The Australian Broadcasting Corporation is reporting the following:
The Australia Tibet Council says the International Olympic Committee must make China accountable for what it describes as grave violations of human rights in Tibet....
...The council's executive officer Paul Bourke says China has not honoured the human rights commitments that it made in its bid for this year's Beijing Olympics.
"When the Olympics were awarded to China, they gave certain guarantees about improvements in human rights and media freedom," he said....
The Independent has this-----
.....Chinese authorities in Tibet said 10 people have been killed in riots in the capital, Lhasa, although Tibetan exile groups say that the figure is nearer 25. Security forces in Tibet had locked down the city after days of fires and rock-throwing, but reports from Lhasa yesterday suggested there had been more violence, and that police on the streets were shooting on sight. Eyewitnesses quoted by the Free Tibet Campaign and ITN said that 80 had died.
The Tibetan protests are taking place just five months before the Olympic Games in Beijing, and the whole world is watching to see how China reacts. Tibetan independence activists have made no secret of their intentions to use the games as a platform for their cause, but Beijing is determined not to let unrest in Tibet affect the games. "Anyone who wants to sabotage the games will get nowhere," Beijing's top official in Tibet, Qiangba Puncog, said......
....As governments around the world call for a restrained response, China is taking a tough stance. The regional government offered leniency to rioters if they gave themselves up by midnight on Monday and provided information on lawbreakers. "Those who cover up or shelter the lawbreakers will be punished in accordance with the law," the Xinhua news agency said.....
It is very sad that such a beautiful country is experiencing such tragedy. All that the U.S. can do is ask for "restraint" by the Chinese. It might be that the present administration is afraid to speak a little louder since the Chinese own so much of this country's debt.
