Culture of Peace Initiative

Debate Intensifies on Boycott of Beijing Olympics Over Tibet Crackdown
By VOA News 18 March 2008

An international media rights group, Reporters Without Borders, is urging political officials to boycott the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics to protest China's crackdown on protesters in Tibet.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the Paris-based group accused China of breaking the promises it made when it was chosen to host the Summer Games. At the time, officials in Beijing promised to improve human rights conditions.

Instead, the group says China is crushing Tibetan protests, imposing news blackouts and jailing dissidents.

A top European Union lawmaker, president of the European Parliament Hans-Gert Poettering, Tuesday encouraged political leaders to consider boycotting the opening ceremonies if the violence in Tibet continues.

In Washington, a top State Department official, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Christensen, told lawmakers the United States is not threatening a boycott. The official said the Olympics are an opportunity for China to show its progress on human rights and other matters.

Also Tuesday, Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, also reiterated his opposition to a boycott of the Beijing Olympics. He said the Chinese people should not be blamed for the actions of their government.

The president of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, said not a single government has called for a boycott because of China's crackdown in Tibet.

Rogge said boycotts do not work, and he said he is heartened that all major governments oppose a boycott.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.