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Dear Friends,Many news stations around the world are allowing people the opportunity to comment on the current Tibetan crisis, one such new channel is Sky News (http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1309494,00.html#comments) where people can add comments! I am certain many other media bodies are doing the same, use this as an opportunity to show your support for the people of Tibet! Raise your voices, spread the word!My post -I am appalled at the response of the West on the Tibetan crisis. In fact the response of the West to China is similar to there response to Nazi Germany although China has commited far worse crimes! How can any civilised nation condone the genocide, forced abortions and countless human rights abuses that China continues to inflict on its minorities? Where are the emergency UN Security Council resolutions? Where are the boycotts of the Olympic Games? Does economic trade and foreign relations with China count more than the lives of fellow human beings? Tibet has and always will be an independent nation, the spirit of the Tibetan people cannot be broken by the brute force of an invader nation! Sadly, the Tibetan nation cannot count on the West, its fight does not bring oil or other spoils, this is the shame of those who continue to remain silent their greed is exposed! Long live Tibet, Long live the Dalai Lama!LETS BE PROACTIVE NOW.. Thanks for your support and spread the word about Voice for Tibet.Tashi DeleksDarren
Dear Friends,As the attention of the world media is firmly focused on Tibet, I would like to petition you to raise your voice in support of a Free Tibet - you can help this noble cause - silence will only serve to further bolster the disgraceful actions of the Chinese government and its army."I am only one person, what exactly can I you do to help Tibet and its people?" - this is not an excuse, there are many international campaigns that have been launched simply supporting one would be a great start. Another option is to write or call your own public representatives and ask them to raise their voices in protest against the actions of the Chinese goverment in Tibet. Innocent people are being killed, we need to stop this senseless genocide of a peace-loving nation, a nation simply yearning to keep its own identity.RAISE YOUR VOICES AS TIBET NEEDS YOU!Thank you in advance for your support.LONG LIVE TIBET, LONG LIVE THE DALAI LAMA!Tashi DelegsDarren Sutcliffe
Press Release from the office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Contact: Chhime R. Chhoekyapa, Secretary, Mobile + 91 (09816021879)Tenzin Taklha, Joint Secretary, Mobile + 91 (09816021813)
I am deeply concerned over the situation that has been developing in Tibet following peaceful protests in many parts of Tibet, including Lhasa, in recent days. These protests are a manifestation of the deep-rooted resentment of the Tibetan people under the present governance.
As I have always said, unity and stability under brute force is at best a temporary solution. It is unrealistic to expect unity and stability under such a rule and would therefore not be conducive to finding a peaceful and lasting solution.
I therefore appeal to the Chinese leadership to stop using force and address the long-simmering resentment of the Tibetan people through dialogue with the Tibetan people. I also urge my fellow Tibetans not to resort to violence.
The DALAI LAMA
Dated: March 14, 2008
(Sourced from http://www.tibet.net/ the official website of the Central Tibetan Administration.)
Update on Tibet demonstration Sunday, 16 March 2008, 4:57 p.m.
16th March 2008: Reliable sources have confirmed that at least 80 people were killed on 14th March 2008 in Lhasa. One very reliable source has confirmed that many of the dead bodies have been stashed in front of a Public Security Department office in Lhasa.
16th March 2008: At 9:30am this morning at Kirti monastery (Amdo province) which has remain completely sealed off by Chinese military, over a thousand monks fled the tight security and were joined by another thousand layperson-protestors outside the Monastery compound. Tear gas was used on the demonstrators and gun shots were heard according to a reliable source. Unofficial reports have confirmed that at least one Tibetan has been shot and killed and a few others who were also shot remain in critical condition.
16th March 2008: Higher Chinese authorities have instructed Tibetan officials inside Tibet to not take part in any of the protests. Their movement has been restricted and they are required to sign in and out if they wish to leave outside their homes according to a reliable source.
15th March 2008: One reliable source has confirmed that a military truck full of dead bodies was seen being carried away towards Toelung county (under Lhasa municipality).
15th March 2008: In Lithang (in Karze, Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province) during two minor protests, at least two of the protestors were arrested and taken into custody as confirmed by a source.
15th March 2008: In Amdo, Labrang, from 5000-6000 people took part in a major protest. Among many other things, they were demanding for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
15th March 2008: In Phenpo Lhundup Dzong (under Lhasa municipality) there was a protest by monks and laypeople.15th March 2008: Gaden Monastery (about 50 kms east of Lhasa) remains under extremely strict Chinese military presence. The number of military personnel is so high that they are running out of tent space for their personnel.
15th March 2008: There was shooting inside the compounds of Tashi Lhunpo monastery (Shigatse) and at least 40 laypeople protesting behind the Tashi Lhunpo monasteries have been arrested as confirmed by one source.
15th March 2008: Over 500 people have been arrested in Lhasa alone; however the numbers are expected to be astoundingly larger since all those arrested are being taken to prisons all over Tibet.
15th March 2008: All media personnel (including foreign media) inside Tibet are being questioned and there are reports that their recorded materials (video footage, pictures) have been destroyed or confiscated.
11th March 2008: In Dabpa (Karze, Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province) we have confirmed reports that the three Tibetans shot by the Chinese Police were killed and at least ten people have been injured. Instructions were given to shoot at the protestors since they were believed by higher Chinese authorities to be engaging in "splittist activities."
(Sourced from http://www.tibet.net/ the official website of the Central Tibetan Administration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.)
AFP, Paris - Taiwan led sweeping condemnation Saturday of China's brutal crackdown on protestors in Tibet and accused Beijing of trying to gloss over its rights record with Olympic sheen.About 30 people have been killed during unrest in Lhasa, according to the Tibetan government-in-exile in India, although China's state-run Xinhua news agency earlier put the figure at 10, citing government officials.The arm-flexing has caused newspapers around the world to start talking about a possible boycott of the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing."This incident fully reflects the Chinese government's characteristics: dictatorship and bullying. Such a government won't tolerate the Tibetan people in their pursuit of speech of freedom," pro-independence President Chen Shui-bian told a crowd in southern Chiayi city.Taiwan's foreign ministry added in a statement that "China attempts to promote the illusion of its 'peaceful rise' by hosting the 2008 Beijing Olympics but in fact it targets Taiwan with missiles and suppresses Tibetan people's pursuit for freedom and democracy."Beijing still regards Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting reunification -- the two sides split in 1949 after a civil war -- and has repeatedly threatened to invade should it declare formal independence.The Tibetan issue is already a source of tension between New Delhi and Beijing, with India playing host to Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama as well as his government-in-exile.
"We are distressed by reports of the unsettled situation and violence in Lhasa, and by the deaths of innocent people," India's foreign ministry said in a statement.READ THE FULL STORY HERE http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=112250
Contact your local government officials; call for UN intervention in Tibet and demand the International Olympic Committee withdraw Tibet from China's Torch relay.While the international public and media have been appropriately horrified by China's clampdown, it is imperative that our national governments speak out in support for Tibet and condemn China's actions. Please call and write to your Elected Representatives and urge them to push their governments to strongly condemn China's crackdown in Tibet. For a sample letter, click here. Click here to send a message to your U.S. Congressional Representative. Click here for contact information for Canadian Members of Parliment. Click here for contact information for British Members of Parliment. Click here to urge the International Olympic Committee to remove Tibet from China's official Torch relay route now and to speak up publicly about the situation in Tibet. For updates on the situation inside Tibet, please visit the SFT blog: http://blog.studentsforafreetibet.org To see the latest photos from Lhasa protests,click here. For a media roundup of the global protests, click here.
Students for a Free Tibet
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 15, 2008
Contact: Lhadon Tethong in Dharamsala, India, +91-9805-237-015
Tenzin Dorjee in New York, +1-646-724-0748
Kate Woznow in New York, +1-917-601-0069
UNREST IN TIBET DEMANDS UN INTERVENTION; CASTS SHADOW OVER OLYMPIC TORCH ASCENT OF EVEREST Tibetans Demand IOC Withdraw Tibet from Official Torch
Relay Route
Dharamsala/New York - While Lhasa was relatively quiet today after Chinese troops locked down the capital, fresh protests have erupted in Labrang in the Amdo region of Tibet (present-day Gansu Province). Unconfirmed reports from other parts of Amdo, as well as the Kham region (present-day Sichuan province) of Tibet suggest continued and spreading protests throughout Tibet against Chinese occupation.1 The Tibetan Government in Exile today urged the United Nations to "send representatives immediately and intervene and investigate the current urgent human rights violations in Tibet." “China has detained hundreds of Tibetans for peaceful protests this week in Lhasa and we are very concerned about their whereabouts and well-being,” said Lhadon Tethong, Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet. “With reports of at least 30 dead in Lhasa, the situation demands immediate international attention and the Chinese government must be held accountable for its brutal crackdown on Tibetan protesters." Frustration with China’s repressive policies, recent increases in anti-Dalai Lama rhetoric and religious restrictions, and China’s policy of encouraging Han migration to Tibet have contributed to escalating tensions. Chinese authorities exacerbated the situation this week with heavy-handed crackdowns on peaceful demonstrations, which led to violent clashes. As accounts of violence and unrest grow in Tibet, Chinese officials continue to move forward with preparations for bringing the Olympic torch to Tibet this spring. The Nepalese government confirmed yesterday that it has bowed to Chinese pressure to close the Nepal side of Mount Everest in preparation for a planned ascent with the torch. In a letter to the International Olympic Committee, the International Tibet Support Network (ITSN) – a global network of Tibet Support Groups – is demanding that the IOC "immediately remove Tibet from the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay route." ITSN is also calling on IOC President Jacques Rogge to make a public statement of concern about the current situation in Tibet. “The torch relay will either dangerously exacerbate tensions or simply make the IOC complicit in China's repression of Tibetans to assure a successful propaganda exercise for China," said Tenzin Dorjee, Deputy Director of Students for a Free Tibet. "To salvage the reputation of the Olympic Torch, the IOC must immediately withdraw Tibet from the approved Olympic Torch relay route." A second day of protests was held in Labrang, in the eastern Tibetan province of Amdo (present-day Gansu province) today. Chinese police responded by firing tear gas to disperse the crowd of over 5,000, which started at a local Buddhist holy site and moved to the county government headquarters. Video footage is available at Tibetan news website: www.phayul.com. In Lhasa, Chinese armored vehicles continued to patrol the city. Chinese state-run media are reporting, “10 civilians burned to death in the riots” yesterday, but with the city undergoing a media blackout, this information has yet to be verified by independent sources. Tibetan eye-witness reports give the unconfirmed death toll at over 100 after Chinese authorities escalated the situation on Friday by moving armored military vehicles into the city center and sealing off Tibet’s three largest monasteries. In India, a second wave of Tibetan exiles defied Indian government orders by resuming their peace March to Tibet this morning. Forty-four Tibetans set off from Dehra, where 100 marchers and two organizers were forcibly blocked and arrested under orders from the Indian government two days ago. In other cities around the world, Tibetans staged demonstrations and vigils in support of the uprising inside Tibet. Tibetans have been arrested in Kathmandu, Delhi, Sydney, New York and Chicago as opposition to China’s rule in Tibet grows in the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics in August.
Locations of recent protests in Tibet, map available at: http://www.rfa.org/english/multimedia/2008/03/14/SlideshowTibetShooting031408.html
According to confirmed information received by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD), a fresh demonstration erupted this morning at around 10 AM (Beijing Time) in Labrang, Sangchu County, Kanlho "TAP" Gansu Province in the eastern part of the Tibetan area as a follow-up to yesterday's demonstration staged by monks of Tashikyil Monastery which was later joined by thousands of Tibetans in the area. Thousands of people including monks from Labrang Tashikyil Monastery staged a peaceful demonstration at the county government's headquarters. The demonstration was started by monks of Labrang Tashikyil Monastery and was later joined by common citizens at a place known as Choeten Karpo (White Stupa) where people offered Sangsol Prayer (incense burning ritual). After the prayer session, people raised "pro-independence" and "Long live the Dalai Lama'" slogans while heading towards the Sangchu County Government headquarters. The People Armed Police (PAP) fired tear gas and live ammunition into the air to disperse the demonstrators. The latest report indicates that there are cases of demonstrators being arrested and beaten by PAP forces and PSB officials from the area, although the number could not be ascertained at the moment. Communication lines in the area are known to have been cut off since this morning with little information coming out from the area. Yesterday, the police started to fire live ammunition in the air and started beating demonstrators when they neared the Sangchu County Public Security Bureau headquarters. So far there is no information on people having been arrested or detained at the moment. This is for the first time that such large scale demonstration took place in the area. TCHRD expresses it deepest concern about the safety of the peaceful demonstrators and at the same time expresses its deepest fear and anxiety that hundreds of Tibetans who will suffer for airing their grievance and peaceful exercise of the freedom of expression, opinion and assembly. TCHRD condemns in strongest terms the Chinese security agencies use of brute force on the peaceful Tibetan demonstrators. TCHRD while welcoming the timely statement by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on the current situation in Tibet, it appeals the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to urgently send a UN fact finding mission to Tibet for first hand assessment of the situation.(Sourced from Students for a Free Tibet, www.studentsforafreetibet.org)
