In an open letter to Coca-Cola signed on behalf of a network of more than 150 groups, and published in full below, activists cite a statement made by Jampa Phuntsog, governor of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, to justify their position. In his statement, Phuntsog confirmed that he expected Tibetans to protest, and warned: ‘We will without doubt deal with these persons severely. We will not be merciful.'
The letter also points to ‘a direct, tangible link between the ongoing repression in Tibet and the coming of the Olympic Flame'. It goes on to highlight a leaked IOC memo, which it says makes it clear that the IOC is fully aware that deaths may occur along the route of the Torch Relay, in which case officials are advised to respond simply by expressing ‘deepest sympathies or condolences'.
Matt Whitticase, spokesman for the Free Tibet Campaign in London, commented: ‘Either the IOC and Olympics sponsors want to avert bloodshed or they don't. It is in their power to avert a humanitarian catastrophe. If they insist the Olympic Torch goes through Tibet, they will only have themselves to blame when it ends up drenched in Tibetan blood and their offices become the focus of a summer of protest.'