Where is the outcry against China in Tibet?

IN light of the current disproportionate response of the Chinese government in occupied Tibet, various individuals and organisations in Ireland who have expressed concern over similar occurrences in other parts of the world should now give voice to their revulsion at these excesses.

A boycott of Chinese merchandise by the workers in Dunnes Stores would be particularly apt considering the quantity of Chinese merchandise sold in that store and produced by workers earning about 40 cents a day. I cannot imagine the quantity of tools of all varieties of Chinese origin being marketed in B&Q and similar stores.

I am sure this course would be supported by the ICTU which is most concerned about foreign workers bringing down local wage rates.

I am sure the other very vocal supporters of boycott as a weapon, such as Aosdána, would throw their weight behind such a movement.

I am sure David Norris would have no hesitation in lending his considerable weight to such an endeavour, not to mention the well-known international socialist Gerry Adams and his comrades.

I am sure also that the regular placard-waving demonstrators in Galway and Cork could be persuaded to change the object of their displeasure for even a short period and teach those Chinese a lesson they would not soon forget.

I hesitate to mention the Olympic Games, but it could be a trump card as a last resort. I am sure that with a little effort from the aforementioned and others, Desmond Tutu, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the UN secretary general, the EU Commission president, Irish Amnesty and the president of the International Human Rights Organisation, Col Gaddafi, could be persuaded to notice this unjustified response to the gentle people of Tibet.

I await the outcry with bated breath.

Monty Ross

Bushy Park House

Templeogue Road

Dublin 6W