The Australia Tibet Council (ATC) has asked Prime Minister John Howard to put pressure on the Chinese government to improve its human rights record in advance of the Beijing Olympics.

The request follows the recent decision by the Australian government to ban the Australian cricket team’s tour of Zimbabwe as a sign of its disapproval of the Mugabe regime’s ongoing human rights violations.

“We are not asking the Australian government to boycott the Beijing Olympics”, said ATC Chairman George Farley. “However, we do want Mr Howard to urge China to enter into serious negotiations with the Dalai Lama over the future of Tibet.”

“We are also looking for general improvements in human rights in both China and Tibet, especially in the areas of media freedom and religious freedom”.

Mr Farley said that despite claims by the International Olympic Committee that awarding Beijing the 2008 games would improve human rights in China, so far there had been no significant changes.

Australia Tibet Council is part of an international campaign working for human rights improvements in China and Tibet prior to the Beijing Olympics - see www.racefortibet.org. Two weeks ago, a group of Tibet activists from the US were arrested for holding an Olympics protest at Mt Everest Base Camp in Tibet. Mt Everest has been announced as part of the route for the Olympic Torch Relay.

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