The Regional Tibetan Youth Congress, Chandigarh, organised a cycle rally from Chandigarh to New Delhi on Sunday from Panjab University, Chandigarh. A total of 40 RTYC activists are taking part in the rally. Out of these 40 people, there are 24 cyclists. While 20 cyclists are boys, there are four girl cyclists, who are students in various colleges in Chandigarh.
The fundamental principles of the Olympic Charter seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles and . to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of man, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity. Therefore, the Games, symbolizing the victory of humanity as a family thrusts a moral responsibility not just on the sports fraternity but also upon the entire world community, to promote the ideals of the Olympic movement. But the lofty ideals that the Olympic movement espouses have been dishonoured with IOCs decision to grant Beijing the distinction to host the 2008 Olympic Games.
Inspite of the hollow promises of engagement and improvement, China remains a one-party authoritarian state that lacks legitimacy, does not hold national elections, has no independent judiciary, leads the world in execution, aggressively censors news media and internet, bans independent trade unions, and represses minorities such as Tibetans, Uighurs, and Mongolians. China is home to the worlds biggest prison population with the state carrying out more than 10,000 executions each year. Preparations for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing have lead to the eviction of homeowners and tenants in violation of Chinese law and international standards on the right to housing. The Center on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) reports that 100,000 households comprising more than 300,000 people had been forcibly evicted for Olympic venue construction.
Since Chinas illegal and forcible occupation of Tibet in 1950 over 1.3 million Tibetans have been massacred with the near total destruction of the Tibetan tradition, culture, religion, and environment. Tibetans are deprived of all fundamental human rights including religious, cultural, education and traditional rights, forcing the escape of over 3,000 Tibetans each year from Chinese repression. The cold blooded killings of Tibetan refugees fleeing Tibet at Nangpa Pass on the Tibet-Nepal Border by Chinese border security forces on 30th September 2006, witnessed for the first time by the world is a prelude to the appalling human rights situation inside Tibet.
No doubt that the Chinese people, deserve to host the Olympic games but what the Tibetans and the Chinese people deserve more is freedom. Freedom of speech, of religion, of association, of equal opportunity, of electing their own government, of feeling safe in their own homes. The day might not be far when Tibet will be an independent nation and our Chinese brothers would be free from the communist regime then it will be time for Beijing to host the Olympics. But not now. Not while the butchers of 1.3 million Tibetans remain in power. Not while the communist butchers of 70 million Chinese remain in power.
Regional Tibetan Youth Congress, Chandigarh, an NGO comprising of Tibetan students studying in Punjab University is organizing a Cycle Rally from Chandigarh to the Indian capital city of Delhi to protest against the 2008 Beijing Olympics and to strongly appeal to the members of IOC to reconsider Chinas 2008 Olympic host status. We further demand:
- IOC should withdraw from giving Olympic host status to China until there is marked improvement in human rights situation in Tibet and China .
- All the political prisoners of Tibet including the worlds youngest political prisoner XIth Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, Tulku Tenzin Delek should be unconditionally and immediately released and see to it that justice prevails upon injustice.
