animal Asia, along with two of their team, Christie and Rainbow, visited one in Guangzhou in southern China. They admit that this is the hardest part of their work-- but among the most important because by monitoring the situation, they are able to expose the truth about these hell holes.

As their taxi pulled up to Maoshan Market, they heard the screams of terrified animals. Their cries echoed around each avenue of the market until they finally met the eyes of petrified dogs and cats who were minutes or hours from death. She wrote: "Panting from thirst and dehydration, crying with terror, confusion and pain, their suffering is profound. Sometimes their tails wag in hopeful anticipation that the soft apologies of people recording
their pain will lead to release- until their eyes fade once again into hopeless reality and they turn away."

In tiny cages stacked high-- hundreds of dogs and cats are piled in. While they were there, one cat cage broke opened and all hell broke loose as three cats found the opening and dashed out into the lane trying to flee. But the traders quickly cornered the terrified cats and Wanda describes this terrible scene: "......grasping them around the necks with wire tongs and
smashing them onto the ground until their bodies go limp. A young ginger male twitches for a few seconds and becomes still. A black and white cat convulses wildly in a semi-conscious state, blood pouring from her mouth, nose, and broken legs before awaking more fully and trying to scramble under a truck." The traders let her go knowing that she will soon die of shock and pain and isn't worth chasing."

The internet has so many facets and information re China's shame in the way animals are viewed and treated. On another occasion three members of Animals Asia made a trip to Chongqing Safari Park to monitor the situation of animal treatment there. They found thousands of bored and unhappy animals and some were forced to "perform" with the help of a whip.

At one point they drove through the tiger enclosure, where they were told to expect live animal feeding, when a chicken was suddenly thrown out of a safari park car. One tiger pounced on the live bird and began leisurely plucking its feathers before eating the meat. If this was meant as entertainment, it certainly backfired. In the past many zoos did live feeding to the crocodilians until I believe the London Zoo pioneered a more
humane feeding of either freshly killed animals or frozen meat which is thawed.

So much to cover - old women in southern China boiling cats alive for their curative powers. Using caged bears with incisions to "milk their galls" for questionable medical use. And last but not least - the cruel dispatching of dogs on the menu in some Chinese restaurants. It is one thing to use dog meat, but caging them for long periods, with their snouts tied up and their
front legs bound --unable to eat or drink until they are mercifully dispatched. That is barbaric.

However, less we feel too superior --what about our own food animals? We can use some lessons in compassion and humane husbandry by tearing down the factory farms from hell. And we can also make certain that the slaughter lines are slowed down enough-- insuring that no animal goes through the slaughtering process ALIVE.

I have been concerned about animal suffering ever since I received my first puppy Peaches in 1975. She made me take a good look at the animal kingdom and I was shocked to see how badly we treat so many animals. At 77, I've been a vegan for the past 30 years and I thank God every day that I am. I am most disturbed at how little the Catholic Church and Christian churches generally give to concern re animal suffering in their ministry. I wrote to 350 bishops in 2001 and only 10-13 responded. I feel that the very least they can do is to instruct that the priests give one sermon a year on compassion to animals. I am still waiting for that sermon. I also belong to Catholic Concern for Animals - founded in England in 1929. (They are on the internet) I recently sent a sample copy of their bi-monthly publication called the ARK to the 8 Catholic bishops of Ohio. Only ONE kindly responded. Somehow we have to reach the Christian teaching magisterium. There is next to nothing re animal concerns and compassion for them. They basically believe that animals are the lessor of God's creation and that gives us the right to do anything we want to them. Way wrong. We need to change their mindsets. The animals are God's first and He expects us to treat them compassionately. I loved all of Mark Hawthorne's writings. God bless him and may he continue to be a voice for the voiceless.

...
Read more

[+/-] : Athletes fight to end violence in Darfur

Team Darfur athlete, Rosanna Tomiuk, sings World on Fire

Athletes fight to end violence in Darfur
by JACK TODD,The Gazette

China's slogan for the Beijing Olympic games set to begin in a little more than two months is "One World, One Dream."

"One World, One Nightmare" might be more accurate.

After I wrote a column a couple of months ago to urge a boycott of the 2008 Olympics unless China alters its repressive murderous policies in Tibet, Canadian water-polo player Rosanna Tomiuk wrote to call attention to Chinese involvement in another troubled region. Tomiuk, a member of the women's national team that fell short of an Olympic berth, is also a member of Team Darfur - an international association of elite athletes attempting to call attention to the plight of Darfur.

Tomiuk and Alouettes defensive-tackle Devone Claybrooks have joined Team Darfur in order to do what they can as athletes to shed light on one of the world's largest and least-understood humanitarian crises, the ongoing genocide in Darfur. (The United Nations has refused to call the killings in that region genocide, but both the U.S. government and a long list of humanitarian organizations call it precisely that.)

The Team Darfur athletes (many of them Olympians) are not urging a boycott. Team Darfur explicitly calls for "a celebration of the Olympic spirit, not a boycott." What they are attempting to do, Tomiuk says, is to "focus on what the world can do to help in Darfur without putting a target on the Chinese."

The situation in Darfur is as complex as it is tragic. The clash is between nomads moving south in search of water and the farming communities of Darfur. (This may be one of the first of the water-fuelled conflicts of the future, triggered by global warming.)

Militias backed by the Sudanese government (and, indirectly, by China) have been accused of mass killings in Darfur, with estimates of the dead ranging from as low as 100,000 to as high as 400,000 (the UN's estimate, even if it refuses to use the word "genocide") and another one to 2.5 million people, again depending on the estimates, displaced and relocated, many of them to refugee camps in neighbouring Chad.

The athletes of Team Darfur are hardly alone in decrying the killings carried about by Sudanese militias funded by the Chinese. All three of the remaining U.S. presidential candidates (Hilary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain) signed their names to an ad that appeared in the New York Times Wednesday, accusing the Sudanese government of genocide in Darfur and urging an end to the violence.

But it is the nature of life in our One World, One Nightmare global village that a tragic earthquake in China will make it more difficult to stop the Chinese-funded genocide halfway around the world in Darfur.

The enormous disaster of the earthquake in Chongqing has had far-reaching implications outside China's borders. In Darfur and Tibet, there was hope that pressure for a boycott or some other gesture connected to the Beijing Olympics might persuade the Chinese regime to alter its policy. But sympathy for the earthquake victims has muted the protests to a degree, even though the regime's failings in areas such as school construction are part of the tragedy.

It is perfectly natural to sympathize with the victims of the natural disaster in Sichuan province and to do everything possible to help. But it is equally natural to sympathize with the victims of the man-made tragedies in Tibet and Darfur and do everything possible to persuade the Chinese regime to alter its course.

While the Chinese have not been accused of direct involvement in the killings in Darfur, China pours billions of dollars into Sudan and buys an overwhelming portion of Sudan's oil. The state-owned China National Petroleum Corp. (an official partner in the Beijing Olympics) owns the major share in Sudan's largest oil companies. The Sudanese government has been accused of pouring as much as 70 per cent of its oil revenue into weaponry to be used against the poverty-stricken people of Darfur.

Through its investments in Sudanese oil, China is indirectly funding the government's war effort in Darfur. Even at the United Nations, China has repeatedly used the threat of a veto to keep UN peacekeepers out of Sudan.

In response, the athletes of Team Darfur are attempting to raise awareness of the crisis in Darfur and to put pressure on those countries who have failed to act to bring pressure on China to stop the violence. Team Darfur was co-founded by Olympic gold medallist speed-skater Joey Cheek and UCLA water-polo player Brad Greiner. Cheek raised more than $1 million in 2006 after announcing that he would donate his medal bonuses to relief in Darfur.

Cheek and Greiner and their fellow athletes have created a world-wide symbol, a wristband athletes can wear to raise awareness and funds to ease a humanitarian crisis.

The emphasis throughout Team Darfur is on education, not confrontation. If you take two minutes to go on Team Darfur's website and sign up, you can help to put the spotlight on Darfur - and receive a wristband.

Tomiuk says that she became involved because "I absolutely believe that I have the power to help change the world. As someone who represents my country all over the world, I have the responsibility to represent people who can't stand up for themselves. I believe in Team Darfur because it links athletes with human rights.

"I have so much freedom, but what does it mean if I can't find a way to pass some of it on to those who don't have it? There are people who are dying in Darfur and it's my responsibility to do what I can to help."

The pressure the Chinese can bring to bear to silence athletes is enormous. American softball player Jessica Mendoza, for instance, is a member of Team Darfur, but has refused to publicly criticize the Chinese because she says it's impolite to criticize her Olympic hosts, but also because one of her sponsors, Nike, has a major presence in China.

Athletes who have actually visited the refugee camps are, understandably, the most vocal. Emanuel Neto, who expects to make the Angolan basketball team, told the New York Times: "I've seen what those kids are going through and it's really, really bad. It doesn't matter at this point what will happen to me. What matters to me the most is that something has to be done."
...
Read more

[+/-] : Olympics: Foreigners told to behave at Beijing Olympics — or else

Olympics: Foreigners told to behave at Beijing Olympics — or else

By STEPHEN WADE, Associated Press

BEIJING — Foreigners attending the Beijing Olympics better behave — or else.

The Beijing Olympic organizing committee issued a stern, nine-page document — covering 57 topics — on Monday. Written only in Chinese and posted of the organizers' official Web site, the guide covers everything from a ban on sleeping outdoors to the need for government permission to stage a protest.
The document, not immediately available in English, also said having Olympic tickets is no guarantee of getting a visa to enter China.


"Those holding Olympic tickets are not guaranteed of being granted a visa," the guide said. "They still need to visit China embassies and consulates and apply for visas according to the related rules."

Fearing protests during the Aug. 8-24 Olympics, China's authoritarian government has tightened controls on visas and residence permits for foreigners. It has also promised a massive security presence at the games, which may include undercover agents dressed as volunteers.

The government is hoping to keep out activists and students who might stage pro-Tibet rallies that would be broadcast around the world. It also fears protests over China's oil and arms trade with Sudan, and any disquiet from predominantly Muslim regions in western China.

"In order to hold any public gathering, parade or protest the organizer must apply with the local police authorities. No such activity can be held unless a permit is given. ... Any illegal gatherings, parades and protests and refusal to comply are subject to administrative punishments or criminal prosecution."

The document also warns against the display of insulting slogans or banners at any sporting venue. It also forbids any religious or political banner in an Olympic venue "that disturbs the public order."

The guidelines seems to clash with a pledge made two month ago by International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge, who said athletes could exercise freedom of speech in China. He asked only that athletes refrain from making political statements at certain official Olympics venues.

"Freedom of expression is something that is absolute," Rogge said in Beijing in April. "It's a human right. Athletes have it."

The highly detailed document is entitled: "A guide to Chinese law for Foreigners coming to, leaving or staying in China during the Olympics." This appears under the slogan of the Beijing Olympics: "One World, One Dream."

For months Chinese authorities denied there had been any change to visa regulations, but recently acknowledged that rules had been amended. The changes may have little affect on some of the 500,000 foreigners expected to visit for the Olympics, many of whom will come on package tours with visas already arranged.

The rules published Monday say entry will be denied to those "who might conduct acts of terrorism, violence and government subversion ... and those who might engage in activities endangering China's national security and national interest."

The rules also bar entry to smugglers, drug traffickers, prostitutes and those with "mental diseases" or contagious conditions.

The document also warns foreigners that not all areas of the country are open to visitors. One such area is Tibet, which is also off limits to journalists.
"Not all of China is open to foreigners, and they shall not go to any venue not open to them," the statement said.

The guide also spells out a long list of items that cannot be brought into the country including weapons, imitation weapons, ammunition, explosives, counterfeit currency, drugs and poisons. It also prohibits the entry of materials "that are harmful to China's politics, economics, culture and morals".

Foreigners staying with Chinese residents in urban areas must register at a local police station within 24 hours of arriving. The limit in rural areas is 72 hours.
The guide also threatens criminal prosecution against anyone "who burns, defaces ... insults or tramps on the national flag or insignia."

For those planning on sleeping outdoors to save a little money — forget it. This is banned in order to "maintain public hygiene and the cultured image of the cities."
...
Read more

[+/-] : Tibetan Freedom Torch Riders Present Petition to U.S. Olympic Committee

Tibetan Freedom Torch Riders Present Petition to U.S. Olympic Committee

BOULDER, Co – On May 27, four Tibetans and two westerners successfully completed the Colorado “Tibetan Freedom Torch” bicycle ride from the Capitol Building in Denver to the U.S. Olympics National Headquarters in Colorado Springs. The leader of the “Freedom” ride was also able to hand over to a high level official of the U.S. Olympic Committee a petition demanding that the Beijing Olympic Torch not pass through Tibet.


In Denver, the “Torch” event began with a walk to the State Capitol Building by about 100 individuals including Tibetans, Sherpas, and others. During the walk, leaders of the Tibetan Association of Colorado, Colorado Friends of Tibet, International Tibet Independence Movement, and others in attendance carried the “Torch.”

As the walkers approached the Capitol Building, Nawang Khechog sounded a Tibetan long horn and the “Torch” was passed from the oldest Tibetan walker to the 2 youngest Tibetan walkers who were situated in baby strollers.

On the steps of the Capitol, a young Tibetan girl passed the “Torch” to Denver City Councilman Paul Lopez. Mr. Lopez then spoke in strong support of Tibet. Other speakers included Telo Rinpoche, Native American Activist Rudy Balles, Tenzin Dhongyal (President-Tibetan Association of Colorado), Dawn Engle (President- Colorado Friends of Tibet), and Jigme Norbu (son of Taktser Rinpoche who is the oldest brother of His Holiness The Dalai Lama).

After the rally, the 6 “Freedom” riders including Jigme Norbu proceeded on their way to Colorado Springs. During the 60-mile ride through rural central Colorado, the weather was cloudy, cold, damp, and hazy. As twilight approached, the fog was so thick that the riders experienced limited visibility. Even still, they achieved their target goal location for the first day. In the evening, the riders met with members of the Colorado All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church and discussed the situation in Tibet and the purpose of their ride.

On the second and final day, the riders circled downtown Colorado Springs and then joined a welcoming rally of over 150 Tibetans and supporters on the steps of City Hall. From here, all in attendance began a 2.5-mile walk to the U.S. Olympic Committee Headquarters.

As the participants approached the entrance to the Headquarters, Nawang Khechog once again sounded a Tibetan long horn. Darryl Seibel (Director of Public Affairs, U.S. Olympic Committee) was present as the “Freedom” seekers arrived at the entrance to the compound.

At the Headquarters, Tenzin Dhongyal read a statement directed at the U.S. Olympic Committee and its’ President, Peter V. Ueberroth, demanding that the Beijing Olympic Torch not pass through Tibet and that President Bush not attend the Olympics unless significant progress was made in negotiations between China and His Holiness The Dalai Lama in settling the Tibet issue. Mr. Dhongyal strongly urged the U.S. Olympics Committee President in his capacity also as a Director of Coca-Cola Company to use his significant influence in the upcoming last meeting of the IOC before the Beijing Olympics to speak up for Human Rights in Tibet. Mr. Dhongyal then presented to Mr. Seibel the statement and a petition making the same demand.

When asked to speak to the audience upon receiving these documents, Mr. Seibel declined and simply left the entranceway. He promised to forward the petition to his higher authorities. It also should be noted that Mr. Seibel prior to the commencement of the rally had agreed to take a photograph with the “Freedom” seekers. This, however, did not occur. Currently, the organizers are awaiting a statement from the U.S. Olympics Committee and its President, Peter V. Ueberroth.

The rally continued with speeches by Larry Gerstein (President- International Tibet Independence Movement), Dawn Engle, and Jigme Norbu, interspersed with the singing of the Tibetan National Anthem, Tibetan freedom songs, Tibetan prayers, and a long life prayer for His Holiness The Dalai Lama.

Before leaving, the participants posed for a photograph in front of the U.S. Olympic Headquarters.

While many participants wished to enter the Headquarters and walk through the Visitors Center, security denied access to each of them.

Tibetans from Colorado, Utah, Oregon, and Indiana participated in the Denver and Colorado Springs rallies.

Radio Free Asia, Voice of America, Voice of Tibet, and many of the local television stations and newspapers reported on the events in Denver and Colorado Springs.

For pictures of the activities in Colorado, visit www.coloradofriendsoftibet.org, www.coloradotibetans.org, and www.rangzen.org.
...
Read more

[+/-] : US Jewish leaders call for boycott of Beijing Olympics

US Jewish leaders call for boycott of Beijing Olympics

By ERIC GORSKI(AP)

A wide-ranging group of U.S. Jewish leaders plans to release a statement Wednesday urging Jews worldwide to boycott the Summer Olympics in Beijing, citing China's troubling record on human rights and Tibet.


The statement also notes China's close relationships with Iran, Syria and the militant group Hamas.

So far, 175 rabbis, seminary officials and other prominent Jews have signed the declaration, which comes shortly before Holocaust Remembrance Day on Friday, organizers said.

"We are deeply troubled by China's support for the genocidal government of Sudan; its mistreatment of the people of Tibet; its denial of basic rights to its own citizens; and its provision of missiles to Iran and Syria, and friendship for Hamas," the statement reads.

"Having endured the bitter experience of abandonment by our presumed allies during the Holocaust, we feel a particular obligation to speak out against injustice and persecution today."

Rabbi Yitz Greenberg, past chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, said signers are not alleging that the Chinese government is the equivalent of the Nazi regime, but that China, like Germany in 1936, is trying to use the Olympics as a public relations tool to deflect attention from its record.

The declaration was organized by Greenberg and Rabbi Haskel Lookstein of New York _ both Orthodox Jews _ and the Washington-based David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies.

Several representatives of Judaism's major U.S. branches and large Jewish institutions signed on. They include Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism; Neil Goldstein and Richard Gordon of the American Jewish Congress; and Rabbi Joel Meyers, executive vice president of the Rabbinical Assembly, an association of Conservative rabbis.

The statement seizes on Olympic organizers' plans for a kosher kitchen at the Olympic Village, where athletes stay. Greenberg characterized the move as an attempt to lure Jewish tourists by presenting an image of sensitivity.

"I would say in principle, athletes and tourists and governments should all draw the same conclusion to this," Greenberg said. "Unless the Chinese make some significant corrections, they should not participate."

Meyers said he hopes the declaration is interpreted as a call for Israel and Jewish athletes worldwide to boycott the games, although he doubts such a boycott will come to pass.

"It would be good if that happened," Meyers said. "(But) I know Israel has political ties to China, and does business with China. It presents a somewhat awkward issue for Israel."
...
Read more

[+/-] : China needs to stop playing games

China needs to stop playing games

As 20,000 journalists get ready for the Beijing Olympics, just how much freedom will they have to report what is happening on and off the track?
by Phil Harding , The Guardian, Monday May 26 2008

In Beijing's bid for the 2008 Olympics, the guarantee was clear and unmistakable: "there will be no restrictions on media reporting and movement of journalists up to and including the Olympic games".


In a country that keeps such a tight grip on its own media and which severely restricts access to its markets by foreign media companies - resisting even the persistent blandishments of Rupert Murdoch - it is a guarantee that has been hotly disputed ever since. In just under three months' time, amid some very mixed signals from the authorities, just over 20,000 journalists and broadcasters will descend on the Chinese capital to put it to the test.

Ever since the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced in 2001 that this year's games had been awarded to Beijing, it has been clear that they were going to be the most politically sensitive since the boycotted Moscow Olympics of 1980, possibly even since the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Ashling O'Connor, Olympics correspondent for the Times, believes that is bound to shape the reporting: "Normally once the games actually begin, the coverage is pretty much confined to the sports pages. This time because the Chinese authorities have left so many questions unanswered these games are going to be on the news and foreign pages too."

Free to travel

The journalist advocacy group, Reporters Without Borders, has singled out China as the world's leading jailer of journalists, with at least 33 imprisoned at the start of this year. Sports and news editors' in-boxes have been flooded with emails from human rights groups. Given the highly controversial nature of these games and given China's record on media freedom is it going to be possible to report freely?

Lindsey Hilsum, Beijing correspondent for Channel 4 News, says the big tests will come when the games start: "Will the internet really be uncensored? Will journalists be free to travel? Will CNN and BBC World not be blacked out any more?"

In January 2007 the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that accredited foreign journalists would be free to travel in China, outside Tibet and the Muslim western region of Xinjiang, without official permission. In practice, this has only partly happened. In the last fortnight access for the foreign media to the disaster areas of the Sichuan earthquake has been relatively unrestricted. But during the Tibet disturbances in March more than 40 journalists were turned away from covering protests in neighbouring regions, and some were detained. The Guardian's Jonathan Watts made a video of his frustrating trip calling it "7 Days not in Tibet".

The important difference is that the Tibet protests were political, the earthquake emergency is not. Jon Williams, the BBC's world news editor, says of the government's attitude overall: "When they've been good, they've been very good, when they've been bad they've been horrid."

Free access to the internet in China - another promise for the Olympics - has always been problematic. Via the "Great FireWall of China", there is strict control on what can be seen and what can't. When challenged over access to the BBC news site, the Chinese government always denied blocking and cited "technical problems". This year in March during the Tibet demonstrations, the Guardian site was briefly blocked in China for the first time.

Then at the end of March - and just before an inspection visit by the IOC - the BBC News site in English suddenly and without explanation was unblocked for the first time in 10 years. But the BBC's Chinese-language site has stayed off limits. The internet now mirrors what happens with the World Service's radio broadcasts where the Chinese broadcasts are jammed while the English programmes are not.

After their most recent visit, the IOC said they "were satisfied by the assurances we received across a number of areas including internet access". But a month later, China's technology minister, Wan Gang, was less clear: "I've not got any clear information about which sites will be screened or shut ... Every country limits access to some websites". According to Hilsum, internet access still "comes and goes", Wikipedia sometimes disappears, sites such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International are still blocked: "I would not be surprised if all the English sites are unblocked for the three weeks of the Olympics. The big issue will be what happens after that."

The most important window on this summer's games will be television. It is the television images that will set the tone for the games. The worldwide audience is expected to top 4 billion viewers. Dave Gordon, who as BBC Sport's head of major events is in overall charge of the BBC's Olympic coverage, says: "This to me is a huge challenge of a story. My first Olympics was Moscow. This is even more of a challenge." It is significant that for these games the BBC has decided not to treat the opening ceremony as just another sporting event. Its coverage will be fronted by Huw Edwards from News alongside Hazel Irvine from Sport with expert analysis from Carrie Gracie, the former Beijing correspondent.

Pictures of the ceremony and sporting events will come almost exclusively from a pool feed provided by the Olympic host broadcaster, Beijing Olympic Broadcasting, a joint Chinese-foreign company set up specifically for these games. For each event there will be one set of identical pictures from each venue available to each broadcast rights holder. In all there will be some 3,800 hours of live feeds. At any one time broadcasters will have up to 20 feeds coming in. As the Chinese have a track record of censoring television coverage they don't like, possible censorship of the Olympics has become a real issue.

At one time it was reported that the Chinese authorities had asked for a delay on the live feeds. But Gordon says: "We have been given absolute assurances that the feeds will be live." But what is not yet clear is what the policy of the host broadcaster will be on coverage of any demonstrations. For Gordon this is fundamental: "We will expect all events to be fully covered in the stadium whether it's on the field or off the field action. We don't want any editorial decisions made for us." But, just in case, the BBC will have its own unilateral cameras at some events "able to capture what we need if we need to".

French television has said if there is any censorship of the pictures, they will boycott coverage. What can domestic Chinese audiences expect to see during the Olympics? Until the non-stop coverage of the earthquake eclipsed all other news, the tone of much of the Olympic coverage on CCTV had been remorselessly upbeat and euphoric. Step-by-step reports on the progress of the torch relay through China were regularly the lead item on the news. On one day just the dress rehearsal for the relay in Macao made the second lead. Coverage of the earlier protests in the west was much more circumspect. What has also come across strongly from Chinese media coverage is the real sense of hurt and anger at the way the western media have concentrated so much on protests and abuses of human rights. Both the BBC and CNN have encountered fierce protests about their coverage (there is now a Chinese website called anti-cnn.com). Many of the comments also seem to express genuine puzzlement at what they see as the dismissal of China's best efforts to offer the world a peaceful torch rally, coupled with a spectacular Olympics. Some bloggers see a western-led conspiracy between Washington and Paris.

In the next few weeks the media spotlight will inevitably switch away from the earthquake and back to the Olympics. For those covering the games, it will be a tricky and pressurised time. If the Olympics are portrayed as a well-organised success, the media will be accused of falling for a Chinese propaganda exercise. On the other hand, if there are protests and they are properly covered, there will be accusations from the Chinese that the actions of an unrepresentative minority have been magnified out of proportion. Jon Williams warns against journalists going to China with too many preconceptions: "It would be wrong for us to start with a fixed mind to cover the games through the prism of Tibet and protest. But on the other hand we have to be prepared for any events if they do happen."
...
Read more

[+/-] : Beijing Olympic Games: Dalai Lama calls for boycott of opening ceremony

Beijing Olympic Games: Dalai Lama calls for boycott of opening ceremony
By Stephen Adams 23/05/2008

The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader, has called on Western governments to boycott the Olympic Games’ opening ceremony in Beijing if they think it will put pressure on the Chinese government to change.


But he said if they thought they could achieve more through diplomatic means, they should attend the ceremony.

Speaking during a high-profile 11-day tour of Britain, he also confirmed it was Gordon Brown’s decision to hold their meeting tomorrow away from Number 10, in a bid not to offend the Chinese.

The Dalai Lama is due to meet the Prime Minister at Lambeth Palace, the official residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

He is also due to meet with House of Commons’ Foreign Affairs Committee to lobby his cause today.

In the interview with the BBC , the Buddhist spiritual leader, 73, said of the Olympics’ opening ceremony: “Right from the beginning I fully support about the Olympic Games. Meantime I have also made clear the world takes this opportunity to remind the Chinese government about poor record on human rights, religious freedom and environment. The Chinese leadership should pay more attention.”

Asked whether politicians and others should attend the opening ceremony if invited, he said: “[If an ] individual feel [that is] the best way to remind them [is] not [to[ attend, don’t do it.”

But he qualified that: “If they feel to talk, to meet with Chinese leaders, that’s more effective, then go there.”

On the question of where his meeting with Mr Brown is to be held today, the Dalai Lama said: “From my part there’s no differences, so long as the meeting [takes place]. So perhaps I think [with] our meeting, the Prime Minister I think, is becoming more spiritual minded.”

He accepted the Prime Minister did not want to receive him at Number 10 for “economy reasons”.

The Bhuddist spiritual leader, 73, said he was fully committed to a “middle way” of bringing greater autonomy for Tibet, but said he did not want the disputed province to break away entirely from the Chinese state.

Asked what exactly he wanted for Tibet, he replied: “We are not seeking separation. It is in our own interest to remain within China.”

“Defence and foreign affairs should be carried by central [Chinese] government but the rest of business - education and environment, religious work - should be handled by Tibetans themselves. That’s meaningful autonomy.”

He said he thought the Chinese leadership “should take a more liberal way, a more open way, to look towards Tibet.”

Despite the recent crackdown which Tibetan authorities claim left 203 civilians dead - a figure denied by the Chinese - he said he was “quite optimistic” about prospects for his homeland.

But he admitted his people were getting “frustrated” with the lack of progress towards greater autonomy.

“The longer time [there is] no improvement inside Tibet and ruthless suppression continue, then more frustration.”

On Friday he will also plant a tree at Clarence House in the presence of the Prince of Wales.

The pair have met a number of times before, with Charles known to be a keen admirer of the Dalai Lama.

The Tibetan holy man will also deliver a speech on Universal Responsibility in the Modern World at the Royal Albert Hall.

Story from Telegraph News:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2006564/Beijing-Olympic-Games-Dalai-Lama-calls-for-boycott-of-opening-ceremony.html
...
Read more

[+/-] : Tibetan ‘Olympics’ hit a number of hurdles

Tibetan ‘Olympics’ hit a number of hurdles

AFP, DHARAMSHALA, INDIA Friday, May 23, 2008, Published on Taipei Times

A mock “Olympics” being held as an anti-China protest by Tibetan exiles in India has failed to attract sponsors and cannot even afford to pay out the prize money on offer, organizers say.

The alternative Olympics, which has just 23 participants, comes less than three months before the real games in Beijing and will feature sports such as swimming, archery and shooting.

Catherine Schuetze, an Australian acting as clerk for the “Tibetan Olympics”, said lack of money was threatening the event, which starts Thursday in Dharamshala, home to the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

“We’re stripping expenses to the bone and we’re still about to run out of money,” she said. “There’s a desperate need for sponsors, donations — anything.”

The Tibetan games’ organizer, Lobsang Wangyal, warned he did not have enough cash to hand out US$8,000 in promised prize money.

“I’ve got just 40,000 rupees (US$930) and total expenses are expected to be well over 2 million rupees,” said Wangyal, who planned the event as a protest against Chinese rule in his remote Himalayan homeland.

Organizers face other problems as the exiled Tibetan administration in Dharamsala has turned its back on the event, which it views as too insulting to China and likely to damage the prospects of future talks.

The Tibetan administration favors the Dalai Lama’s goal of “meaningful autonomy” for the region within China, rather than the full independence demanded by more radical Tibetans — such as those behind the sports event.

The Dalai Lama’s Tibetan government-in-exile on Wednesday also called for a suspension of protests against China as a mark of respect to victims of this month’s devastating earthquake.

The Dalai Lama has been at pains to assert he supports China as the Olympic host and has distanced himself from the protests that dogged the global torch relay.

The Dharamsala event is also causing embarrassment for its unwilling host India, which has allowed the Tibetan exiles sanctuary as long as they do not use the soil as a springboard for anti-Chinese activities.

But games director Wangyal said the Tibetan Olympics were “not being held to counter the Beijing Olympics.”

Besides Schuetze, volunteers from France, Italy, Peru, Egypt, Japan, Israel, Germany and the US have teamed up to help.

“But it’s hard work without funds,” said Susan Hayano, a US photographer who has been drafted into action to take pictures of the games.

Despite the lack of official enthusiasm for the Dharamsala event, the competitors were upbeat.

“I’ve participated in many anti-China protests and I thought this one’s going to be cool as there’ll be no police to beat us up,” said 22-year-old Tenzin Dhadon, who traveled from Nepal to take part in the javelin.

Ten women and 13 men aged between 18 and 30 have been practicing for the past week for the games and the three top winners will receive hand-crafted gold-plated medals.

However, the mountainous topography has imposed restrictions on some events. The 100m dash has been shortened to just 24m because of lack of flat land.

Chinese-controlled Tibet was rocked by unrest in March, and the Tibetan government-in-exile says 203 Tibetans were killed and 1,000 injured in China’s subsequent crackdown.

China says Tibetan “rioters” and “insurgents” killed 21 people, and has accused the Dalai Lama of trying to sabotage the Beijing Olympics — a charge the Tibetan spiritual leader denies.
...
Read more

[+/-] : BEIJING: WE ARE READY

STUDENTS FOR A FREE TIBET

BEIJING: WE ARE READY

"If...human rights are not acted upon to our satisfaction then we will act." Jacques Rogge, IOC President on China, ... all » BBC's Hardtalk, April 2002

December 10th, International Human Rights Day, is a day set-aside to recognize the inherent rights of every individual. The IOC promised in 2001, when they awarded China the 2008 Summer Olympics, that the Games would bring an improvement in the human right situation in China.

In reality, the human rights situation in China and Tibet is growing steadily worse. In the lead up to the Beijing Olympics, Chinese authorities are intensifying their crackdown on freedom of religion, assembly and expression in Tibet.

Just last month in Eastern Tibet, Runggye Adak (http://actionnetwork . org/campaign/runggye_ adak), a 52 year-old father of eleven, was sentenced to eight years in prison for simply calling for the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet.

China is clearly a human rights failure. And yet, the IOC remains silent.

But Tibetans and their supporters around the world are speaking out. In the lead up to August 2008, we are shining the spotlight on China's brutal occupation of Tibet and failed human rights record.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

1) Download and watch SFT HQ's "Beijing: We are Ready" video and spread the word on UTube/ Flickr/ Facebook/ Hi5/ Blog/ website or other social networking site. Screen the film on campus or in your community.

2) Create your own "Beijing: We are Ready" video, upload it to UTube, and send the link to tv@studentsforafreetibet . org.

3) Call on the International Olympic Committee to speak out for Tibet: www . studentsforafreetibet . org/IOC

4) Join Team Tibet - a movement of people around the world who believe in freedom and justice for Tibet. Click here (http://www . supportteamtibet . org/supporter/new) to add your name to the international list of Team Tibet supporters.

5) Check out (hyperlink: http://www . indiemerchstore . com/sft) SFT's stylish line of Team Tibet Gear and spread the world about Team Tibet!

6) Click here (http://www . studentsforafreetibet . org/olympics) to find out more about SFT's 2008 Beijing Olympics campaign.
...
Read more