Appeal to Boycott 2008 Beijing Olympics

APPEAL TO BOYCOTT 2008 BEIJING OLYMPICS

Honorable President Bush:

We are highly aggrieved and deeply disturbed at the brutal crackdown by Chinese troops on the peaceful people of tiny Himalayan kingdom of Tibet.

The reign of terror and repression has been let lose by the worlds largest military dictatorship on the hapless non-violent Tibetans. From newspaper accounts in the last few weeks, dozens of Tibetan civilians are killed and thousands taken into custody.

It is a well known fact that ever since the forcible occupation of Tibet in 1949 by Chinas Peoples Liberation Army, there have been many reports of widespread mistreatment of civilians, torture of detainees and political prisoners, including beating, shocks with electric batons, deprivation of sleep or food or exposure to cold and other inhuman atrocities. These are a string of serious and severe violations of human rights.

Human Rights organizations and foreign diplomats have been denied access by Chinese to the prisons and detention centers in Tibet.

Tibet is overwhelmingly of the Buddhist faith. As Lord Buddha was born in India, Buddhism is like a sister religion to the Hinduism. Hindu people in India even believe Lord Buddha to be an incarnation of Hindu God Vishnu. There is a symbiotic relationship between Hindus and Buddhists and hence, the Hindu people are very concerned about the miserable plight of Tibetan civilians at the hands of Chinese army.

Well-known Hollywood star Richard Gere who is the Chairman of the Board of International Campaign for Tibet says: Tibet has a precious culture based on the principles of wisdom and compassion. This culture addresses what we lack in the world today, the very real sense of interconnectedness. We need to protect this ancient culture not only for the Tibetan people, but also for ourselves and our children.

Mr. President, you may recall that in the year 2002, U.S. Congress passed the Tibetan Policy Act that calls for the preservation of culture and identity of Tibetans living in exile and in Tibet. Under that act, it is the sacred duty of United States to protect the non-violent Tibetans from the brutal wrath of Chinese army.

In wake of the continuing crackdown in Tibet, we appeal to you, as our President, to send out a clear and strong message to the Chinese government by boycotting 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Earlier, as you may remember, we had boycotted Moscow Olympics in 1980 after Soviet Union had invaded Afghanistan in 1979. This will be a minimal symbolic gesture of our solidarity with the Tibetan people.

Thank you.