New York, June 17, 2008 – Today marks the 100th day of protest by the New York and New Jersey Tibetans against the recent Chinese crackdown on Tibetans in Tibet. Ever since the bloody clampdown of March 14th in Lhasa, Tibet has seen one of the most serious violations of human rights by China in the form of mass arrests, arbitrary detention, prison torture, shooting live ammunitions on unarmed protesters and forced confessions. More than 209 Tibetans have been killed, thousands arrested, and thousands others missing.
According to the official schedule the Olympic torch will arrive in Tibet on June 18 but lately there are reports that it may be postponed. The Tibetans believe that the Chinese government is deliberately toying with the sentiments of the Tibetan people by parading the torch through Tibet, especially at a critical and sad moment like now. They fear that the Tibetans in Tibet will once again be undeterred, defiant, and selfless in making their voices heard during the torch relay, giving an easy excuse for the Chinese government to mow them down with guns as they did before.
The protest organizers and Tibetans worldwide have been appealing constantly that International Olympic Committee reconsiders their decision to take the torch through Tibet but they turned deaf ears to their appeals.
So even at this eleventh hour, they are urging the IOC to stop itself from committing a heinous crime by cancelling the Tibet leg of the ‘Bloody Torch Relay’.
China won the privilege to host the 2008 Olympics on many false promises, the biggest one and still unfulfilled being the free access to the International Media. With the recent fateful events in Tibet, China is now even more liable to be questioned by the IOC but the Tibetans have not seen anything to that effect from the IOC. Tibetans strongly condemn the passing of Olympic Torch through Tibet and urge the IOC to live by its principles and ethics by facilitating access for International media into Tibet immediately.
Tibetans in New York commemorate this hundredth day by remembering the 209 Tibetans who laid down their lives since March 10 this year, and all those who are undergoing immense suffering in prisons.
For more Information, visit:
www.tchrd.org
Released by:
Tibetan Youth Congress, NY & NJ; Tibetan Women’s Association, NY & NJ; Tibetan Community, NY & NJ; Students for a Free Tibet, US Tibet Committee
