The Norwegian Tibet Committee currently distributes information about a fresh campaign whose ambition it is to make the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics a catalyst for change in the People´s Republic of China. The Race for Tibet harnesses the energy of the Olympics and goodwill of people worldwide to call on the People´s Republic of China to end human rights abuses in Tibet and directly engage the Dalai Lama to find a negotiated solution for Tibet. (09-OCT-06)

Based on an interview with Chungdak Koren and extracts from the www.racefortibet.org website, this article has been written and prepared for publication by HRH / Niels Jacob Harbitz. Photo of Koren: HRH / Niels Jacob Harbitz.

Chungdak Koren 3 100.jpg -If we will see any good will on China´s part, it may well pass
Chungdak Koren, left, Chairwoman of the Norwegian Tibet Committee, says that the campaign demands integrity from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the People´s Republic of China. IOC has long contended that awarding Beijing the 2008 Games will improve human rights in the People´s Republic of China, but as time passes, their assurances have not turned into actions. -Furthermore, says Koren, -there is reason to fear that whatever improvements one might see, will only prove to be temporary measures, to ease the pressure from the international community for as long as the focus is on the People´s Republic of China. Then, when the Olympic flame is turned off, the athletes, their support staff, and the thousands of tourists and media people leave and the momentuos spirit of global friendship and solidarity that every Olympics is withers away, the limitations to all basic human rights and freedoms will still be on in the People´s Republic of China, possibly even more so than before.

Olympic rings logo.jpg-Make the 2008 Olympics a watershed
For these reasons, the Race for Tibet campaign urges people to sign up to their network and thus contribute in as lage numbers as possible to the appeal to the People´s Republic of China to honour the good intentions of the IOC to make the 2008 Olympics a watershed in Chinese human rights policy and conduct. The appeal also goes to the IOC itself, to emphasize even stronger towards the People´s Republic of China to prioritize human rights as a necessary precondition for the Beijing games to remain free of controversy. Signing up is both quick and easy and can be done here.