IOC rejects Tibet Olympic boycott call

The president of the International Olympic Committee has told members China's policies toward Tibet have no bearing on the Beijing Olympics in August and dismissed talk of a boycott, a journalists' advocacy group claimed.

Paris-based Reporters Without Borders said Jacques Rogge sent a memo dated March 17 to IOC members instructing them on how to respond to anti-government protests in Tibet that have sparked wide-ranging criticism of China's iron-fisted rule over the Himalayan region.

"In his introduction, the IOC president says the events in Tibet area are disturbing but will not jeopardise the 'success' of the Olympic Games," the group, known by its French initials RSF, said in a statement emailed to reporters.

"He also says that no 'credible' government or organisation is supporting the idea of a boycott," the group said.

The existence of the memo could not be independently verified and an IOC press officer referred questions to spokeswoman Giselle Davies, who did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

RSF is one of a number of groups seeking to use the Summer Olympics to bring the communist government's human rights record under global scrutiny. Last year, the group staged a rare public demonstration outside the headquarters of the Beijing Games organisers, saying China had failed to make good on pledges to improve human rights when it won the right to host the Olympics in 2001.

Members of the group were also among human rights campaigners and Tibet activists who interrupted last month's Olympic flame-lighting ceremony in Greece with scattered protests.

In his memo, Rogge said the IOC "shares the world's desire for the Chinese government to bring about a peaceful resolution as quickly as possible" to the violence in Tibet, according to RSF.

However, he added that the IOC does not raise such matters with host nations, the group said.

"The IOC needs to tell the Chinese authorities that they have to respect the commitments they gave in 2001 when China was awarded these games," RSF said.

China has rejected all such criticisms as attempts to "politicise" the games, while angrily denouncing critics of its Tibet policy as "anti-China".

Beijing has accused Tibet's exiled Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, and his supporters of orchestrating deadly riots that erupted in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, on March 14 following several days of peaceful protests led by monks.

Earlier this week, authorities said they plan to put rioters on trial and reopen Tibet to foreign tourists by May - a tight timetable that would allow the government to put the issue behind it before the Games.

Both Tibet and Tibetan communities in three neighbouring provinces where the protests spread, however, remain largely closed to foreign journalists. Outside of Tibet, police turned away foreign reporters at roadblocks leading into Tibetan areas, saying they were unsafe for travel.

A state media report said officials in Tibetan areas were being forced into political study sessions in a bid to make sure Beijing's dictates are followed.

The recently issued order emphasises the need for officials to oppose Tibetan separatism, highlighting that Beijing was caught off-guard by last month's protests, the most widespread demonstrations against Chinese rule in nearly 50 years.

"The numerous party members and grassroots officials must further launch education in opposing separatism and preserving the unity of the motherland," the state-run Xinhua News Agency said, citing a notice from the party's powerful Organisation Department, which oversees personnel issues.

The notice offers a glimpse into the ways the government is dealing with the unrest.

In Washington, the Dalai Lama's special envoy told US lawmakers China must bear full responsibility for recent violence and suffering in Tibet and said his homeland was being "brutally occupied".

"The situation today is grim," Lodi Gyari said at a congressional Human Rights Caucus briefing.

Communist troops marched into Tibet in 1950 and Beijing strengthened its hold on the region after the Dalai Lama fled in a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.

The current unrest has not threatened Beijing's grip on the region, although it has raised questions about the loyalty of local officials and underscored Beijing's concerns about control.

Earlier this week, Tibet's hardline party chief, Zhang Qingli, indicated some local officials had been insufficiently loyal during the unrest. Since assuming the post in 2005, Zhang has ordered officials to stop attending religious events and festivals and has reportedly presided over the firing of many ethnic Tibetan officials.