Spielberg praised for Games protest

Human rights groups have welcomed Steven Spielberg's decision to withdraw from his role in this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing.

The film director stepped down as artistic adviser to the Games over China's lack of progress in resolving the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, saying his conscience would "not allow me to continue with business as usual".

China has given staunch economic and diplomatic support to the Sudanese government in recent years, leading many campaigners to accuse it of being partly responsible for the chaos in Darfur.

More than 200,000 people are thought to have been killed and a further 2.5 million forced from their homes in the five-year conflict between Sudan's Arab-dominated government and Darfur's ethnic African rebels.

The organisation Human Rights Watch welcomed Spielberg's decision, and said it should inspire others to press China into action. "Olympic corporate sponsors are putting their reputations at risk unless they work to convince the Chinese government to uphold the human rights pledges it made to bring the Games to Beijing," said Minky Worden, media director at Human Rights Watch. "Human rights are under attack in China and Olympic sponsors should use their considerable leverage to persuade Beijing to change policy."

Sudanese rebels also praised the director. Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur, the leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement, told the Sudan Tribune newspaper: "This is a noble move by Spielberg. He will certainly go down in history as someone who gave human lives precedence over fame and money."

Actress Uma Thurman also welcomed Steven Spielberg's decision. But the Hollywood star called for further protest against China's "appalling" human rights record in Tibet.

Thurman, 37, is close to the issue because her father, Robert, is one of the world's leading Tibetan Buddhist scholars. He was the first American to be ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist monk by the Dalai Lama and campaigns for the rights of Tibetan people.

"Cheers to Steven Spielberg and let's make the list longer," Thurman told Colin Paterson on BBC Radio Five Live. "I have spent a lot of time in Beijing and I have many Chinese friends. My father's lifetime's career is dedicated to helping the Tibetan people so I have spent an amazing amount of time from my birth with Tibetans, understanding their struggle and their strife.

"Although there is so much good in China and in the Chinese people, the human rights record of the Chinese government is appalling. I think Steven Spielberg could have written a longer list. Steven, please waste a little more ink on it."
http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hAm5ZZP5KLbsaq9om-IqWVKy3qrw

Den norske TIBET-komité

Den norske Tibet-komité er en partipolitisk uavhengig, landsomfattende organisasjon som er dannet for å arbeide for tibetanernes rettigheter. Tibet-komitéen ble stiftet våren 1989 og har ca 1500 medlemmer. Det finnes tilsvarende støtte-organisasjoner for Tibet over hele verden. Den norske Tibet-komité er en av de største og mest aktive. Våren 1994 arrangerte vi i Norge en konferanse for de europeiske støttegruppene.

Norge og nordmenn har fått en spesiell stilling blant tibetanere etter at deres religiøse og politiske leder, Dalai Lama, i 1989 mottok Nobels fredspris. Flere av de tibetanerne som kom til Norge på 60-tallet, bor her fortsatt, og de er aktive i komitéen. Våren 1996 begynte radiostasjonen Voice of Tibet med sendinger til Tibet, og Norge har igjen styrket sin posisjon i tibetanernes bevissthet.

Tibet ble okkupert av Kina i 1950, og tibetanernes situasjon blir stadig forverret. Fundamentale menneskerettigheter brytes, og den rike tibetanske kulturen står nå i fare for å bli utslettet.

Den norske Tibet-komité har som formål å:

• Få norske myndigheter til anerkjenne Tibet som et okkupert land
  
• Informere om brudd på menneskerettigheter, økonomisk utbytting og diskriminering av tibetanere
  
• Gjøre Tibets rike kultur kjent i Norge