NGOs call on officials over Olympics

Several NGOs called on Czech officials on Saturday to reconsider attending the Olympic Games in Beijing in case China refuses to start peace talks over Tibet. People in Need, M.O.S.T., Lungta, Potala and other Czech non-governmental organisations also asked the Czech Olympic Committee to publicly guarantee that during the summer Olympic Games, Czech athletes will be able to freely express their opinions on human rights breaches in China and Tibet. Several Czech politicians, including the Green leader Martin Bursík, Education Minister Ondřej Liška, and Prague Mayor Pavel Bém, had already said that they would not attend the Olympic Games 2008 in Beijing.

In related news, former president Václav Havel and Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, together with four international personalities, signed a statement calling on the international community to increase pressure on China in connection with the protests in Tibet. The statement calls on the Chinese government to enter into a dialogue with the Tibetan people and release all those who were arrested.