Tibetans and supporters cycle through main cities in The Netherlands to mark one-year countdown of Beijing 2008 Olympics

Dozens of Tibetans and their supporters joined cycle rallies in Rotterdam, The Hague and Amsterdam in The Netherlands yesterday to mark the one-year countdown to the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing on 8 August 2008, and to draw attention to the human rights problems in Tibet today. The cyclists distributed flyers and collected signatures for a petition to Dutch Prime Minister Balkenende. The rallies were organized by International Campaign for Tibet – Europe as part of the ‘Race for Tibet’ and ‘Team Tibet’ campaigns.

In Amsterdam, 50 members of the local Tibetan community along with 15 Dutch cyclists, dressed in action T-shirts and with Tibetan national flags on their bicycles circled the old city center including Dam square, Leidseplein and China Town. At 11am the rally stopped to mark the start of a one-year walk from Amsterdam to Lhasa by Britt Das. The cyclists presented her with Tibetan ceremonial scarves and joined Britt for the first kilometers of her 10,000km-long journey which will take her through Europe, Central Asia and South Asia. She expects to reach Lhasa at the time of the start of the Olympic Games in Beijing.

In The Hague and Rotterdam smaller groups cycled through the city center and commercial areas. Participants in The Hague talked to legislators of the national parliament and also passed through the Embassy area. The rallies mark the start of one year of actions centered on sports in The Netherlands, notably cycling, football and marathons.