Boycott China for Tibet

Olympic Watch - Human Rights in China and Beijing 2008

New Campaign leading up to 2008:

Chinese Government, PUT UP OR SHUT UP

In 2001, the government of China bribed a sufficient number of third world countries (built soccer stadiums in dozens of countries, apparently) and hired a sufficient number of high-priced consultants from the bid-winning Sydney and Atlanta Olympic committees (source: Olympic Committee of Canada spokesperson) to get the IOC to put the Olympics in China in 2008. While even the US news was shocked enough to mention the human rights issue, Chinese government officials went on and on in interviews about how human rights would unquestionably improve as a result of awarding them the games.

Well, GREAT I say. If Drapche prison (site of lots of torture of Tibetans) is emptied and no more Tibetans are arrested by Chinese authorities and Tibetans are granted the right to self-determination, then MORE POWER TO THEM. I myself will start buying Chinese goods like nobody's business. However, do any of you readers really think this is likely?

PUT UP OR SHUT UP I SAY. Government of China: You SAID you would improve human rights, now do it.

I call for a re-doubled boycott of China, AND or All Olympic commercial products AND Sponsors unless China shows improvement in human rights in Tibet.

Countdown to the Olympics Promises

Goal 2006: ALL torture in Tibet MUST stop forever. All political arrests in Tibet must stop. Tibetans must be given the freedom of speech to express opinions about their own land. Equal job opportunity, education, and especially medical care must be made available for Tibetans, the same as Han Chinese in Tibet.
Goal 2007: A meaningful dialog on self-determination for non-Han Tibetans must begin.

I urge all readers of this page to write to sponsors, and give them this timetable, NOW, insisting that their sponsorship will be inappropriate unless these changes are implemented. Also tell them that you wont buy their products or services in the meantime.

Here are a few of the sponsors of the US Olympic committee. Click on each company name for contact details:

The Olympic Committee provides information on the main sponsors at http://www.olympic.org/uk/organisation/facts/programme/sponsors_uk.asp

You may also want to question the IOC on their decision to hold the 2008 Olympics in China in the first place. They have a contact form, though it might be more effective if you write or fax the President of the IOC, Jacques Rogge at: Executive Board, Château de Vidy, 1007 Lausanne, Switzerland. Further information about people in the IOC can be found at http://www.olympic.org/uk/organisation/ioc/executive/members_uk.asp

Also, please fill in the following 'Olympic Sponsor Action Form' :-

OLYMPIC SPONSOR ACTION FORM

You can use this form to tell the world about goods and services you might have bought IF they weren't offered by companies sponsoring Beijing's Olympic games (all fields are optional).

Your name or nickname:

E-mail address:

Homepage:

Hometown:

I was going to buy these goods and services, until I realized they were provided by companies sponsoring Beijing's Olympic games:

Sometime over the next couple of days your entry will appear at the top of the Recent Entries page for all the world to see, including the Chinese Government!

Recent pledges

There is a very nice Chinese Olympics site with links to news articles at the Human Rights Watch web site which I recommend you visit for more information.

By the way, my own predictions are as follows: One year before the Olympics in China, the Chinese Government will release a handful of dissidents. One month before, another group of dissidents will be released. When will they have been arrested? Oh, sometime between now and 2008, most likely, the time when the government said they would make all those improvements...