Tibetan refugees all over the world are trying to put pressure on the international community to recognise the level of human rights abuses in China and boycott the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics to be held next year.
Speaking in Shillong today, Tibetan Women’s Association president Tenzing Dolma said that China has been suppressing the rights, religion and cultural practices of the Tibetan people for decades.
“The government of China does not value human rights. Considering this, we must understand that the Olympic Games are being handed over to a country actively committing genocide. Hence, we urge the International Olympic Committee and athletes worldwide to boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in China,” Dolma said.
The Chinese occupation of Tibet since midway through the 20th century has resulted in the deaths of over a million Tibetans, she added.
The association said that the Chinese government at the same time has implemented policies to expunge and make Tibetan language, religion, culture and customs more Chinese in a process of sinicization.
The TWA has also demanded that China reveal the whereabouts of the 11th Panchen Lama, who is considered to be the youngest political prisoner in the world. Ever since detention by the Chinese government in 1995, the Tibetan people and international groups have been calling for his whereabouts to be made known but to no avail.
