Madam, - All the controversy about the Olympic torch relay made me curious to find out the origins of the event. To my surprise, I found it was the brainchild of one Carl Diem, who introduced the relay at the 1936 Berlin Olympics (one of Adolf Hitler's first major global events).
The first torch bore the logo of Krupp Steel, a munitions company that supplied the German army during two World Wars. The torch was supposed to be symbolic of global unity, but a short time after those Olympics the world was anything but unified.
In the light of the current controversy, and the torch relay's origins, should we not all just forget about the idea, especially as the flame can burn only when surrounded by heavy security?
- Yours, etc,
JOHN RYAN, Royal Canal Bank, Phibsborough, Dublin 7.
Madam, - The President of the Irish Olympic Council, Pat Hickey, suggests it is hypocritical to expect athletes to boycott the Beijing Games when governments continue to send trade delegations to China ( The Irish Times, April 9th).
This is a seriously misguided attitude. Where governments fail to act, simple "people power" can make the most powerful of statements. Any athletes who choose to boycott the games will be making a difficult but heroic stand for human rights. They will be the true Olympians of 2008.
- Yours, etc,
LAURA GREALISH, Glencorrib, Glen of the Downs, Co Wicklow.
Madam, - I was shocked and embarrassed to read of Dermot Ahern's comments on Prime Timethis week about the campaign to boycott the Beijing Olympics. To use the term "hissy fit" is not only intensely patronising but ignorant. While I am not personally opposed to the Beijing Games, China must be held accountable for human rights abuses in Tibet and elsewhere. This may not be the time for a boycott but it is certainly time for debate on China's policy in Tibet.
MrAhern says that "if we have learnt anything from the situation up in the North, it is not megaphone diplomacy that works, it is hard graft dialogue on a one-to-one basis." The Dalai Lama has repeatedly called for meetings with the Chinese government, which refuses to accept that there is anything to discuss. This seems to have escaped the notice of Mr Ahern. Tibetans seeks autonomy, the right to govern their internal affairs, while remaining part of the People's Republic of China. They are ready for a rational, pragmatic compromise. It is China which refuses to enter dialogue.
I am currently in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, the home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile and of a floating population of up to 10,000 Tibetans in exile. Every evening, young and old form a candle-lit march around the town, chanting prayers, singing and calling for peace and autonomy for Tibet.
Every day, men and women shave their heads to show solidarity with those from their villages who have died. Many are unable to call family and friends in Tibet because communications to that particular "part of China" have been cut. Many Tibetan children are sent here for the chance of a non-Chinese education, the right to carry the flag, to speak Tibetan and study Buddhism, all privileges they are denied in the homeland.
In my time in India, I have been proud of Ireland's reputation. But today I am deeply ashamed of our Government. Dermot Ahern's comments clearly demonstrate the Government's consistent lack of moral backbone when it comes to opposing a major power, be it the US, the EU or, as in this case, China.
- Yours, etc,
BLÁNAID ROCHE, Dharmasala, HP, India.