The Dutch royal household has taken the unusual step of issuing a statement on crown prince Willem Alexander’s concerns about events in Tibet following reporters’ questions yesterday.

The prince was asked to comment when he and deputy mayor of Beijing, Niu Youcheng, carried out the official opening of the Keukenhof flower gardens on Wednesday.
While the prince, a member of the international Olympic committee, ignored the questions, the royal household has placed a statement on the household website under the FAQ section.
‘The prince of Orange, just like everyone else, is concerned about developments in Tibet,’ the statement said. ‘He is of the opinion that a peaceful solution must be sought with respect for human rights, whereby the position of all population groups should be taken into account.’
The Keukenhof has a Chinese theme this year in honour of the Olympics.
Both Amnesty International and the International Campaign for Tibet were banned from attending the opening ceremony at the Keukenhof in Lisse, close to The Hague.
Dutch Olympic committee chairwoman Erica Terpstra told NOS tv that she was worried about the athletes themselves. ‘They are being asked to comment on this. They are being used as a political toy,’ she was reported as saying.
Earlier this month, Olympic champion swimmer Pieter van den Hoogenband called on IOC chairman Jacques Rogge to speak out on the human rights issue.