TO:      Canadian Media - Chinese and Domestic

FR:       Michael Craig, Chair, China Rights Network

            Phone:  416-533-3830

RE:       CRN calls for boycott of Olympic Opening Ceremony

The China Rights Network of Toronto today faxed Maxime Bernier, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, asking him and Prime Minister Harper to boycott the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Beijing in August "unless the Tibet uprising is resolved quickly with no further bloodshed."

The letter-fax to Mr. Bernier is attached as a PDF.

Michael Craig, Chair of China Rights Network, a coalition of Tibetan, Uyghur, Taiwanese, Falun Dafa and democracy groups including Amnesty International, pointed out that the President of the European Parliament has called on leaders not to attend the Opening Ceremonies if the killing of Tibetans continues.

China Rights Network does not call for a full boycott of the Olympic Games, he pointed out, but does strongly support the more limited mini-boycott.

"It is our hope", Mr. Craig said, "that world leaders will step up and speak up about the deaths of up to 100 protesters in Tibet.  The best way to blacken the eye of the brutal Chinese government, is to have a row of empty front-row chairs on the day that they Games open".