The Canada Tibet Committee and the International Tibet Support Network have written a letter to the president of the International Olympic Committee requesting a public statement.

According to the March 15 letter, groups want IOC president Jacques Rogge to speak publicly about "the discrepancy between between China's promises to uphold human rights as an Olympic host and its violent crackdown in Tibet over the last five days".

The letter also asks Rogge to remove Tibet from the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay route.

"Reports from Lhasa yesterday describe how attempts by Buddhist monks from Ramoche Temple to participate in further peaceful protest against Chinese rule led to violent clashes with armed police," the letter states. "Police fired live ammunition into the crowd of protesters and at least 80 people are reported dead."

Later this week, international-affairs columnist Gwynne Dyer will offer his views on the Tibetan human-rights situation in the Georgia Straight, which will be distributed across Metro Vancouver on Thursday (March 20).

See also:

Could Tibet achieve the impossible dream of independence? (March 16, 2006)
Students for a Free Tibet on the largest Tibetan uprising since 1959 (March 15, 2006)