Tibet groups seek Olympic pressure

Story Highlights
International Olympic Committee urged to pressure Beijing over human rights
Tibetan groups plan August 8 vigil in New Delhi to draw attention to their claims
Next Article in World »

NEW DELHI, India (Reuters) -- Tibetan groups urged the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday to pressure China into fulfilling the pledge on human rights it made when it was awarded the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Tibetan activists erect a banner this past April at a Mount Everest base camp as part of protest against China's plan to take the Olympic torch to the top of the mountain.

"China had made a number of promises to the IOC regarding improvement of the standard of human rights in China," Bumo Tsering, spokeswoman for a coalition of Tibetan groups, told a news conference.

"Now I think the time has come for the IOC to check on China whether all these commitments have been met," she said, adding that Beijing continued with human rights violations and was also exerting pressure on neighboring India over Tibet.

As a result, India's foreign ministry has refused permission to use New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru stadium to stage a soccer match on Saturday involving "Team Tibet," she said.

Chinese troops marched into Tibet in 1950 and Beijing has since left its mark on traditional Tibetan society, closing monasteries and restricting religious life.

India recognizes Tibet as part of China but gives asylum to around 120,000 Tibetans, including its government-in-exile and Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. Critics accuse China of rights abuses in its dealings with those who press for greater political and religious freedom there.

Don't Miss

Human rights questions remain
Special: Countdown Beijing

Tibetan groups have also planned a run and a candlelight vigil in the Indian capital to protest against China when it marks the one-year countdown to the 2008 Games from August 8.

The Tibetan organizers said they had asked thousands of Tibetans living in India and Nepal to gather in New Delhi and were working to organize the soccer match at a smaller ground.

"The refusal from the (Indian) ministry of external affairs is directly or indirectly due to the pressure from the Chinese government," Bumo Tsering said.

The foreign ministry refused to comment. E-mail to a friend