Contacte o Comité Olímpico de Portugal !

Comité Olímpico de Portugal

http://www.comiteolimpicoportugal.pt/

Presidente: Sr. José Vicente Moura

Secretário-Geral: Sr. Victor Fonseca da Mota

Morada: Travessa da Memoria, nº 36

1300-403 Lisboa

Tel: 21 361 7260

Fax: 21 363 6967

E-mail: correio@comiteolimpicoportugal.pt

Carta modelo

Exmo. Sr. Presidente

José Vicente Moura,

Comité Olímpico de Portugal

Desde o dia 10 de Março que têm ocorrido no Tibete contínuas e numerosas manifestações e protestos contra a ocupação Chinesa no Tibete, por parte de Tibetanos. Consequentemente os manifestantes foram alvo de detenções e maus-tratos, por parte das forças policiais e de segurança Chinesas. Estima-se em 140 o número de mortos, 600 as detenções e em cerca de 1000 o número de pessoas desaparecidas.

Por este motivo, manifestamos a nossa preocupação e receio face à condução da tocha Olímpica por áreas Tibetanas. Acreditamos que a passagem da tocha pelo Tibete será um foco de protestos que serão reprimidos mediante o uso de força brutal, resultando desta forma em acrescidas detenções, agressões, tortura e eventualmente mortes. Desta forma, e tendo apenas em conta motivos de índole humanitária, solicitamos que tenha em conta o nosso apelo.

Apelamos ao Senhor Presidente do Comité Olímpico de Portugal que pressione o Comité Olímpico Internacional para que todas as áreas Tibetanas sejam retiradas do percurso da tocha Olímpica.

Agradecemos desde já toda a sua atenção.

Com os nossos melhores cumprimentos,

-------------------------

HOJE

DIA DE ACÇÃO GLOBAL PELO TIBETE !

60 INICIATIVAS EM 27 PAÍSES

JUNTE-SE A NÓS, EM LISBOA,

FRENTE AO COMITÉ OLÍMPICO DE PORTUGAL, PELAS 19H

Tv. Memória, 36 - Ajuda

Autocarros: 727 e 732

TRAGA AMIGOS, VELAS, CARTAZES E FLORES !

APELAMOS À LIBERDADE NO TIBETE E À RETIRADA DA PASSAGEM DA TOCHA OLÍMPICA POR ÁREAS TIBETANAS.

A "VIAGEM DE HARMONIA" DA TOCHA NÃO SE COADUNA COM AS ATROCIDADES VIVIDAS NO TIBETE.

Dear friends,

please find:

- Special debate on Tibet at the Council of Europe in Brussels yesterday in English and German.

- The speach of the President of the European Parliament, M. Hans Gert Poettering in German and English.

- The speach of the Tibetan Parliamentary speaker at the E. P.

All this can be found on the Internet page of the European Parliament : www.europarl.eu.int Under Press Service and under President (on the right side).

Please also try to watch ARTE on Tuesday 1. April 2008 around 21 H.
It's a discussion on Tibet with our Vice-President of the Tibet Intergroup of the European Parliament, Mrs. Eva Lichtenberger.

Lets pray sincerly for our Tibetan friends

Gabriela REICHERT
Secretary
Tibet Intergroupe in the European Parliament

An Appeal to the Chinese People

Today, I extend heartfelt greetings to my Chinese brothers and sisters around the world, particularly to those in the People's Republic of China. In the light of the recent developments in Tibet, I would like to share with you my thoughts concerning relations between the Tibetan and Chinese peoples, and make a personal appeal to all of you.

I am deeply saddened by the loss of life in the recent tragic events in Tibet. I am aware that some Chinese have also died. I feel for the victims and their families and pray for them. The recent unrest has clearly demonstrated the gravity of the situation in Tibet and the urgent need to seek a peaceful and mutually beneficial solution through dialogue. Even at this juncture I have expressed my willingness to the Chinese authorities to work together to bring about peace and stability.

Chinese brothers and sisters, I assure you I have no desire to seek Tibet's separation. Nor do I have any wish to drive a wedge between the Tibetan and Chinese peoples. On the contrary my commitment has always been to find a genuine solution to the problem of Tibet that ensures the long-term interests of both Chinese and Tibetans. My primary concern, as I have repeated time and again, is to ensure the survival of the Tibetan people's distinctive culture, language and identity. As a simple monk who strives to live his daily life according to Buddhist precepts, I assure you of the sincerity of my personal motivation.

I have appealed to the leadership of the PRC to clearly understand my position and work to resolve these problems by "seeking truth from facts." I urge the Chinese leadership to exercise wisdom and to initiate a meaningful dialogue with the Tibetan people. I also appeal to them to make sincere efforts to contribute to the stability and harmony of the PRC and avoid creating rifts between the nationalities. The state media's portrayal of the recent events in Tibet, using deceit and distorted images, could sow the seeds of racial tension with unpredictable long-term consequences. This is of grave concern to me. Similarly, despite my repeated support for the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese authorities, with the intention of creating a rift between the Chinese people and myself, the Chinese authorities assert that I am trying to sabotage the games. I am encouraged, however, that several Chinese intellectuals and scholars have also expressed their strong concern about the Chinese leadership's actions and the potential for adverse long-term consequences, particularly on relations among different nationalities.

Since ancient times, Tibetan and Chinese peoples have lived as neighbors. In the two thousand year old recorded history of our peoples, we have at times developed friendly relations, even entering into matrimonial alliances, while at others we fought each other. However, since Buddhism flourished in China first before it arrived in Tibet from India, we Tibetans have historically accorded the Chinese people the respect and affection due to elder Dharma brothers and sisters. This is something well known to members of the Chinese community living outside China, some of whom have attended my Buddhist lectures, as well as pilgrims from mainland China, whom I have had the privilege to meet. I take heart from these meetings and feel they may contribute to a better understanding between our two peoples.

The twentieth century witnessed enormous changes in many parts of the world and Tibet too was caught up in this turbulence. Soon after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the People's Liberation Army entered Tibet finally resulting in the 17-point Agreement concluded between China and Tibet in May 1951. When I was in Beijing in 1954/55, attending the National People's Congress, I had the opportunity to meet and develop a personal friendship with many senior leaders, including Chairman Mao himself. In fact, Chairman Mao gave me advice on numerous issues, as well as personal assurances with regard to the future of Tibet. Encouraged by these assurances, and inspired by the dedication of many of China's revolutionary leaders of the time, I returned to Tibet full of confidence and optimism. Some Tibetan members of the Chinese Communist Party also had such a hope. After my return to Lhasa, I made every possible effort to seek genuine regional autonomy for Tibet within the family of the People's Republic of China (PRC). I believed that this would best serve the long-term interests of both the Tibetan and Chinese peoples.

Unfortunately, tensions, which began to escalate in Tibet from around 1956, eventually led to the peaceful uprising of March 10, 1959, in Lhasa and my eventual escape into exile. Although many positive developments have taken place in Tibet under the PRC's rule, these developments, as the previous Panchen Lama pointed out in January 1989, were overshadowed by immense suffering and extensive destruction. Tibetans were compelled to live in a state of constant fear, while the Chinese government remained suspicious of them. However, instead of cultivating enmity towards the Chinese leaders responsible for the ruthless suppression of the Tibetan people, I prayed for them to become friends, which I expressed in the following lines in a prayer I composed in 1960, a year after I arrived in India: "May they attain the wisdom eye discerning right and wrong, And may they abide in the glory of friendship and love." Many Tibetans, school children among them, recite these lines in their daily prayers.

In 1974, following serious discussions with my Kashag (cabinet), as well as the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the then Assembly of the Tibetan People's Deputies, we decided to find a Middle Way that would seek not to separate Tibet from China, but would facilitate the peaceful development of Tibet. Although we had no contact at the time with the PRC – which was in the midst of the Cultural Revolution – we had already recognized that, sooner or later, we would have to resolve the question of Tibet through negotiations. We also acknowledged that, at least with regard to modernization and economic development, it would greatly benefit Tibet if it remained within the PRC. Although Tibet has a rich and ancient cultural heritage, it is materially undeveloped.

Situated on the roof of the world, Tibet is the source of many of Asia's major rivers; therefore, protection of the environment on the Tibetan plateau is of supreme importance. Since our utmost concern is to safeguard Tibetan Buddhist culture – rooted as it is in the values of universal compassion – as well as the Tibetan language and the unique Tibetan identity, we have worked whole-heartedly towards achieving meaningful self-rule for all Tibetans. The PRC's constitution provides the right for nationalities such as the Tibetans to do this.

In 1979, the then Chinese paramount leader, Deng Xiaoping assured my personal emissary that "except for the independence of Tibet, all other questions can be negotiated." Since we had already formulated our approach to seeking a solution to the Tibetan issue within the constitution of the PRC, we found ourselves well placed to respond to this new opportunity. My representatives met many times with officials of the PRC. Since renewing our contacts in 2002, we have had six rounds of talks. However, on the fundamental issue, there has been no concrete result at all. Nevertheless, as I have declared many times, I remain firmly committed to the Middle Way approach and reiterate here my willingness to continue to pursue the process of dialogue.

This year, the Chinese people are proudly and eagerly awaiting the opening of the Olympic Games. I have, from the start, supported Beijing's being awarded the opportunity to host the Games. My position remains unchanged. China has the world's largest population, a long history and an extremely rich civilization. Today, due to her impressive economic progress, she is emerging as a great power. This is certainly to be welcomed. But China also needs to earn the respect and esteem of the global community through the establishment of an open and harmonious society based on the principles of transparency, freedom, and the rule of law. For example, to this day victims of the Tiananmen Square tragedy that adversely affected the lives of so many Chinese citizens have received neither just redress nor any official response. Similarly, when thousands of ordinary Chinese in rural areas suffer injustice at the hands of exploitative and corrupt local officials, their legitimate complaints are either ignored or met with aggression. I express these concerns both as a fellow human being and as someone who is prepared to consider himself a member of the large family that is the People's Republic of China. In this respect, I appreciate and support President Hu Jintao's policy of creating a "harmonious society", but this can only arise on the basis of mutual trust and an atmosphere of freedom, including freedom of speech and the rule of law. I strongly believe that if these values are embraced, many important problems relating to minority nationalities can be resolved, such as the issue of Tibet, as well as Eastern Turkistan, and Inner Mongolia, where the native people now constitute only 20% of a total population of 24 million.

I had hoped President Hu Jintao's recent statement that the stability and safety of Tibet concerns the stability and safety of the country might herald the dawning of a new era for the resolution of the problem of Tibet. It is unfortunate that despite my sincere efforts not to separate Tibet from China, the leaders of the PRC continue to accuse me of being a "separatist". Similarly, when Tibetans in Lhasa and many other areas spontaneously protested to express their deep-rooted resentment, the Chinese authorities immediately accused me of having orchestrated their demonstrations. I have called for a thorough investigation by a respected body to look into this allegation.

Chinese brothers and sisters – wherever you may be – with deep concern I appeal to you to help dispel the misunderstandings between our two communities. Moreover, I appeal to you to help us find a peaceful, lasting solution to the problem of Tibet through dialogue in the spirit of understanding and accommodation.

With my prayers,

The Dalai Lama

March 28, 2008

Amid protests China gets Olympic torch

Chinese spectators cheered Sunday as Greece handed off the Olympic flame for its journey to Beijing and relay through 20 countries. But protesters brandishing Tibetan flags stole the limelight.

Some two dozen activists chanted "Save Tibet!" and unfurled a banner reading "Stop Genocide in Tibet" before police intervened, detaining 21 protesters outside the Panathenian Stadium. Most were later freed.

A police cordon prevented the demonstrators from disrupting the final leg of Greece's relay from the Acropolis to the marble stadium, the venue of the first modern Olympics in 1896.

The relay has become a magnet for Tibetan protesters and human rights activists, who disrupted the March 26 flame-lighting ceremony in Athens and dogged the weeklong Greek leg of the relay.

"We just wanted to show our support for Tibet, peacefully, and when we displayed the flags we were taken away by police," said Klara Vrhova, a Czech member of the Students for a Free Tibet group.
Marina Staroyianni, a Greek member of the group, said protesters wanted "to let the whole world know that China is violating human rights" in Tibet.
"A lot of people are now talking about the problem, throughout the world," she added.

The flame goes Tuesday to Almaty, Kazakhstan, and then on to Istanbul, Turkey, and St. Petersburg, Russia. Those stops are not expected to bring problems, but the following three could: London, Paris and San Francisco.

London's route on April 6 is sure to be lined by thousands of demonstrators, who are expected to have a wreath-laying ceremony to commemorate those killed in Tibet's recent unrest. Tibetan exiles say almost 140 people have died, while the Beijing government puts the number at 22.

Pro-Tibet demonstrators are expected to be just as numerous in Paris on April 7. French President Nicolas Sarkozy is the first European leader to suggest a boycott of the opening ceremony as a possibility to protest China's handling of the unrest in Tibet.

In San Francisco, the only North American city hosting the torch, officials shortened the April 9 route through the city and have abbreviated the ceremonies. Mayor Gavin Newsom has said no one will be prevented from expressing his views, but permits are required to gather near the torch.

Another difficult stop comes April 17 in New Delhi. India is home to Tibet's government-in-exile and many Tibet rights groups are located in the country.

Activists want Chinese authorities to cancel plans to carry the flame through Tibet on its way to Mount Everest for the first time. China has dismissed the demand.
"The torch will for the first time ascend the summit of the world, thereby testifying to the great strength of the Olympic movement in marking the progress of human civilization," Liu said after receiving the flame.

In

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080330/ap_on_re_eu/olympic_torch

31 MARÇO - DIA DE ACÇÃO GLOBAL PELO TIBETE

Neste dia Grupos de Apoio ao Tibete em 27 países, realizarão acções de modo a que o foco de atenção se desvie da chegada da tocha Olímpica a Pequim, e se centre nos Tibetanos, no Tibete.

Os Grupos de Apoio ao Tibete solicitarão que a tocha Olímpica não atravesse áreas Tibetanas, ao mesmo tempo que pretendem lembrar ao mundo o quanto os Tibetanos estão a sofrer.

No dia 27 de Março, um grupo de 30 monges teve a incrível coragem de protestar frente a um grupo de jornalistas estrangeiros, que o governo Chinês havia levado a Lhasa no âmbito de uma visita extremamente controlada.

Em Lisboa, o Grupo de Apoio ao Tibete juntamente com a União Budista Portuguesa e o apoio da Amnistia Internacional- Secção Portuguesa, realizarão Concentração frente ao Comité Olímpico de Portugal, pelas 19horas.

C.O.P - Travessa da Memória, 36 - Ajuda (próximo da igreja da Memória)

Juntem-se a nós, pelo povo Tibetano, e tragam os vossos amigos, bem como velas, cartazes e flores.

No local, poderão assinar carta dirigida ao Presidente do C.O.P. mediante a qual apelaremos a que o Comité apresente este pedido ao Comité Olímpico Internacional durante a próxima semana, de modo a que a Tocha Olímpica não atravesse o Tibete.

E porque não deve a tocha atravessar o Tibete ?

* Acreditamos que a sua passagem pelo Tibete contribuiria negativamente na evolução dos acontecimentos, na medida em que provocaria mais protestos e consequentemente seriam realizadas mais detenções, logo mais tortura e eventual perda de vida de Tibetanos.

* A China está a usar os Jogos Olímpicos para selar a sua ocupação sobre o Tibete e ganhar legitimidade relativamente às suas terríveis políticas no Tibete, que levaram a que os Tibetanos recorressem a tamanhos protestos como os que temos acompanhado, desde 10 de Março.

Contamos convosco !

Não concordamos...

"The Tibet issue is completely China's internal affairs. No foreign countries or international organizations have the right to interfere in it," said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

In
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/30/china.tibet.ap/index.html

Declaração MNE da UE

Os ministros dos Negócios Estrangeiros da União Europeia (UE) aprovaram hoje uma declaração pedindo o "fim da violência" no Tibete, descartando contudo de momento pressionar as autoridades chinesas com um boicote político aos Jogos Olímpicos de Pequim.

O texto, aprovado por unanimidade, nem sequer menciona a possibilidade de vincular os Jogos com a condenação à repressão exercida pelo governo chinês na região do Tibete.

A UE "reitera a sua profunda preocupação sobre os acontecimentos" e "condena todo o tipo de violência, pedindo para que os detidos sejam tratados conforme as leis internacionais e que se respeite a liberdade de informação sobre o conflito.

Os vinte e sete membros da UE alinham com os apelos do líder espiritual e político dos tibetanos, o Dalai Lama, a favor da não violência e da "autonomia e não independência" do Tibete.

Os ministros dos Estrangeiros dos países da União Europeia apoiam a causa com um diálogo construtivo dirigido a questões fundamentais, designadamente a preservação da língua, cultura, religião e tradicões tibetanas.

Por último, a declaração assegura que a UE "continuará prestando toda a sua atenção à situação dos direitos humanos na China".

In

http://noticias.sapo.pt/lusa/artigo/1602f6fb987f853731234b.html

Informações

Hoje eclodiram novos protestos em dois locais da capital Tibetana, o mosteiro Ramoche e o templo Jokhang.

Agência noticiosa Chinesa informou que as famílias de 18 civis, que falecerem nos motins de Lhasa, receberão $28,500, assim como assistência médica gratuita, enquanto que os proprietários de lojas e resturantes destruídos receberão auxílio para a respectiva reconstrução.

O governo Chinês pretende desta forma criar rapidamente um clima de calma aparente, até porque cerca de 24 diplomatas de vários países de encontram neste momento no Tibete, em viagem organizada pelo governo Chinês. Esta viagem vem na sequência da permissão de visita durante dois dias a igual número de jornalistas.

In
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080329/ap_on_re_as/china_tibet

HELP

Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Saturday appealed to the world community to "please help" resolve the crisis in his homeland that has been rocked by deadly anti-Chinese protests.

"We have no power except justice, truth, sincerity... that is why I appeal to the world community to please help," the Buddhist icon told a news conference in the Indian capital, where he was conducting meditation sessions.

"I am here helpless, I just pray," said the exiled spiritual leader two weeks after anti-Chinese protests in the Himalayan region turned bloody, leading to calls for a boycott of the August Beijing Olympic Games.

In

http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=20156&article=Dalai+Lama+appeals+to+world+community+to+'please+help'+Tibetans

OPINION: THE CRY OF TIBET

By WANG LIXIONGT
he Wall Street Journal
March 28, 2008; Page A12

The recent troubles in Tibet are a replay of events that happened two decades ago. On Oct. 1, 1987, Buddhist monks were demonstrating peacefully at the Barkor -- the famous market street around the central cathedral in Lhasa -- when police began beating and arresting them. To ordinary Tibetans, who view monks as "treasures," the sight was intolerable -- not only in itself, but because it stimulated unpleasant memories that Tibetan Buddhists had been harboring for years.

A few angry young men then began throwing stones at the Barkor police station. More and more joined, and then they set fires, overturned cars and began shouting "Independence for Tibet!" This is almost exactly what we saw in Lhasa two weeks ago.

The fundamental cause of these recurrent events is a painful dilemma that lives inside the minds of Tibetan monks. When the Chinese government demands that they denounce their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, monks are forced to choose between obeying, which violates their deepest spiritual convictions, and resisting, which can lead to loss of government registry and physical expulsion from monasteries.

From time to time monks have used peaceful demonstrations to express their anguish. When they have done this, an insecure Chinese government, bent on "annihilating unstable elements" in the "emergent stage," has reacted with violent repression. This, in turn, triggers violence from Tibetans.

In recent decades, the Chinese government's policy for pacifying Tibet has been to combine the allure of economic development on the one hand with the threat of force on the other. Experience has shown that this approach does not work.

The most efficient route to peace in Tibet is through the Dalai Lama, whose return to Tibet would immediately alleviate a number of problems. Much of the current ill will, after all, is a direct result of the Chinese government's verbal attacks on the Dalai Lama, who, for Tibetan monks, has an incomparably lofty status. To demand that monks denounce him is about as practical as asking that they vilify their own parents.

It should be no surprise that beatings of monks and closings of monasteries naturally stimulate civil unrest, or that civil unrest, spawned in this way, can turn violent.

Why aren't these simple truths more obvious? Phuntsog Wanggyal, a Tibetan now retired in Beijing who for years was a leading Communist official in Tibet, has observed that a doctrine of "anti-splittism" has taken root among Chinese government officials who deal with religion and minority affairs, both in central offices in Beijing and in Tibet. Having invested their careers in anti-splittism, these people cannot admit that the idea is mistaken without losing face and, they fear, losing their own power and position as well.

Their ready-made tag for everything that goes wrong is "hostile foreign forces" -- an enemy that justifies any kind of harsh or unreasoning repression. When repeated endlessly, anti-splittism, although originally vacuous, does take on a kind of solidity. Careers are made in it, and challenging it becomes impossible.

I am a supporter of the Dalai Lama's "middle way," meaning autonomy for Tibet in all matters except foreign affairs and national defense. This arrangement eventually would have to mean that Tibetan people select their own leaders -- and that would be a major change from the way things are now. Tibet is called an "autonomous region," but in fact its officials are all named by Beijing, and are all tightly focused on their own personal interests and the interests of the Communist Party. Tibetans can clearly see the difference between this kind of government and self-rule, and there is no way that they will support bogus autonomy.

It follows -- even if this is a tall order -- that the ultimate solution to the Tibet problem must be democratization of the Chinese political system itself. True autonomy cannot come any other way.
It is time for the Chinese government to take stock of why its long-term strategy in Tibet has not worked, and to try something else. The old problems remain, and they are sure to continue, perhaps in places like the "Uighur Autonomous Region" of Xinjiang, if a more sensible approach is not attempted.

Mr. Wang, a Beijing-based writer, was the organizer of the recent 12-point statement on Tibet by 30 Chinese intellectuals. This article was translated from the Chinese by Princeton University Prof. Perry Link.

In

http://www.savetibet.org/news/newsitem.php?id=1256

Monges presos

Após dias de tensão e protestos no condado de Ngaba, desde 15 de Março, e que culminaram na morte de 23 pessoas bem como detenções e ferimentos em mais de 100 pessoas, a Polícia Armada do Povo e o Bureau de Segurança Pública procederam à detenção de mais de uma centena de monges do mosteiro de Ngaba Kirti, na sequência de uma operação relâmpago efectuada ontem de tarde.

Estudantes Tibetanos entram em edifício da O.N.U.

Cerca de 20 estudantes Tibetanos do ensino secundário escalaram uma parede, que rodeava o edifício das Nações Unidas em Kathmandu, envergando cartazes onde se podia ler "Free Tibet", bem como apelando às Nações Unidas que auxiliassem o Tibete.

John Brittain, porta-voz das N.U, descreveu os jovens como uns intrusos educados que se sentaram na relva, onde escreveram as suas queixas depois entregues aos oficiais das N.U.. Foi-lhes oferecido almoço e posteriormente foram conduzidos a casa.

O Nepal tem sido palco de vários protestos, por parte dos Tibetanos e na sequência da repressão Chinesa no Tibete. O governo Nepalês, a pedido do seu poderoso vizinho, anunciou já que fechará o acesso ao Monte Evereste do lado nepalês, de modo a impedir protestos anti-Chineses.

A China pretende enviar a Tocha Olímpica até ao topo do Monte Evereste no início de Maio...

In
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/29/world/asia/29tibet-web.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Diplomatas visitam Tibete

O Reino-Unido, França e EUA estão entre os países convidados para uma viagem de dois dias à capital Tibetana Lhasa.

Os EUA felicitaram a iniciativa no entanto afirmaram que diplomatas e observadores deveriam ser autorizados a visitarem as áreas que rodeiam Lhasa.

A visita vem na sequência da abertura de Lhasa aos jornalistas. Enquanto isso os Ministros dos Negócios Estrangeiros da U.E. reunem- se hoje e amanhã na Eslovénia, de modo a debaterem um eventual boicote à cerimónia de abertura dos Jogos Olímpicos.

In

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7318035.stm

Monges em Lhasa

Subsistem preocupações relativamente ao bem-estar e segurança do grupo de monges que ontem se manifestou, frente aos jornalistas, no templo Jokhang da capital Tibetana.

Oficiais Chineses asseguraram que os monges não seriam punidos pelo acto, no entanto os três maiores mosterios da capital - Ganden, Sera e Drepung - estão neste momento inacessíveis aos jornalistas, apesar de estes terem realizado pedido de visita aos mesmos.

O templo Ramoche também foi encererado ao grupo da imprensa e fontes relatam que a água foi cortada nos três maiores mosteiros e a comida escasseia. Chamamos a atenção para o facto de um monge do templo de Ramoche ter já falecido devido a tais condições.

Os cidadãos locais não estão autorizados a fornecerem comida aos monges nos mosteiros.

As detenções de Tibetanos em Lhasa continuam e tememos pela situação os detidos.

"..monks who tried to leave Sera were forced to go back after they had guns pointed to their heads. Further reports reached ICT over the past few days of mass arrests of Tibetans in Lhasa, including in particular Tibetans from the Kham and Amdo areas of Tibet; Tibetans known to have studied in exile in India, base of the Dalai Lama, and former political prisoners. Some sources said that during house to house searches, Tibetans had been taken away at gunpoint. In scenes reminiscent to some observers of the Cultural Revolution, officials are searching for images of the Dalai Lama as well as taking Tibetans away. One source close to the monastic community in Lhasa expressed their fears for Tibetans in custody, saying that they had been told by two Tibetans released from temporary detention that Tibetans in custody were “beaten terribly”, and that none had enough water or food.As the crackdown continues, other sources have reported seeing large numbers of Tibetans being herded into trucks, and in one instance, forced to board a train from Lhasa station and removed from the city. A Tibetan source, who is in exile but in close contact with Tibetans inside, reported hearing from an eyewitness that a group of several hundred Tibetans, escorted by armed security personnel, had boarded a train at Lhasa’s new railway station. The source told ICT, “The eyewitness reported seeing large numbers of monks in the group, and said that many were not wearing shoes. The reports of the removal of prisoners from Lhasa are chilling for many older Tibetans, who remember the purges after 1959 and beyond when so many Tibetans were taken to labor camps and prisons in Gansu and Qinghai. Some of them were never heard of again. There are many families now in the situation of not knowing where their relatives are, or how long they will be in prison.”

“Often Tibetans are taken away in the middle of the night,” the source told ICT after leaving Lhasa. “They are definitely taking people who they know have studied in India, including those who learnt English at exile schools. I saw truckloads of Tibetans being taken away. Friends watched guns being held to the head of Tibetans who were taken into custody.”

There is evidence that the authorities are also attempting to prevent Tibetans expressing their views in the West through intimidation of their families in Tibet. According to a reliable report from a Tibetan exile, families in some areas of the Tibetan region of Amdo who have relatives and children living in exile have been warned in recent days that they will face repercussions if these Tibetans participate in peaceful demonstrations outside China.

In

http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=20133&article=Jokhang+monks'+peaceful+protest+changes+of+Beijing+propaganda+offensiveIn

INTERNATIONAL GROUP OF CONCERNED TIBETAN STUDIES SCHOLARS SUBMITS AN OPEN LETTER TO CHINESE PRESIDENT HU JINTAO

A STATEMENT BY CONCERNED TIBETAN STUDIES SCHOLARS ON THE CURRENT CRISIS IN TIBET ADDRESSED TO PRESIDENT HU JINTAO AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

President Hu Jintao
People's Republic of China
Zhongnanhai, Xichengqu,
Beijing City
People's Republic of ChinaDear Mr. President,

Over the course of the last two weeks the world has witnessed an outbreak of protests across the Tibetan plateau, followed in most instances by a harsh, violent repression. In the majority of cases these protests have been peaceful. The result has been an unknown number of arrests and the loss of numerous lives, which have been overwhelmingly Tibetan. This has understandably triggered widespread concern and anguish across the globe.

As scholars engaged in Tibetan Studies, we are especially disturbed by what has been happening. The civilization we study is not simply a subject of academic enquiry: it is the heritage and fabric of a living people and one of the world's great cultural legacies. We express our deep sorrow at the horrible deaths of the innocent, including Chinese as well as Tibetans. Life has been altered for the worse in places with which we are well acquainted; tragedy has entered the lives of a people we know well.

At the time this statement is being written, continued arrests and shootings are being reported even of those involved in peaceful protest, the accused are being subjected to summary justice without due process and basic rights, and countless others are being forced to repeat political slogans and denunciations of their religious leader.Silence in the face of what is happening in Tibet is no longer an option.

At this moment the suppression of political dissent appears to be the primary goal of authorities across all the Tibetan areas within China, which have been isolated from the rest of China and the outside world. But such actions will not eliminate the underlying sense of grievance to which Tibetans are giving voice. As scholars we have a vested interest in freedom of expression. The violation of that basic freedom and the criminalization of those sentiments that the Chinese government finds difficult to hear are counterproductive. They will contribute to instability and tension, not lessen them. It cannot be that the problem lies in the refusal of Tibetans to live within restrictions on speech and expression that none of us would accept in our own lives. It is not a question of what Tibetans are saying: it is a question of how they are being heard and answered.

The attribution of the current unrest to the Dalai Lama represents a reluctance on the part of the Chinese government to acknowledge and engage with policy failures that are surely the true cause of popular discontent. The government's continuing demonization of the Dalai Lama, which falls far below any standard of discourse accepted by the international community, serves only to fuel Tibetan anger and alienation. A situation has been created which can only meet with the strongest protest from those of us who have dedicated our professional lives to understanding Tibet's past and its present; its culture and its society. Indeed, the situation has generated widespread shock among peoples inside and outside China as well, and we write in full sympathy with the twelve-point petition submitted by a group of Chinese writers and intellectuals on 22 March.

Therefore, we call for an immediate end to the use of force against Tibetans within China. We call for an end to the suppression of Tibetan opinion, whatever form that suppression takes. And we call for the clear recognition that Tibetans, together with all citizens of China, are entitled to the full rights to free speech and expression guaranteed by international agreements and accepted human rights norms.

Jean-Luc Achard (Centre National de La Recherche Scientifique, Paris)
Agata Bareja-Starzyńska (Warsaw University)
Robert Barnett (Columbia University)
Christopher Beckwith (Indiana University)
Yael Bentor (Hebrew University, Jerusalem)
Henk Blezer (Leiden University)
Anne-Marie Blondeau (École pratique des Hautes Études, Paris)
Benjamin Bogin (Georgetown University)
Jens Braarvig (University of Oslo)
Katia Buffetrille (École pratique des Hautes Études, Paris)
José Ignacio Cabezón (University of California, Santa Barbara)
Cathy Cantwell (University of Oxford)
Bryan J. Cuevas (Florida State University)
Jacob Dalton (Yale University)
Ronald Davidson (Fairfield University)
Karl Debreczeny (Independent Scholar)
Andreas Doctor (Kathmandu University)
Thierry Dodin (Bonn University)
Brandon Dotson (School of Oriental and African Studies, London)
Georges Dreyfus (Williams College)
Douglas S. Duckworth (University of North Carolina)
John Dunne (Emory University)
Johan Elverskog (Southern Methodist University)
Elena De Rossi Filibeck (University of Rome)
Carla Gianotti (Independent Scholar)
Maria Gruber (University of Applied Arts, Vienna)
Janet Gyatso (Harvard University)
Paul Harrison (Stanford University)
Lauran Hartley (Columbia University)
Mireille Helffer (Centre National de La Recherche Scientifique, Paris)
Isabelle Henrion-Dourcy (Université Laval, Québec)
Toni Huber (Humboldt University , Berlin)
Ishihama Yumiko (Waseda University)
David Jackson (Rubin Museum of Art, New York)
Sarah Jacoby (Columbia University)
Marc des Jardins (Concordia University)
Matthew T. Kapstein (University of Chicago; École pratique des Hautes Études, Paris)
György Kara (Indiana University)
Samten Karmay (Centre National de La Recherche Scientifique, Paris)
P. Christiaan Klieger (Oakland Museum, California)
Deborah Klimburg-Salter (University of Vienna)
Leonard van der Kuijp (Harvard University)
Per Kvaerne (University of Oslo)
Erberto Lo Bue (University of Bologna)
Donald Lopez (University of Michigan)
Christian Luczanits (University of Vienna)
Sara McClintock (Emory University)
Carole McGranahan (University of Colorado)
Ariane Macdonald-Spanien (École pratique des Hautes Études, Paris)
William Magee (Dharma Drum Buddhist College, Taiwan)
Lara Maconi (Institut Nationale des Langues et Civilizations Orientales, Paris)
Dan Martin (Hebrew University, Jerusalem)
Rob Mayer (University of Oxford)
Fernand Meyer (École pratique des Hautes Études, Paris)
Eric D. Mortensen (Guilford College)
Paul Nietupski (John Carroll University)
Giacomella Orofino (Università degli Studi di Napoli "L'Orientale)
Ulrich Pagel (School of Oriental and African Studies, London)
Andrew Quintman (Princeton University)
Françoise Robin (Institut Nationale des Langues et Civilizations Orientales, Paris)
Ulrike Roesler (University of Freiburg)
Geoffrey Samuel (Cardiff University)
Kurtis Schaeffer (University of Virginia)
Cristina Scherrer-Schaub (University of Lausanne)
Peter Schwieger (Bonn University)
Tsering Shakya (University of British Columbia)
Nicolas Sihle (University of Virginia)
Elliot Sperling (Indiana University)
Heather Stoddard (Institut Nationale des Langues et Civilizations Orientales, Paris)
Robert Thurman (Columbia University)
Takeuchi Tsuguhito (Kobe City University of Foreign Studies)
Gray Tuttle (Columbia University)
Emily Yeh (University of Colorado)
Ronit Yoeli-Tlalim (University College, London)
Michael Zimmermann (University of Hamburg)

In
http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=20123&article=International+Tibet+Scholars+Call+on+China+to+End+Harsh+Repressions+in+Tibet%2c+Should+Stop+Tactic+of+Blaming+the+Dalai+Lama

Protesto durante tour de jornalistas

A tour Chinesa aos jornalistas internacionais foi surpreendida, esta quinta-feira em Lhasa, por um protesto de monges Budistas no principal templo da capital.

Pequim convidou cerca de 24 jornalistas estrangeiros a visitarem Lhasa, a capital Tibetana, de modo a mostrar que a cidade se encontra em paz, após as manifestações ocorridas.

A tour marcou o início da entrada de jornalistas no Tibete após as manifestações ocorridas há cerca de 2 semanas.

No entanto o protesto que eclodiu por parte de cerca de 30 monges Tibetanos mostrou-nos que nem tudo está calmo em Lhasa...

"Tibet is not free! Tibet is not free!" gritou um jovem monge Budista, de acordo com jornalista da The Associated Press, presente no tour.

“In Tibet, where the free expression of political views is met with incarceration and torture, these monks risked everything to show the world that Tibet is not free."

SFT

Veja o video em:

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/27/tibet/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mhv0ubToreE

IN

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/27/tibet/index.html

DIA DE ACÇÃO GLOBAL PELO TIBETE !

PROTESTOS MUNDIAIS ORGANIZADOS POR

OCASIÃO DA CHEGADA DA

TOCHA OLÍMPICA A PEQUIM

31 DE MARÇO DE 2008

TIBETANOS E APOIANTES "NÃO QUEREM A TOCHA NO TIBETE"

Lisboa - Protestos, vigílias e cerimónias de oração pelo Tibete terão lugar em todo o mundo, no dia 31 de Março, quando a Tocha Olímpica chegar a Pequim, de modo a focar a atenção no sofrimento do povo Tibetano, na sequência da recente repressão Chinesa. Tibetanos no exílio e apoiantes do Tibete apelam à retirada das áreas Tibetanas do percurso da Tocha Olímpica, afirmando que celebrar a Tocha Olímpica Chinesa e a sua respectiva "Viagem de Harmonia" no Tibete, enquanto o povo Tibetano é esmagado pelas forças militares Chinesas, é uma abominação que deve cessar.

Apoiantes do Tibete em Lisboa participarão no

Dia Global de Acção pelo Tibete !

Data: 31 Março 2008

Hora: 19 horas

Local: Comité Olímpico de Portugal

Travessa da Memoria, 36 - Ajuda

1300-403 Lisboa

Mais de 150 organizações de apoio ao Tibete apelaram ao Presidente do Comité Olímpico Internacional, mediante carta enviada há duas semanas, solicitando o cancelamento da passagem da Tocha Olímpica por áreas Tibetanas. As organizações enviaram também cartas aos patrocinadores do percurso da Tocha - Coca Cola, Lenovo e Samsung - apelando à retirada do patrocínio, até o Tibete deixar de constar no percurso da Tocha, e apelará agora aos Comités Olímpicos Nacionais de modo a que apoiem este apelo.

Por favor e caso possam: tragam muitas velas, flores, t-shirts alusivas, cartazes, bandeiras Tibetanas. Uma amiga lançou a sugestão de cada pessoa trazer uma braçadeira branca, à semelhança do "lenço branco por Timor" ! Ou mesmo de andarmos com a bandeira Tibetana, em crachá ou autocolante, visível no nosso dia-a-dia. Porque não à janela!

Caso necessitem de algum auxílio na obtenção de imagens, ou desejem adquirir bandeiras p.f. não hesitem em contactar-nos.

Obrigada e até 2ªfeira !!!

Saudações

Grupo de Apoio ao Tibete

EU parliament offers platform to Dalai Lama

The head of the European Parliament invited the Dalai Lama on Wednesday to address the EU legislature on events in Tibet and questioned whether European leaders should attend the opening of the Beijing Olympic Games.

Opening an emergency debate on events in Tibet, Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering said to applause: "I put it to this house to join with me in saying that the Dalai Lama is welcome in this house whenever he wants to come."He urged the Chinese authorities to seek a solution to the unrest through dialogue with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, respecting China's territorial integrity.

"I genuinely say that all politicians must ask themselves whether they can attend the opening ceremony if China fails to take part in dialogue," Poettering said, adding he expected the Dalai Lama to attend the EU assembly in December. He read out a message from the Dalai Lama, accused by China of inciting pro-independence protests and violence, thanking the European Parliament "for this gesture of sympathy and support at a time of great difficulty for the people of Tibet"

The EU's Slovenian presidency and the European Commission rejected calls to shun the Beijing Games. Slovenian Secretary of State for European Affairs Janez Lenarcic told the house: "The Presidency believes that a boycott of the Olympics in the year of intercultural dialogue would not be the right response to open political issues. It might also mean a loss of an opportunity to promote human rights."He and EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner urged China to exercise restraint in Tibet, release prisoners arrested during the protests, respect human rights and allow journalists to report in the province freely.

BOYCOTT CALLS

China says the Tibetan protests have led to 19 deaths. The Tibetan government in exile says more than 140 people have died.

On Tuesday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy refused to rule out boycotting the opening ceremony of the games.

Several EU lawmakers called for a boycott of the Olympics or at least of the opening ceremony. Several Greens, liberals and leftists brandished Tibetan flags in the chamber and some wore black T-shirts emblazoned with the Olympic rings transformed into handcuffs.

Greens floor leader Daniel Cohn-Bendit, a leader of leftist student protests in France in May 1968, compared the Beijing Games with the 1936 Berlin Olympics staged by Nazi Germany."The EU must altogether refuse to attend the opening ceremony, because it is a political act," he told the house.

British Conservative Edward McMillan-Scott accused China of committing genocide in Tibet and said that for politicians of principle, it was no long a question of "whether a boycott of the Olympics but what sort of boycott"."The Olympic flame may have been lit last weekend, but the Olympic spirit was killed in the streets of Tibet. It was killed by the most repressive regime on earth," he declared.

The speaker of the Himalayan region's parliament in exile said earlier in Brussels that the Olympics should go ahead despite China's clampdown on protestors in Tibet."But we must use the Olympics to force China to conform with international rules," Karma Chophel told a news conference at the European Parliament in Brussels. Tibet's parliament in exile is based in Dharamsala, India, where the Dalai Lama heads a government in exile established after a failed uprising against communist rule in 1959. Chophel -- the elected leader of the Tibetan parliament -- is a close ally of the Dalai Lama, who has also previously backed China's hosting of the games."We believe the killings could be 10 times more than confirmed killings. About 400 people have been arrested and over 1000 injured, but this is only rough information.," Chophel said.

In

http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=20104&article=EU+parliament+offers+platform+to+Dalai+Lama

Um boicote à cerimónia de abertura dos Jogos Olímpicos em Pequim, é uma questão ainda em aberto na Austria, Bélgica, Grã-Bretanha e França, encontrando-se dependente da forma como a China responderá à situação no Tibete.

O Presidente Françês Nicolas Sarkozy deixou "em aberto a opção" de boicote à cerimónia, a Alemanha congelou as conversações sobre desenvolvimento económico com a China e o secretário dos Negócios Estrangeiros britânico, David Miliband, afirmou que as demonstrações Tibetanas serão autorizadas quando a tocha Olímpica atravessar Londres, a 6 de Abril.

Amanhã, sexta-feira, os ministros dos Negócios Estrangeiros Europeus adoptarão, na Eslovénia, uma posição comum relativamente às suas relações com Pequim e "ao sofrimento no Tibete", conforme referiu o Ministro dos Negócios Estrangeiros Françês Bernard Kouchner.

In

http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=20101&article=E.U.+weighs+Olympic+boycott+over+Tibet

Manifestação Tibetana frente ao consulado Chinês em Kathmandu

Mais de cem Tibetanos protestaram frente ao consulado Chinês em Hattisar, contra a contínua repressão Chinesa no Tibete.

Os Tibetanos têm vindo a realizar manifestações desde 10 de Março no Nepal, no entanto foi a primeira vez que se concentraram frente ao consulado Chinês. O protesto não teve longa duração na medida em que a polícia rapidamente dispersou os manifestantes à força, o que levou a que a maioria sofresse ferimentos, tendo três manifestantes ficado severamente feridos. Cerca de 71 manifestantes, incluíndo monges e monjas foram detidos.

Um Tibetano residente em Swayambhu informou que a polícia Nepalesa avisou os residentes da área, de que não deveriam realizar mais demonstrações, e caso o fizessem seriam severamente punidos.

In

http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=20099&article=First+Tibetan+protest+before+Chinese+Consulate+in+Kathmandu%2c+several+arrested

Former Advisor to Party General Secretary Claims Regime Staged Lhasa Incident

The violent riots that the Chinese state-run media have reported as having taken place in Lhasa are not what they seem to be, according to a former highly placed Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official. Mr. Ruan Ming claims the CCP carefully staged the incidents in Tibet in order to force the Dalai Lama to resign and to justify future repression of the Tibetans.

Since 1997 Ruan has lived in Taiwan, where he has served as a diplomatic advisor to President Chen Shui-bian. He is also the author, among other books, of Deng Xiaoping: Chronicle of an Empire. Earlier in his life, he worked as the main speechwriter for Mr. Hu Yaobang, who served as General Secretary of the CCP from 1981-1987 and was admired by democracy activists as a reformer. Hu's death in 1989 is said to have sparked the student demonstrations in Beijing of that year.

In an interview with Sound of Hope, Ruan warned international society that in considering the unrest in Lhasa, it must keep its eyes open and be aware of the CCP's violent and deceptive nature. At the heart of the deception in Lhasa was the murder of peaceful monks."The CCP carefully staged the unrest in Tibet to deceive the world. Before the incident, the authorities drove away all foreign reporters and even forbade them from going out," according to Ruan."The demonstration on March 10 was meant to be peaceful. You can see from the pictures that the demonstration was all monks," Ruan explained."The CCP arrested some of these monks and killed them. The killing angered some young Tibetans.

By March 14, the Tibetans could no longer stand the killing of innocent monks and protested."According to Ruan, when the young Tibetans reacted, they fell into the CCP's trap."The CCP seized this opportunity and took pictures of these Tibetans in violent actions and sent out officers to do a door-to-door search, calling on the 'guilty' to surrender themselves.

"While Ruan said the CCP meticulously staged the whole thing in Lhasa, there were things it missed."All pictures from inside Lhasa came from the CCP, but the CCP forgot about the small Tibetan autonomous counties in Gansu, Qinghai, and Sichuan Provinces. The CCP couldn't have imagined pictures of its killing would leak out from these small villages."Ruan believes the events in Tibet are aimed at influencing world opinion."This time the CCP has a more thorough plot with carefully designed propaganda," said Ruan."The Dalai Lama has always proposed a peaceful solution to Tibet issues and has won the world's recognition. With all that in mind, the CCP has framed the Dalai Lama for having 'carefully planned and stirred up the event.'"This is exactly like how the CCP framed Zhao Ziyang for the Tiananmen Massacre in 1989 and accused Zhao of 'splitting the Party and supporting unrest.'

"The Dalai Lama had already said he would resign if the unrest continued. The Dalai Lama is influential globally and if he really retired, the CCP could gradually push and label the Tibetans as terrorists like the Xinjiang independence movement."This will give the CCP an excuse to ignore Tibetans appeals and to further repress them."The CCP has kept out foreign media, because their reports might expose what is really happening there, according to Ruan."If the CCP opens up Tibet for foreign media, someone brave has got to talk. I don't believe there wasn't a single picture taken during the suppression."Why did the CCP need to do a door-to-door search right after the suppression? They fear there were pictures taken during the suppression and don't want them to leak out and circulate around."What could the CCP be searching for door-to-door if it wasn't for the pictures? I doubt it was for guns and weapons. It there were only few violent protestors as they claimed, how come 170 people are said to have confessed?"How many monks have the CCP arrested and killed? The international media should be allowed to go into Tibet to investigate."

Ihttp://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=20077&article=Former+Advisor+to+Party+General+Secretary+Claims+Regime+Staged+Lhasa+Incidentn

Stop maligning the Dalai Lama, Tutu tells China

Johannesburg - South African Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu on Tuesday urged China to stop blaming the Dalai Lama over the recent outbreak of violence in Tibet and instead hold talks with the Tibetan spiritual leader.

'China must stop naming, blaming and verbally abusing one whose life has been devoted to non-violence, His Holiness the Dalai Lama,' Tutu said. 'Listen to His Holiness pleas for restraint, calm and no further violence against this civilian population of monastics and lay people,' he said.

Protests by Tibetans in China and other countries began on March 10, the 49th anniversary of a failed uprising in Tibet against Chinese rule. China has been blasted for its heavy-handed response. The Dalai Lama has been living in exile in India since 1959. Tutu, who shot to fame as the archbishop who led South Africans in protest against apartheid, also said the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, should be allowed visit Tibet.

'This will help not only Tibet, but China,' Tutu said. '

In

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/asiapacific/news/article_1396876.php/Stop_maligning_the_Dalai_Lama_Tutu_tells_China

Junte-se aos protestos em Paris !

JOIN THE 7th APRIL OLYMPICS PROTEST & TIBETAN FREEDOM TORCH ACTIVITIES IN PARIS!

The Chinese government is running the Beijing Olympic torch around the world, hoping to win the approval of the global public and cover up its brutal occupation of Tibet and abysmal human rights record. When the torch relay reaches London & Paris on April 6th and 7th, China will be in the global spotlight like never before. We will have an unprecdented opportunity to shine this spotlight on Tibet.

Please play your part for Tibet and make history in April 2008!

Join the mass mobilisation in Paris and be a voice for 6 million Tibetans who continue to suffer under Chinese rule.

WHO: Tibetans and supporters from France, the Netherlands, and Belgium

WHAT: Protest China's Olympic Torch Relay & celebrate the Tibetan Freedom Torch

WHERE: Paris

WHEN: 6 & 7 April, 2008

Programme:

6th April
7:00pm, Gare du Nord:Join the Tibetan Community of France in welcoming former political prisoners of Drapchi prison and Team Tibet athletes when they arrive from London with the Tibetan Freedom Torch.

7th April
11:00am: Mass protest begins at Trocadero square
The Beijing Torch Relay will begin from under the Eiffel tower around 1:30pm, on the opposite bank of Seine river. We invite you to walk, bicycle, use tourist buses and tourist boats, along the relay route. Please bring Tibetan flags, banners, tee-shirts, and flyers!

Contacts:

Tibetan Community: comtibfr(at)hotmail.com
Accommodation in Paris: marcellerouxtibet(at)yahoo.fr
Transportation: rang.ben(at)wanadoo.fr

Junte-se aos protestos de 6 de Abril em Londres !

JOIN THE 6th APRIL OLYMPICS PROTEST & TIBETAN FREEDOM TORCH ACTIVITIES IN LONDON!

The Chinese government is running the Beijing Olympic torch around the world, hoping to win the approval of the global public and cover up its brutal occupation of Tibet and abysmal human rights record. When the torch relay reaches London & Paris on April 6th and 7th, China will be in the global spotlight like never before. We will have a once in a lifetime opportunity to shine this spotlight on Tibet.

Please play your part for Tibet and make history in April 2008!

Join the mass mobilisation in London and be a voice for 6 million Tibetans who continue to suffer under Chinese rule.

WHO: Tibetans and supporters in Europe

WHAT: Protest China's Olympic Torch Relay & celebrate the Tibetan Freedom Torch

WHERE: London

WHEN: 6 April, 2008

*We are focusing most attention on London for the joint European Tibet groups' activities as it is the host of the 2012 Olympic Games and will have the largest media presence!

TO SIGN UP to come to London, send the following information as soon as possible to:

terry(at)freetibet.org
Your Name:

Your Email:

Your Phone number:

Where will you be coming from?

PROGRAMME:
Six former Drapchi political prisoners, including Ngawang Sangdrol and Phuntsog Nyidrol, and athletes from Team Tibet will play a prominent role in the 6th April London programme. The day's activities will include protests in the morning along the Beijing Torch Relay route followed by a rally in the afternoon in a prominent London square to light and celebrate the Tibetan Freedom Torch.
The highlights of the rally will include the Tibetan Freedom Torch ceremony and the six re-united Drapchi nuns singing live their freedom songs recorded in Drapchi prison. Speakers for the rally include Ngawang Sangdrol, Lhadon Tethong, a British Parliamentarian and Team Tibet athletes. Music and entertainment will be provided by the Tibetan Community in Britain's dance group, Chino, and other Tibetan musicians with support from British bands.

The Tibetan Freedom Torch will then be taken by Eurostar to Paris, the next leg of the Relay, by the Drapchi nuns and Team Tibet athletes. Join them on the Eurostar and participate in the mass rally the next day when China's Olympic Torch arrives in Paris!

Contact Terry (above) for more information on the Eurostar

Organised by: Tibetan Community UK, Tibetan Community of France, Tibetan Youth UK, Tibetan Youth Association of Europe, Free Tibet Campaign, Students for a Free Tibet UK, TSG Netherlands, International Campaign for Tibet - Europe, Tibet Initiative Deutschland, France-Tibet, and Etudiants pour un Tibet Libre.

On March 24, three Reporters Without Borders’ representatives, arrested for unfurling a banner showing the Olympic rings transformed into handcuffs at the official Olympic torch-lighting ceremony, were freed on bail pending their trial, which has been scheduled for May 29 at 9:00 a.m. in Pyrgos (50 miles from Olympia).

They are charged with having “shown contempt for national symbols.” By virtue of Article 361 of the Greek Penal Code, they could be sentenced to a year in prison, and have to pay a fine.

"This is an absurd and senseless charge. By making that gesture, we were in no way attacking the Olympic spirit, or Greece. We were simply protesting against the policy being carried out in China during this period of intensifying repression. We also wanted to use the threat of boycotting the Games’ opening ceremony, an initiative we support, and encourage the International Olympic Committee to urge the Chinese government to respect human rights, as called for under the Olympic Charter," the organization asserted.

In

http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=26327

Oiça a entrevista de Jean-François Juliard à BBC:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7310000/newsid_7311100/7311125.stm?bw=nb&mp=wm&news=1&bbcws=1

CASO DESEJE MANIFESTAR O SEU APOIO AOS 3 REPRESENTANTES R.W.B.,

ROBERT MENARD, VINCENT BROSSEL E JEAN FRANÇOIS JULIARD,

P.F. ENVIE EMAIL PARA: rsf@rsf.org

ELES MERECEM !

Mais de 400 manifestantes Tibetanos presos no Nepal

Em três incidentes separados, a polícia Nepalesa prendeu hoje mais de 400 manifestantes Tibetanos em Kathmandu, nas localidades de Bouda, Swayanbhu e Jwalakhel.

Um grande número de forças de segurança foi destacado para zonas onde se encontram comunidades de Tibetanos, tendo alguns sido mesmo detidos enquanto viajavam de autocarro. 70 Tibetanos foram arbitrariamente detidos na rua.

Cerca de 240 Tibetanos foram detidos enquanto se manifestavam pacificamente e tentavam deslocar-se até à sede das Nações Unidas. Apesar de explicarem à polícia que se tratava de uma demonstração pacífica, tendo dessa forma o direito de expressar as suas opiniões, a polícia levou-os à força em carros, para diversas esquadras. Muitos manifestantes sofreram ferimentos após terem sido agredidos pela polícia. Os confrontos entre manifestantes e polícia só terminaram quando o último manifestante Tibetano foi levado.

Posteriormente, pelas 14 horas, a Amnistia Internacional- Nepal organizou um protesto de solidariedade em Maitighar Mandala (o local onde decorrem os protestos em Kathmandu) que foi interrompido pela polícia Nepalesa. Dez membros da A.I.-Nepal juntamente com outros activistas dos Direitos Humanos foram presos. Os Tibetanos que se haviam juntado à concentração e entoavam orações foram também detidos, alguns foram inclusivamente arrastados pelos cabelos até aos veículos policiais.

In

http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=20028&article=Over+400+Tibetan+protestors+arrested+in+Nepal

VEJA O VIDEO:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7310000/newsid_7311100/7311125.stm?bw=nb&mp=wm&news=1&bbcws=1

PM Polaco declara boicote à abertura dos J.O. !

Na passada sexta-feira, foram organizadas demonstrações de solidariedade para com os Tibetanos mortos pela polícia Chinesa em Lhasa, em três cidades polacas:

- Varsóvia: organizada pelo Programa Tibetano, tendo participado cerca de 800 pessoas, incluíndo Tibetanos, que entoaram orações e acenderam velas, frente ao Palácio Presidencial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24kepK7VJkQ&eurl

- Gdansk

- Lodz

Em declarações proferidas em Lodz, o Primeiro-Ministro Polaco Donald Tusk declarou que não estaria presente na cerimónia de abertura dos Jogos Olímpicos, preferindo encontra-se com S.S. Dalai Lama.

In
http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=20022&article=Polish+PM+declares+boycott+of+Beijing+Olympics+Opening

Tocha Olímpica acesa hoje entre protestos

Dois manifestantes da ONG "Reporters Without Borders", com bandeiras negras onde se viam algemas ao invés dos 5 círculos simbólicos dos Jogos Olímpicos, romperam o cordão de segurança constituído por 1000 polícias em Olympia, na Grécia, enquanto Liu Qi (chefe do Comité organizador dos Jogos Olímpicos Pequim'2008) discursava, na cerimónia em que seria acesa a tocha Olímpica.

A tocha circulará pela Grécia antes de ser enviada para a China, numa viagem que englobará 20 países, chegando a Pequim a 8 de Agosto. A rota da tocha inclui ser levada até ao topo do monte Evereste e pelo Tibete.

Em comunicado a ONG, que apelou ao boicote da cerimónia inicial dos J.O., afirmou:

"Nós não podemos deixar o governo Chinês tomar posse da chama Olímpica, sem denunciar a dramática situação dos direitos humanos no país".

Posteriormente e à medida que a chama circulava pelas ruas, manifestantes Tibetanos gritaram slogans e tornaram visíveis cartazes denunciando a repressão Chinesa sobre o Tibete.

Veja o video em

http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7310000/newsid_7311100/7311125.stm?bw=bb&mp=wm&asb=1&news=1&bbcws=1

A televisão chinesa suspendeu a transmissão da cerimónia do acendimento da tocha olímpica no momento em que os três manifestantes tentaram perturbar o discurso do chefe do Comité organizador dos Jogos de Pequim'2008. De modo a não televisonar o incidente, a televisão colocou no ar, sem explicações, imagens de arquivo do local e de uma tocha olímpica.

In
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7310654.stm

http://www.record.pt/noticia.asp?id=780286&idCanal=477

Mensagem de Tenzin Nangsyal, amiga Tibetana

Picture caption: A Tibetan protester struggles with police officers in front of the United Nations building in Kathmandu March 24, 2008.

Nepali police broke up an anti-China rally by Tibetan exiles in Kathmandu on Monday, detaining 250 protesters in the latest in a series of demonstrations. Police holding plastic shields dragged the protesters into iron-meshed vans and trucks and drove them to detention centres, witnesses said.

Witnesses said some exiles were also hurt in the scuffle.

REUTERS/Deepa Shrestha (NEPAL)

This is an outrage!
No matter what political stance Nepal takes, it is in no way acceptable that it treats other human beings like this. I strongly condemn the brutal crushing of Tibetan protesters in Kathmandu by the Nepal Police. The country may be undergoing its own political turmoil but this doesn't mean it has to treat other human beings like this.
Protests happen here in India too but the Indian Police have not resorted to such brutality as the Nepal Police. It is one thing to think about the country's foreign policy and its alliances but quite another to beat up peaceful protesters like this.
Wake up Nepal!

Tenzin Nangsyal
India

I urge all the people to forward this to as many people as possible so that Nepal government takes a more humane look at Tibetans and not treat them like unwanted.

I especially request my Nepali friends to urge their government to respect human rights.

Suíça critica silêncio do COI

O Comité Olímpico da Suíça manifestou estranheza e indignação pelo silêncio do Comité Olímpico Internacional (COI) face à repressão de que tem sido alvo a população do Tibete por parte das autoridades chinesas nas últimas semanas de manifestações.

"O COI assumiu uma enorme responsabilidade quando atribuiu a organização dos Jogos Olímpicos de 2008 à China, um tipo de opção que afecta a reputação e credibilidade dos Jogos e do próprio movimento olímpico", disse a porta-voz do COS, Claudia Imhasly, acrescentando: "Não podemos assistir aos acontecimentos sem assumir qualquer posição".

O Parlamento Tibetano no exílio acusou as autoridades chinesas de terem matado centenas de pessoas desde o início das manifestações, no passasdo dia 10, o que levou diversas personalidades a apelar ao boicote aos Jogos, um cenário que a União Europeia, por exemplo, já excluiu.

In

http://www.record.pt/noticia.asp?id=779542&idCanal=477

Poettering defende boicote se China não dialogar com Dalai Lama

O presidente do Parlamento Europeu considerou que se justificam «medidas de boicote» aos Jogos Olímpicos de 2008, que se realizam em Pequim, caso a China insista em não dialogar com o líder tibetano no exílio.

«Pequim tem de se decidir. Deve iniciar imediatamente conversações com o Dalai Lama. Mas se nenhum sinal de comunicação aparecer, então considero que as medidas de boicote se justificam», afirmou Hans-Gert Poettering.

Numa entrevista a publicar no domingo no jornal alemão Bild am Sonntag, Poettering disse que pretende que os Jogos se realizassem, «mas não com o preço do genocídio cultural de tibetanos de que o Dalai Lama fala».

O responsável máximo do Parlamento Europeu pediu ainda que a União Europeia «fale a uma só voz» no que toca à defesa dos Direitos Humanos no Tibete e frisou que o «povo tibetano não deve ser sacrificado». Apesar disto, Poettering lembrou que a «China é um parceiro importante da Europa, por exemplo na protecção do clima» e que o diálogo e a cooperação entre chineses e europeus reveste-se de um «interesse recíproco». O presidente do Parlamento Europeu já tinha defendido uma posição semelhante antes, mas, reunido na Eslovénia, na segunda-feira, os ministros europeus do Desporto rejeitaram esta ideia. Apesar de reclamada por milhares de defensores dos Direitos do Homem, a Alemanha, o Canadá e o Japão, bem como os mais altos dirigentes do mundo do desporto já recusaram esta possibilidade.

In

http://www.tsf.pt/online/internacional/interior.asp?id_artigo=TSF189789

Portadora de tocha Olímpica retira-se !

Uma das representantes da Tailândia que serviria como portadora da tocha Olímpica, retirou-se hoje da execução de tal função, em protesto relativamente à repressão Chinesa sobre os manifestantes Tibetanos.

Narisa Chakrabongse — uma das seis portadoras Tailandesas da tocha — afirmou em carta aberta que decidiu não tomar parte de modo a "enviar uma forte mensagem à China de que a comunidade internacional não poderá aceitar as suas acções (de repressão sobre os manifestantes Tibetanos.)

"A morte de Tibetanos...é uma clara violação dos Direitos Humanos," escreveu. "Tal aconteceu 2 semanas antes da tocha Olímpica partir de Atenas e 5 meses antes dos Jogos Olímpicos. E reflecte então a negligência de um sentimento mundial por parte do governo Chinês."

In
http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=19997&article=Thai+Olympic+torchbearer+withdraws+in+protest+over+China's+crackdown+in+Tibet

Detidos Tibetanos em risco de tortura e maus tratos

De acordo com a organização não-governamental Human Rights Watch, o governo Chinês deve imediatamente permitir o acesso de investigadores independentes aos Tibetanos detidos no Tibete. O governo deveria publicar os nomes de todos os detidos, bem como os respectivos locais de detenção.

Dado o longo e bem documentado historial de tortura a activistas políticos, por parte das forças de segurança Chinesas, existem todas as razões para temer pela segurança dos mesmos.

Apenas permitindo o acesso a investigadores independentes poderá a China transmitir ao mundo que os detidos Tibetanos não estão a ser torturados, nem mal-tratados.

In
http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2008/03/18/china18310.htm