'Rigorous Campaign Against Google'
(By Gaurav Bisht | Hindustan Times | February 14, 2006)
Dr Rajesh of Friends of Tibet (Hyderabad chapter) and Regional Tibetan Youth Congress members address the media
Dharamshala: The outrage against popular search engine to censor its stock and withhold information has finally spilled over to the headquarters of exiled Tibetan government at Dharamshala. A leading NGO, Friends of Tibet, has decided to launch a rigorous campaign against Google on Valentine's Day. Students for a Free Tibet would launch a separate website appealing to people not to use Google.
General secretary of Friends of Tibet, Tenzin Tsundue said that Google's latest decision opposite to its corporate statement. "As per the corporate statement of the search engine, Google's mission is to organise world's information and make it universally accessible and useful."
"However by allowing China to censor the information and things have been reversed," said Tsundue, a renowned freedom activist. "Google allows China to censor its stock information and withhold information from people in China and Tibet. This sifting continues to mislead millions of people and thereby helps the Chinese government to keep its people in dark, especially on the issues of freedom and democracy," claimed Tsundue.
The Friends of Tibet has proposed to "break up" with Google on Valentine's Day and make the locals and Tibetans in Dharamshala aware about the ramifications of the business pact signed by search engine Google."
"We'll speak to all our friends and family about this. Tibetans living Dharamshala are outraged that this company is finding partnership to work with the corrupt Communist government of China that has killed more than a million Tibetans and continues its occupation of Tibet with tyranny and oppression," says Choying, president of Students for a Free Tibet.
According to the protest plan, volunteers will distribute information leaflets and speak to people individually. "All cyber cafes will keep caution notices on Google. The state mechanism of control and suppression in China - where the media is state-owned has become extremely sophisticated that Beijing run over people's conscience," said Tsundue.
The NGOs in coordination with Regional Tibetan Youth Congerss, Hyderabad, and the local chapter of Friends of Tibet will submit a memorandum to the head of Google India office based in Hyderabad. Besides they have given a call to the freedom loving people of the world to participate in the protest.
Pro-Tibetan freedom supporters are using Valentine's Day to officially launch a new site noluv4google.com, where Google users are encouraged to publicly disavow their love for the Big G. The website is registered to Students for a Free Tibet, a New York-based group that's been fighting for the Tibetans' rights and freedom since 1994.
Google has custom-built a search engine for China and Tibet that blocks access to information sensitive to the Chinese authorities including 'human rights', 'democracy' and 'freedom', the site says.
Tibetan Youth Congress and Friends of Tibet protest in front of the Google India Office in Hyderabad on February 14, 2006
'Google Boycott' was launched by Students for a Free Tibet, Friends of Tibet and Regional Tibetan Youth Congress on February 14, 2006.
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