EUROPE MUST CONSIDER OLYMPIC CEREMONY BOYCOTT OVER TIBET

10.11.00am GMT Wed 26th Mar 2008

Local Euro-MP Liz Lynne has spoken out against Chinese abuses in Tibet, saying the EU must do more to encourage change and promote freedom in the troubled region.

On the day that the European Parliament held an urgency debate on the subject, Liz Lynne, who is a member of the Tibet Intergroup and Human Rights Subcommittee, said:

"2008 will see the Beijing Olympics, a sporting spectacle we can all look forward to, but we must remember this will be set against a background of continuing human rights violations by the Chinese state.

"China must commit to real changes to improve the human rights of all people under its control. Violently clamping down on protestors and threatening those who don't surrender to Police, before parading detainees in front of the TV cameras, cannot be described as a measured response."

Yet she stopped short of advocating a full boycott of the Olympics, saying:

"I don't believe a full boycott of the Olympic Games would benefit the Chinese and Tibetan people because it would end up limiting international exposure of China.

"However, I do feel that the EU should take the lead in ensuring the Chinese authorities know the world is watching. If no improvement in the situation in Tibet is swiftly forthcoming we should seriously consider boycotting the opening ceremony."

ENDS