India Refuses Olympic Protest
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NEW DELHI (AP) – Tibetan exiles accused the Indian government of caving in to pressure from China on Thursday by refusing to allow them to use an official stadium to stage a protest against the Beijing 2008 Olympics.
The activists have planned a series of protests against Chinese rule in Tibet and launched a campaign to have Tibetan representation at the Beijing Olympics despite China’s insistence that Tibet is part of China.
The Tibetans had planned a soccer match at New Delhi’s biggest stadium that they said would have attracted thousands of refugees and protesters.
Indian officials refused to give them permission to play at the government-run Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium “directly or indirectly due to pressure from the Chinese government,” said B. Tsering, president of the Tibetan Women’s Association.
“If China can force India, the biggest democratic nation, to compromise on its democratic values, then China’s misuse of power is a real cause of concern for the global community,” Ms. Tsering said.
A spokesman for India’s foreign ministry declined to comment.
