Dalai Lama calls for Olympic protests

Published: Friday, 18 January 2008, 8:02PM

The Dalai Lama has urged his supporters to demonstrate throughout the Beijing Olympics.

Speaking exclusively to ITV News, Tibet's spiritual leader has called for peaceful protests during the games.

Such a move could lead to China's human rights record overshadowing the sporting event which is to be held later this year.

He wants to highlight the plight of the Tibetan people who he claims are still victims of aggressive Chinese rule.

China insists that it had a historical right to govern what it claimed was an inalienable part of Chinese Territory.

Many Tibetans feel that the decision to award the games to China is at odds with the goal of the Olympic movement, which is to build a peaceful and better world and promote international understanding by educating the youth of the world through sport and culture.

Campaigners fear Beijing will use the Olympics to inaccurately present China as a free and open society to the outside world.

ITV News correspondent John Ray has travelled to Tibet and India to meet the Dalai Lama and the monks who risk everything to support their leader.

ITN secured the pictures with the help of the London based Free Tibet Campaign. You can find out more at www.freetibet.org/