SwissInfo (Switzerland)
July 3, 2008

More than 60,000 Swiss have signed a petition demanding that
President Pascal Couchepin boycott the Beijing Olympics opening
ceremony on August 8.

The petition, organised by four pro-Tibet organisations, was handed
over to the government on Thursday.

Couchepin announced at the end of May that he would attend the
opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

"Switzerland is home to the headquarters of the International Olympic
Committee and other international sports federations, so it is only
natural that the Swiss president attends the opening of the games,"
Couchepin said at the time.

The pro-Tibet groups also launched a campaign on Thursday, calling on
the Swiss not to forget the Chinese-ruled region during the sporting event.

Switzerland is home to around 3,500 Tibetans.