Prince Charles used in campaign to boycott Beijing Olympics

UK, 1/28/08 - The Prince of Wales' decision not to attend the Beijing Olympics is being used as the launchpad for an international campaign to persuade public figures to boycott the games.

Prince Charles has confirmed to the London-based Free Tibet Campaign that he has no plans to attend the opening ceremony in the Chinese capital. The Prince has not received a formal invitation but has recently been courted by the Chinese Ambassador in London in a bid to improve relations.

Prince Charles' public support for the Dalai Lama, Tibet's independent spiritual leader, and his disparaging remarks about Chinese officials at the handover of Hong Kong have been a public embarrassment for Beijing. In leaked diaries, written during in 1997, the Prince notoriously referred to senior Chinese officials as "appalling old waxworks".

The Free Tibet Campaign, which opposes the Chinese occupation of the Himalyan country, is not calling for athletes to stay away from the summer's Olympics. But it is hoping to encourage public figures to declare that they will stay away in protest at human rights abuses and China's refusal to grant Tibet independence.

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2248359,00.html

China Lashes Out at Olympic Critics

Beijing, 1/24/08 - (AP) - In a blast of harsh rhetoric, China lashed out Thursday at the Dalai Lama and critics of Beijing's support for Sudan, saying attempts to link political issues to the Beijing Summer Olympics betrayed the spirit of the games.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said China could "definitely not accept" rights groups that say China's support for Sudan's government is prolonging the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.

"To link the Darfur issue to the Olympics is a move to politicize the Olympics and this is inconsistent with the Olympics spirit and will bear no fruit," Jiang told reporters at a news conference.

She also attacked the Dalai Lama as a religious phony seeking to split China, a response to the exiled Tibetan leader's reported support for peaceful protests during the Olympics.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/24/AR2008012401274.html

China's Hu wants propaganda surge at home and abroad

Beijing, 1/22/08 - (Reuters) - With the Olympic Games less than 200 days, away China's President and Communist Party boss Hu Jintao on Tuesday called on cadres to step up their propaganda work to foster stability at home and a positive image abroad. His speech, at a meeting of the party's top propaganda officials, comes after Beijing said it would investigate reports by foreign media of a cover-up of workers deaths during construction of the main Olympic stadium. "We should work hard on external propaganda to further display and improve a positive state image," state media quoted Hu telling the group.

China's Hu wants propaganda surge at home and abroad

Beijing, 1/22/08 - (Reuters) - With the Olympic Games less than 200 days, away China's President and Communist Party boss Hu Jintao on Tuesday called on cadres to step up their propaganda work to foster stability at home and a positive image abroad. His speech, at a meeting of the party's top propaganda officials, comes after Beijing said it would investigate reports by foreign media of a cover-up of workers deaths during construction of the main Olympic stadium.

"We should work hard on external propaganda to further display and improve a positive state image," state media quoted Hu telling the group.

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/breakingnews/feedstory/0,,-7245308,00.html

Tibetan exiles plan to march from India into Tibet to protest Beijing Olympics

New Delhi, 4/1/08 - Hundreds of Tibetan exiles plan to march from India to Tibet to protest China's hosting of the Olympic Games, an exile group said Friday.

The protest is one of a series in India against the Aug. 8-24 Beijing Games, which the Tibetan exiles say comes despite China's continued attempts to subvert Tibetan Buddhist culture and strengthen Beijing's hold on the Himalayan region.

"The march to Tibet is an initiative by exiled Tibetans to strengthen Tibetan resistance by taking the struggle home," said Tsewang Rigzin, president of the Tibetan Youth Congress.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/01/04/asia/AS-GEN-India-Tibet-Olympics.php