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LETTERS: A clear voice from Poland

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he would not attend the opening ceremonies at the Beijing Olympics. Mr Tusk is the first head of a government in Europe to make such a declaration.

"My decision is very clear: The presence of politicians during the inauguration of the Olympics seems inappropriate," Tusk said. He also said it would be a "great honor" for him to meet the Dalai Lama if he visited Poland following an invitation by Polish Speaker of the Senate Bogdan Borusewicz.

These are not the only steps the Polish government has said it will take to show its displeasure at Beijing's repression of Tibet. Deputy Foreign Minister Ryszard Schnepf said government representatives would undertake a diplomatic initiative to increase interest on this issue among other EU states. In response, the Chinese ambassador to Poland said that such a boycott and an invitation to the Dalai Lama to visit Poland could have negative repercussions on Polish-Chinese relations.

Having suffered more than 40 years of a communist-imposed regime during the Cold War, the initiatives of the present Polish government are a sign of solidarity with Tibetans who are victims of Chinese communist oppression.

Hanna Shen

Taipei
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