TIBET AND THE TORCH : A STRATEGIC ACTION CAMPAIGN DIRECTED AT THE CORPORATE SPONSORS OF THE 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES IN BEIJING
Lhundup Tso, 16 year-old girl shot by the PLA during
peaceful protest is one of over 200 Tibetans who have died so
far
As the People's Republic of China prepares to host in the 2008 Olympic Games, a humanitarian crisis has erupted in Tibet. Photographs and testimonies which have reached the international media reveal a campaign of political repression and religious persecution conducted with alarming savagery, in defiance of world opinion and the international covenants to which China is a signatory. Hundreds of Tibetan civilians have been slaughtered, thousands beaten, tortured, deported to labor camps. All tourists, diplomats and aid workers have been expelled, communications are under state surveillance, paramilitary forces patrol the streets
Many Olympic athletes, religious and political leaders, have condemned China's crackdown in Tibet, but the corporate sponsors of the 2008 Olympic Games - Coca-Cola, MacDonalds, Nike, Addidas, Samsung, Lenovo, Volkswagen, BHP Billiton, General Electric, Atos, Kodak, Johnson & Johnson, Omega, Visa - have avoided addressing the crisis. Human Rights Watch has urged the corporate sponsors to "address human rights abuses taking place as a result of the Beijing Games, with targeted and achievable asks." Dream for Darfur and Reporters without Borders have pressured the corporate sponsors to respond to the humanitarian crises in Sudan and in Tibet. To date, some sponsors have expressed concern but none have taken meaningful action. However all have taken note of the outpouring of global support for Tibet.
The Olympic Torch will travel through Tibet in June 2008. The Chinese government has repeatedly threatened to use deadly force on any citizen who protests the torch relay. We are urgently seeking funding for a strategic campaign directed at the sponsors of the 2008 Olympic Games, to uphold their stated commitments to corporate social responsibility and to use their leverage with the Chinese Government to prevent further carnage in Tibet, while there is still time.
Tibetans standing up for Tibetans-Monks and villagers of Rebkong County protest the arrest
of a small group of 22 monks who had themselves peacefully protested the arrest
of three monks earlier in the day. Chinese security forces severely beat members of the crowd
and arrested more than 80 people for interrogation and torture.
This is a decisive moment for Tibet, and for China. If the corporate sponsors of the 2008 Olympic Games join religious leaders and heads of state to compel the Chinese government to cease and desist their military assaults upon the Tibetan people, to allow the international community full access to Tibet, and to meet with the His Holiness the Dalai Lama, this will be the ultimate victory for the 2008 Olympic Games, a victory that will earn all stakeholders honor and acclaim. Should the International Olympic Committee and the corporate sponsors remain silent, China will surely escalate its violent oppression of the people of Tibet before, during and after the 2008 Olympic Games.
Several corporate sponsors have expressed concerns about the size and intensity of the protests that have confronted the Olympic Torch in Europe, America and Asia; they are sensitive to criticism, boycotts, and preserving "brand integrity". Human Rights Watch, Dream for Darfur and Reporters Without Borders have opened a dialogue with the corporate sponsors. Tibet support groups have mobilized activists and media coverage on a global scale; our campaign will link the advocacy organization and direct public momentum towards the corporate sponsors, while they are uniquely positioned to influence China and address the crisis in Tibet.
Our campaign will:
* Launch a web-based campaign monitoring corporate social responsibility practices for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games; keep international attention focused on the Olympic torch relay through Tibet; engage the corporate sponsors in a public dialogue.
* Mobilize activists for public protests and letter, email and telephone in tandem with a strategic media campaign addressing the crisis in Tibet; train spokespeople to debate corporate representatives; publish editorials, release bulletins and public statements; develop themes,logosand mottos.
* Collect and update images and testimonies about conditions inside Tibet; coordinate with Tibet networks in India and Nepal; provide current information to human rights organizations and the international media, with appeals directed at the corporate sponsors.
* Assemble a committee of individuals in business, finance, government and the arts to sign the Letter of Concern to the Corporate Sponsors of the 2008 Olympic Games.
* Leverage the threat of boycotts of the products and services of the corporate sponsors, should they fail to take meaningful action on rights abuses in Tibet; target the corporate sponsors who are directly involved with the torch relay in Tibet: GE, Coca-Cola, Samsung and Lenovo.
Our campaign will marshal and propel international concern and support for Tibet forward at this hour of crisis, and opportunity while the world is watching, and waiting, for stakeholders to do the right thing.
The message to China is: Lift Martial Law In Tibet - Allow the International Community Full Access to Tibet - Honor all Pledges Sworn to the International Olympic Committee on Transparency, Justice and Human Rights.
Phayul : essentialTibetan news and commentary
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On the Ground--Video coverage
