BELGIUM—"No Flemish government member will attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing", Bert Anciaux, the Flemish Minister of Sport, stated at a session of the Commission on Foreign Policy in the Flemish Parliament in Brussels dedicated to the Olympics and the human rights situation in China.
The Minister, who had some personal experience with the Chinese regime last year when he was invited to China and saw his visa revoked after he announced he would speak about the situation in Tibet, said he tries to find a balance between his commitment towards sports and respect for human rights.
"For athletes the Olympics are the highlight of their career, which takes them years of preparation. They cannot bear the full responsibility and consequences of the IOC decision to let China host the Olympics," Mr. Anciaux, said. "However, it's crystal clear that serious human rights problems exist in China. The situation in Tibet, for example, is a typical case of cultural suppression."
By not attending the opening ceremony he wants to send a political signal, the Minister explained.
Jan Loones, Flemish Parliament member and a member of the Committee to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong, (CIPFG,) stressed that according to the latest Amnesty International report China is the world's leading executioner of prisoners. "The IOC can no longer avoid speaking out and must accept its responsibility," he declared.
In response to the reference of Parliament member Jan Roegiers to the French athletes who stated they will wear badges about human rights during the games, the Minister said he is still deliberating whether he will discuss a similar initiative with the Belgian athletes.
On invitation of the Commission, a representative of Friends of Tibet ,and from the Belgian Falun Dafa Association, gave their views on the Olympics and the overall situation in China.
Inge Hermans from Friends of Tibet pointed out that repression against the populace in China and Tibet is rising. "Address the human rights violations at every level and in any possible forum," Ms. Hermans asked of the politicians. She referred to the refusal of the Chinese regime to let U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, carry out a fact-finding mission in Tibet and suggested that a research commission should be sent to China.
Nicolas Schols, representative of the Belgian Falun Dafa Association, said that the problem is not that the Olympic Games will take place in China as such, but that the Chinese communist regime is using the Olympics as a propaganda event for its own glorification, and this even at the expense of the fundamental rights of the Chinese people.
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