Wednesday, April 18, 2007

CHINA’S OLYMPIC TORCH OUT OF TIBET

ACTIVISTS CALL ON OLYMPIC COMMITTEE TO REFUSE PROPOSED TORCH ROUTE

Contact:
Lhadon Tethong (917) 418-4181 (New York)
Kate Woznow (778) 322-3071 (Vancouver)

April 18, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York – Students for a Free Tibet calls on the International Olympic Committee to reject China's plan to run the Olympic torch over Mount Everest and through Tibet. The IOC is currently meeting in Beijing and will make a final decision on China’s proposed torch route – including plans to take it through Tibet and Taiwan – by April 26th.

“Allowing China to run the Olympic torch through Tibet would mean the IOC’s mark of approval for China's military occupation of our nation,” said Lhadon Tethong, Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet. “Nothing in the mission of the Olympic Games includes providing validation for the most abhorrent and shameful policies of the host nation.”

“The IOC has nine days to make the right decision and keep the Olympic torch out of what the Associated Press recently called a ‘politically charged territory’,” Tethong continued. “It has no business helping the Chinese government strengthen its claim over Tibet. The IOC has a moral
obligation to stop the Olympic Games from becoming a means for China to legitimize its authoritarian rule over Tibet and other occupied territories.”

“This shouldn’t be a hard decision for the IOC members to make,” said Kate Woznow, Director of Students for a Free Tibet in Canada. “The international community expects the IOC to show they have a backbone and will not allow the Chinese government to use the Olympic Games to whitewash the terrible reality of China’s repressive rule in Tibet.”

“Olympics organizers are quoted as saying ‘the torch symbolizes peace and friendship,’” Woznow added. “Sending the torch through Tibet would undermine this message and shows a complete disregard for the suffering of the Tibetan people.”

The thirty-ninth Olympic Games are scheduled to be held in Beijing in
August 2008. China has proposed bringing the Olympic torch to the summit of Mount Everest next year on its way to Beijing. The Beijing Games have already been the subject of major protests by the Tibetan exile community and have been called “the Genocide Olympics” by Darfur activists. Tibet has been occupied by China since 1949.

Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) is a network of students and young people campaigning for Tibetan independence. With 650 chapters in more than thirty countries worldwide, SFT is working to shine the Olympic spotlight on China’s occupation of Tibet. SFT is based in New York, with offices in Vancouver, London, and Dharamsala, India.
http://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/

--
Beijing 2008: One World, One Dream: Free Tibet.
Lhadon Tethong
Executive Director
Students for a Free Tibet
602 East 14th Street, 2 Floor, New York, NY 10009 USA
Tel: (212) 358-0071 / Fax: (212) 358-1771

10 comments:

CIPFG said...

China’s Ministry of Public Security Issues Secret Directive to
Hi Kate, Please advise Ladhon, etc... This notice should be posted on every blog.

Investigate and Bar Thousands Worldwide from Olympics
Directive Targets Falun Gong, Dalai Lama, Counter-Revolutionaries, and the Handicapped

http://www.faluninfo.net/Downloads/FDI_Press/FDI-070530-OL.htm

ndependent Catholic News: China may ban Catholics from 2008 Olympics
http://www.indcatholicnews.com/chban328.html

CIPFG said...

My previous post was confusing - here it is again!

Hi Kate, Please advise Ladhon Tetong, etc... This notice should be posted on every blog.

China’s Ministry of Public Security Issues Secret Directive to Investigate and Bar Thousands Worldwide from Olympics
Directive Targets Falun Gong, Dalai Lama, Counter-Revolutionaries, and the Handicapped

http://www.faluninfo.net/Downloads/FDI_Press/FDI-070530-OL.htm

Independent Catholic News: China may ban Catholics from 2008 Olympics
http://www.indcatholicnews.com/chban328.html

Anonymous said...

Dear sir or madam,

My friends and I , and a lot of people around me do think it is most inappropriate to use Olympic games as a politically biased battle ground.

We don't trust politics and politicians. Does it ever occur to you what you are doing might be wrong to the local Tibetan people?

Anonymous said...

People don't understand Chinese culture will have false idea about Falun Gong, which is neither Buddism nor Daoism.

It is dangerous to get involved in Falun Gong practice, please trust me!!

Anonymous said...

I would say most members of this SFA are ignorant about Tibet. They don't understand the time Chinese controlled Tibet is earlier than their ancestors first came to north america. Do you agree north american indians (First Nations) will rise and burn down your houses in Canada? I guess not. So why you people have different opinions on Tibet?

Anonymous said...

A lot of naive people or unsophiscated people are used by Dalai Lama, or his troups. They have politial gain, what can do lose to make a war against China, none!!! They don't care to secrifise innocent people now live in Tibet whether he/she is Han Chinese or Zang Chinese, or whatever. They see olympic is a golden oppertunity for them, just like Muslim terrerist aiming NY Twin towers, target the big one, you get publicity.

So stop those stupid anti China or support voilence to free tibet, no war can not get liberation, so you are seeking war to kill more people here, please stop it!!!

Most Chinese still love China as one nation, and all nations(56) are so far are living peacefully together.

If you see recent MSN messenger, most chinese people has change their msn name to Love China. If you have no chinese friend but you still against China, you are a loser. Try to make more effort improving your own society which is NOT perfect!

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