Saturday, August 30, 2008

Statement of the Kashag on the occasion of worldwide fasting and prayer service on 30 August 2008


Today on 30 August 2008, the last day of the sixth month of Earth-Mouse Year in Tibetan Calendar, Tibetan Solidarity Committee appealed the Tibetans, Tibet supporters and peace loving people all over the world to observe a symbolic fasting and prayer service for 12-hours. We are immensely fortunate and grateful that His Holiness the Dalai Lama has consented to take part in person here, but due to a slight indisposition this could not happen. However, His Holiness is observing the fasting and prayer from Mumbai today and we convey our immense gratitude and respect to him.



The Kashag of the Central Tibetan Administration would like to heartily thank all the Tibetans, Tibet Supporters and those believing in non-violence who are taking part to observe this symbolic fasting and prayer service.



This activity is not a protest led by hatred, rancour and anger but by the teachings of the Lord Buddha in all the vehicles to refrain from harming others and do everything to benefit others with love and compassion, which is the essence of spiritual practice. Mahatama Gandhi has shown us with his practical demonstration that this is not only for spiritual practice but it can very well apply to the politics for the benefits of society and nations. Our effort of today symbolises that this method is effectively relevant in the post-modern world also.



Due to the consistent effort and guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to pursue non-violent methods to resolve the Tibetan issue, it has been many years that most of the Tibetan movements remained free from gross physical violence. This garnered immense support from around the world for the just cause of Tibet. Our pursuit of non-violence has not only enabled us to keep alive the Tibetan issue but also compelled the People's Republic of China to respond to our policy of rapprochement irrespective of their sincerity. However, on account of some Tibetans being not able to completely give up violence in vocal expressions and thoughts, all our efforts till today instead of achieving a genuine result, is stuck in a vicious circle. If all the Tibetans have a genuine aspiration to resolve the just cause of the Tibetan issue, we have to strengthen our commitment and reinforce the power of non-violence. It is hard to achieve any results in resolving the Tibetan cause unless anger of the Tibetans subsides. Therefore, we take this opportunity to strongly appeal to all the Tibetans and particularly to the monks and nuns to get rid of any visible hatred and anger, and make every effort to develop undiluted thought leading to the cultivation of non-violence and thereby all our physical and vocal expressions become non-violent.



By observing this symbolic fasting and prayer service if we Tibetans are able to make way to advance a step further in pursuit of our non-violent movement, it is worth observing. Otherwise, if it turns into an opportunity that arouses feelings of hatred and anger, it is then, as the saying goes, "sending ransom to the west when the demon lies in the east".



On this special occasion, we hope that the observation of fasting and prayer by numerous people around the world will help the Tibetans to do away their bad karmic action and enhance meritorious virtues. This virtue may help Tibetans to get rid of their anger and hatred towards all sentient beings, especially the PRC authorities who oppress and torture the Tibetans and instead could help us to respond to them with love and compassion. Our sincere practice of non-violence will ultimately help change the mind of the PRC authorities to more compassionate. We hope and pray that all will firmly believe in non-violence. We strongly appeal to all the Tibetans to put concerted non-violent efforts to bring natural end to the torture and persecution in Tibet.


We pay our condolence and homage to those who lost their lives and those who are imprisoned, tortured and beaten in the recent uprisings in Tibet. We pray that the lives sacrificed by the Tibetans become worthwhile and end the torture to the innocent Tibetans. We also pray and sympathise for the victims of the earthquakes in Sichuan and the one in South-western Tibet recently and the disaster caused by flood in some other part as well. We end with the prayers for His Holiness the Dalai Lama's long life and may the just cause of Tibet prevail.



The Kashag

30 August 2008


N.B. Translated from the Tibetan original

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Em Kathmandu os protestos continuam




Hoje em Kathmandu cerca de 120 manifestantes Tibetanos foram detidos, próximo do Consulado da República Popular da China.

A maioria dos manifestantes chegou num autocarro e encetou caminhada em direcção ao edifício do Consulado, onde a polícia Nepalesa já os aguardava.

No seguimento das manifestações pacíficas de Março deste ano no Tibete, o governo Chinês encetou uma política de tremenda repressão sobre os Tibetanos e ainda hoje os três principais mosteiros Tibetanos continuam fechados aos turistas e aos media. Vários são os relatos que dão conhecimento da situação de clausura vivida por vários monges Tibetanos, que vêem água, electricidade e comida lhe serem negados.

Os Jogos Olímpicos poderão ter terminado mas o assunto do Tibete ainda está por resolver.

In

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

ACÇÃO GLOBAL PELO TIBETE - 30 Agosto


A 30 de Agosto o Grupo de Apoio ao Tibete participará na acção mundial pela paz e fim das repressões no Tibete, tendo esta iniciativa surgido do governo Tibetano no exílio.
O G.T.E. lançou um apelo a todos os Tibetanos e não-Tibetanos amantes da paz e em Nantes alguns de nós ouvimos de S.S. Dalai Lama o encorajamento para a realização de tal iniciativa.

Esta acção pacífica terá lugar entre as 7.00 e as 19h00 sendo que não serão ingeridos alimentos e bebidas, à excepção de água.

A acção decorrerá em Lisboa. Brevemente mais informações.


APELAMOS FORTEMENTE À VOSSA PARTICIPAÇÃO E MOBILIZAÇÃO !

NESTA ACÇÃO GLOBAL PELO TIBETE !


In
http://www.tibet.net/en/flash/2008/0808/22B0808.html

His Holiness to join Worldwide Non-Violent Action
His Holiness the Dalai Lama will participate in a 12-hour prayer service and symbolic fasting to be observed by the Tibetans and peace-loving people around the world to reinforce their commitment to non-violence.

Dharamshala: It will be one of the most important non-violent campaign by the Tibetan Solidarity Committee to get support from the world community for world peace and fight against oppression in the world in general and particularly in Tibet.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama teaches from the text of Nagarjuna's "Treatise on the Middle Way", in Nantes, western France, on 20 August 2008.

Around the world, the synchronized 12-hour campaign will begin at 7 a.m. and go on till 7 p.m. on 30 August.

The Tibetan Solidarity Committee - convened by the Kashag and the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile - is leading exile Tibetans' activities under its unified leadership based on non-violent and Middle-Way Approach to bring an immediate end to the ongoing Chinese repression in Tibet.

The committee has appealed to the Tibetan supporters, champions of truth and non-violence around the world to join in this non-violent effort to reduce one's defilements and to create wisdom and compassion in the minds of the oppressor.

It aims to bring solace to the departed souls of all those Tibetans and who are still enduring atrocities under the brutal Chinese oppression from their sufferings, and for the truth of Tibetan issue to prevail soon.

While observing the fast, people will recite prayers to enhance the collective merits of the Tibetan and Chinese people and long and healthy life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

"We consider this as extremely important non-violent action taken by Tibetans under the leadership of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in a very critical period for Tibet, particularly the post-Olympic period," Kalon Tripa Prof Samdhong Rinpoche said.

Kalon Tripa has directed the offices of representative to reach out to Tibetan people, Tibetan supporters, peace-loving people, Tibetan associations and Chinese friends to encourage them to join the non-violent action.

A Celebration of Lies - Jamyang Norbu

As the Beijing Olympics comes to a close there are probably not many people on this planet who have not heard, read about, or witnessed the series of lies, deceptions, scams, manipulations, control-operations, and cruelties that the Communist Chinese authorities perpetrated during the Olympic Games in Beijing. In fact there were so many that it might be a good idea to list them all down since I am sure that most people have overlooked one or two, or forgotten a few, if they were noting them to begin with.

First of all we had the spectacular computer generated giant “footprints” that were “added” to television broadcast of the firework display at the opening ceremony.

Did you know that the one thousand or more massed drum-performers at the ceremony were all PLA soldiers and members of the wujing or armed police? Probably on rotation or R & R from torturing people or shooting them in the back in Tibet or East Turkestan.

Then there was the annoyingly perky nine-year-old, Lin Miaoke, portrayed as singing the “Ode to the Motherland”, while in fact she was lip-synching to a recorded version sung by a girl who was deemed less attractive, the seven year old Yang Peiyi. If he was watching this on TV the real Panchen Lama (under house arrest in Beijing) might have had a deja vu kind of moment.

Ai Weiwei, the original designer of the Birds Nest stadium, and one of the very rare Chinese of any artistic or intellectual stature who still has a mind of his own, said that “the ceremony deceived and humiliated its six hundred million spectators”. In 2007 he condemned Zhang Yimou and Steven Spiegel for choreographing the opening ceremony, and accused them of moral failure in not living up to their responsibility as artists.

One of the events in the opening ceremonies was a procession of children bearing a large Chinese flag into the stadium, each child wearing a costume representing one of China’s “ethnic minorities”. Actually the children were all Chinese. Minorities were probably considered too barbaric or too troublesome for such a task. One of them might have shouted “Bhod Rangzen!”.

Actually it could just be that there were no “minorities” left in Beijing. We know that nearly every Uighur and Tibetan had been kicked out of Beijing, not just students and visitors but even the poor amala selling trinkets at the subway station. Tsering Shakya’s neice, Lhamo Pemba, was expelled even though she was a British national and had a visa and residential permit. We also know that transient labourers, out-of town petitioners and many other Chinese had all been forced to leave the capital.

But let’s not make too much of that, after all even Joey Cheek, an Olympian Gold Medalist speed skater, and activist, had his visa revoked because he spoke out against China’s sponsorship of genocide in Darfur. If Olympic Gold Medalists can’t attend the Olympic Games then who can?

While on the subject of activists we should note that Beijing human rights activist Zeng Jinyan disappeared on the eve of the Opening Ceremony. A number of other Chinese dissidents and activists appear to have suffered the same fate including Ji Sizun, a lawyer. A friend claimed that even the telephone line in her apartment had been disconnected. They disappeared, just like that. Like the desaparecidos in South America in the seventies.

According to Reporters Without Borders, 22 foreign journalists were attacked or arrested during the Games. At least 50 human-rights activists were arrested, harassed, or forced to leave Beijing.

All Beijing hospitals were ordered to lock up their psychiatric wards. Patients were not allowed outside during the period of the Olympics. The authorities might have done this for cosmetic reasons. A New York Times report noted the absence of old people in Beijing during the Games. But there could be a direct security connection, as many hundreds (possibly even thousands) of dissidents, labour-organizers, Falun Gong members, and others have been committed to special state-run psychiatric institutions called Ankang, where according to Human Rights Watch they are treated with drugs, electric shocks and psycho-surgery (possibly even pre-frontal lobotomies) to cure them of their anti-social behaviour.

On to the actual games. There were reports that at least three Chinese gymnasts, including the gold-medalist He Kexin, were under the required age of sixteen. A computer security expert for the New York-based Intrepidus Group, performed a detailed forensic search for He’s age that confirmed the growing accusations. What is interesting is that the US Olympic Committee is not asking for an investigation. If He Kexin and other were disqualified on an age basis the US would have much to gain but it seems that no one wants to upset the Chinese hosts.

In the individual women’s competition the American gymnast Nastia Liukin had the same exact score as He Kexin but ended up with the silver due to a “very complicated voting procedure.” So complicated that no one in the public was really informed how that decision was made. The Americans kept quiet on this one also. The Bible says somewhere that “the borrower is a slave to the lender”.

Brazilian pole-vaulter Fabiana Murer said Olympic officials lost her pole during the finals at the Bird’s Nest stadium, costing her a chance to compete for a medal. She was clearly one of the likely medal winners on the basis of the heat results. Murer says she’s ‘never coming back to China’. This could have been screw-up by officials, and on the whole China’s athletes have, according to most reports, been sporting and well-behaved. Its specially admirable when you have to consider what some of them have to go through in life.

The New York Times published a couple of articles about the many professional athletes in China who were performing under compulsion. Such gold medalist as canoeist, Yang Wenjun — the son of peasant rice farmers, and Ma Pengpeng, a provincial rower from Handan City, were recruited compulsorily as children. They were deprived of an education in order that they dedicate their entire life to train for the sport that the authorities had chosen for them. There were other stories of gold medalist weight lifters dying of poverty and disease, and other washed-out athletes dumped like garbage after their usefulness to the state had ended. Another article reported on the unusually high incidence of injuries sustained by China’s athletes because of compulsory overtraining. This is not to say the West does not have it own problems with sports and athlete’s health, but the extreme degree of compulsion and state-control over the careers, even lives, of athletes is another thing altogether.

To backtrack a bit. There appears to be an on going discussion about the authenticity of the Chinese summit of Mt Everest with the Olympic torch back in May. There are serious charges that it was faked. The Chinese made sure that every foreigner, even on the Nepalese side of Everest was kicked out, including the BBC team camped out in Khumbu to cover the event. Even foreign journalists who had earlier been invited to record China’s great victory found their invitations revoked at the last moment. The Everest torch team of thirty people did not have a single non-Chinese journalist or outside observer. According to Nepalese blog, Blogdai, a most compelling evidence of the fakery seemed to come from the official footage of the alleged summit, as released to the western media. No old, faded prayer flags that mark the summit and have been known to stay in place for a few seasons or more. A complete lack of visual reference points – specific peaks, ridges and other things in the background. Climbers too chatty for the altitude, etc., etc. One theory is that the Olympic torch wouldn’t light on the summit in May, so they simply enacted the great moment for the cameras further down the mountain.

About a week into the Games came the revelation that a 21-point instruction list had been issued by the authorities to all Chinese journalists, itemizing the kinds of negative reporting they were to refrain from during the Olympics. The list was revealed at an IOC (International Olympic Committee) press conference, but the IOC spokesman denied knowing anything about this and questioned the authenticity of the list. As a part of the deal for Beijing hosting the Games the Chinese government had agreed to allow press freedom not only to foreign but to Chinese journalists as well.

We should remember that China had also guaranteed the freedom of speech to its citizens as well, for the Olympics. Everyone now knows of the infamous official “Protest Zones” that were set aside by the authorities during the Olympics, where people would be allowed to protest and demonstrate. And we also know that those Chinese who applied for permission to protest (77 applications) were not only all refused but many applicants were even arrested. But surely the decision by the authorities to sentence two frail grandmothers, Wu Dianyuan, 79, and Wang Xiuying, 77, to a one year “re-education through labour” (láojiào) for applying to protest, must be regarded as the most extraordinary of the many inhuman, heavy handed and repressive actions taken during the Olympics. AFP said that Wang and Wu would be allowed to serve their sentences at home, but would be sent to a labour camp if they caused further trouble.

Wang and the nearly blind Wu were just two of the 1.5 million men, women, and children whose homes in Beijing were bulldozed to make room for the construction of Olympic facilities and urban beautification projects. According to a Boston Globe column “To clear them out, the Geneva-based Center on Housing Rights and Evictions found, Chinese authorities resorted to “harassment, repression, imprisonment, and even violence.” Demolitions and evictions frequently occurred without due process. Many dispossessed residents were not compensated; those who were usually received a fraction of the amount” – as in the case of our two grannies.

The Boston Globe’s “China’s totalitarian games” appears to be a part of a growing expression of outrage and condemnation that the world press is finally allowing itself to make about China’s repressive and untrustworthy regime and the International Olympic Committee’s disgustingly self-serving pusillanimity. Also check out The New York Times editorial “Beijing’s Bad Faith Olympics”. Is this all just a temporary phenomenon? Will everyone just shove their snouts back in the China trough, once the novelty of moral indignation has worn off? I hope not. Perhaps this time the cracks in Beijing’s facade are just too many and too wide to be papered over that easily. If the awareness does hold, then the the IOC must, in a sense, be thanked for unwittingly performing this service for freedom and democracy. By awarding the Games to China and by allowing the Chinese authorities every opportunity to indulge in their lies and oppression, they alerted the world to the inherently deceitful and evil nature of Communist China.

In
http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=22639&article=A+Celebration+of+Lies+-+Jamyang+Norbu

Monday, August 25, 2008


“Tibetans and supporters around the world have been able to undermine China’s attempt to gain global acceptance. With their harsh treatment of protesters and foreign media in Beijing, the Chinese authorities have shown their true face to the rest of the world.” said Chime Youngdung, President of National Democratic Party of Tibet. “The end of the Beijing Olympics has given rise to a much bigger movement for the Tibetan People. We will continue our fight against injustices towards Tibetans inside Tibet,” he continued.

In
http://tibetanuprising.org/2008/08/24/intensified-chinese-crackdown-in-tibet-feared-after-olympics/#more-536

Região remota Tibetana sob tensão



Na perfeitura de Garze, soldados armados encontram-se posicionados nas estradas desta região remota dos Himalayas, a identificação dos viajantes é controlada e monges Tibetanos falam com preocupação dos líderes Chineses que os governam.
"Nós vivemos sob o socialismo Chinês" afirma um monge Budista em Kangding, capital da perfeitura de Garze, após jornalista da AFP o ter questionado acerca das afirmações governamentais Chinesas em como "a estabilidade e a harmonia" regressaram à região.

"Se as autoridades dizem que a estabilidade e a harmonia regressaram, então regressaram, porque o que vale é o que eles dizem" afirma o monge.

Os jornalistas da AFP não conseguiram avançar muito mais para além de Kangding devido à má condição das estradas e ao facto dos condutores se recusarem a transportar estrangeiros.

A perfeitura de Garze é uma área montanhosa com cerca de 150,000 km2.

Um viajante Chinês Han afirmou aos jornalistas que "parece que os miliatres se estão a preparar para ficar na região durante muito tempo." E recordando um encontro com as forças de segurança num templo relatou, "fomos forçados a sair do autocarro com espingardas apontadas, procedemos ao registo, fomos de novo encaminhados para o autocarro e seguimos viagem." O episódio traduz o procedimento de controlo de identificação dos viajantes nas estradas que conduzem aos templos, por parte da polícia e dos militares Chineses.

In

Medalhas Olímpicas de Ouro...





O President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), o Presidente Chinês Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) e Ronald McDonald foram os vencedores com direito a medalha de ouro, durante a cerimónia não oficial do encerramento dos Jogos Olímpicos, que decorreu ontem em Taipé.

Vários grupos como Taiwan Friends of Tibet (TFOT), Taiwan Association for Human Rights e Taiwan Free Burma Network organizaram uma "cerimónia de encerramento para os Jogos de Sangue" que ontem terminaram.

Membro de TFOT Yang Chang-chen (楊長鎮) afirmou que, enquanto se esperava da parte da China uma maior abertura e melhoria no seu historial dos direitos humanos, a realidade foi verdadeiramente desapontadora.

In
http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=22621&article=McDonald%e2%80%99s%2c+Ma+and+Hu+awarded+%e2%80%98Olympic%e2%80%99+golds



Saturday, August 23, 2008

Os Olímpicos de má fé de Pequim



"Os Olímpicos de Pequim ainda têm mais um dia de vida. Mas, a medalha final de ouro - pela imagem autoritária - pode seguramente ser atribuída à liderança do partido Comunista Chinês.

Pequim conseguiu o que pretendia com este espectáculo global televisivo.

Colheu grande prestígio que usará na promoção da sua influência internacional e, tememos, no aumento do controlo em casa. Colheu sem oferecer concessões em troca.

Quando aumentou a repressão - ao invés de diminuir o cerco - um brando Comité Olímpico Internacional mal emitiu qualquer protesto e a maioria dos líderes mundiais de tal foi cúmplice".


In



AMANHÃ TERMINAM OS


JOGOS OLÍMPICOS DA VERGONHA..


NO TIBETE


A SITUAÇÃO CONTINUA DRAMÁTICA..


NÃO VAMOS FICAR DE BRAÇOS CRUZADOS
E
CONTAMOS CONSIGO, PELO TIBETE !

Friday, August 22, 2008

Entrevista e Carta Aberta a S.S. Dalai Lama

As the Summer Olympics draw to a close in Beijing this weekend - in an environment of unprecedented security, repression and censorship - two prominent Chinese intellectuals, one in Beijing, and one now based in Canada, have made strong statements in support of a resolution to the Tibet situation and in support of the Dalai Lama.

In an interview entitled 'Time to reveal the truth', Ai Weiwei, the artistic consultant behind the "Bird's Nest" Olympic stadium in Beijing and one of China's most respected artists, raised his concern over China's suppression of the realities in Tibet. Ai Weiwei, who has been remarkably forthright in his condemnation of the Communist Party system since the Games began, says: "I think the Tibet issue is particularly special. Due a lack of facts and a deliberate suppression of the truth, people's understanding and powers of deduction have been impeded... I often ask why can't we have a society with no supervision or control of the media. What are we trying to hide? What kind of facts can be so dangerous?" Ai Weiwei's comments was first published in German in the newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on March 31, and were reproduced in Chinese on other websites last week. ICT's full English translation of the Chinese version is published below.

Writer Zhu Rui, who lived and worked in Tibet for several years but is now based in Canada, wrote an open letter to the Dalai Lama inspired by her experiences of witnessing the Tibetan peoples' devotion to him. In her letter to His Holiness, Zhu Rui concludes that the loss of moral values that can be witnessed throughout China "... inevitably runs counter to the Olympic spirit. The superficial prosperity cannot conceal the void within. The need to reform bad governance is a fact that has been placed before every Chinese person. If the Communist leaders continue to be arrogant and imperious on the question of Tibet and coerce and trample upon the Tibetan people, and deceive and mislead the Chinese masses, and if they continue to deny your irreplaceable value towards peace in the world and your unrivalled spiritual contributions, and adhere to the inhuman logic of 'power grows from the barrel of a gun,' then their days will come to a sudden end one not too distant dawn. There is no doubt you will return to your land! When you are reunited with the suffering Tibetan people, please extend the warm light of your benevolence to care upon the heavy sins of China's vast land."

With the kind permission of the author, ICT's translation of her moving letter to the Tibetan religious leader, dated August 8, is published in full below.

法兰克富汇报 2008 年 3 月 31 日
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, March 31, 2008.

表明真相的时刻
Time to reveal the truth

艾未未,您对过去几周在西藏所发生的事情和西方的反响如何看待?
Ai Weiwei, what is your view of the recent unrest in Tibet over the past few weeks and the reaction of the western world?

作为一名观察者,我认为,在西方和中国,双方呈现的信息在某种程度上都有错误。对于这次暴乱的起因没有深度的报道。除了互相指责以外,双方没有实质性地沟通。很遗憾,回顾有关我们的历史,很显著的一个特点是缺乏公开的讨论。我们生活在一个意识形态受严格控制的社会,尤其是牵涉到少数民族的问题。如果占据多数的汉人把少数民族当作被解放的奴隶来看的话,解决这个问题是没有希望的。现实情况要复杂得多。他们有着自己的宗教,自己的文化发展轨迹,有自己的思维方式。西藏人现在被简单地视做触犯法律的人来咒骂,我不认为这样能解决问题。这样只会加重汉人和少数民族之间的仇恨,深化他们之间的分歧。
As an observer, I think that the information presented both in the West and in China was to a certain degree incorrect. There was no in-depth reporting on the reasons behind the violence, and aside from mutual criticisms, neither side had any substantive communication with the other. Regrettably, a prominent feature when looking back on our history is the lack of public debate. We live in a society where ideology is severely controlled, especially when it touches upon the issues of ethnic minorities. If the majority of occupying Han treat the ethnic minorities as liberated serfs, there's no hope of resolving the issue. The reality of the situation is extremely complex. They have their own religion, their own path of cultural development and their own ways of thinking. The Tibetan people are now chided for being lawbreakers, but I don't think this can solve the problem. This is only going to intensify the hatred between the Han and ethnic peoples, and deepen the differences between them.

如何才能消除分歧呢?
How can these differences be eliminated?

最主要的是要真正地尊重少数民族,并承认对他们过去所犯下的过失。这次动乱无论如何,至少说明少数民族政策的失败。我们未能真正理解他们的宗教和生活方式。历史上我们毁坏了他们的寺院和造像,这是基本的事实。现在他们开始破坏房屋,攻击军民。不禁要问他们的仇恨从何而来?还是我们想要一个完全忽视他们的权利,并声称一切正常的社会?在一个民主社会,不同群体的权利和特征都应该得到尊重。这些问题理应解决。如果解决不了,就是政策的失败。必须寻求对话。仅仅以分裂祖国的罪名来指控他们,是不可行的。我们要建立一个由不同族群组成,持不同语言,有着不同信仰、生活方式和思维方式的社会,这就需要尊重、宽容、磋商和对话。
Most important is to truly respect ethnic minorities, and to admit all of the mistakes perpetrated against them in the past. In all events, this latest unrest [in Tibet] at the very least speaks to the failure of ethnic minority policies. We have never fully understood their religion and their lifestyle. Historically, we destroyed their monasteries and statues - that's a simple fact. Now they have started destroying property and they have attacked military personnel. We are compelled to ask, where did this hatred come from? Do we really want the kind of society where we completely ignore their rights but then say everything is normal? In a democratic society, the rights and characteristics of different groups are respected. These issues have to be solved. If they cannot be solved then it's a failure of policy. A dialog must be sought. To simply accuse them of the crime of splittism is not feasible. We need to establish a society in which different ethnic groups, people with different languages, different religions, lifestyle and different ways of thinking can coexist. And this requires respect, tolerance, consultation and dialog.

为什么您认为,西方也表现不妥呢?
Why, do you think, has the western world been disapproving?

如果人们带着一定的成见的话,一叶障目,就会对外界视而不见。哪里有掩饰,哪里就会有猜测和推断。我原则上认为,人们之间的误解和怨恨,国与国之间,不同意识形态之间,西方与东方,藏人与汉人之间的误解和怨恨,在很大程度上归结于遮遮掩掩、缺乏透明度和获取信息的渠道。这给社会带来很大的成本。在整个中国,这方面已经开始有所转变,但是某些领域还是由旧的结构和思维所主导。我认为,西藏问题在这方面尤其特殊。由于缺乏事实或者人为的遮掩真相,造成人们思考明辩的障碍。这是最本质的东西,但听起来有点幼稚。人们试图获取事实与经验的方式和方法,标志了不同社会的根本区别。在共产主义的开始阶段,人们尝试通过斗争来获取绝对真理。当人们争取真理的同时,对需要掌握真理的普通民众却不信任。让公众了解真相是很危险的。这是一种陈旧的思维,它关系到人们如何掌控权力。我经常反问,为什么不能拥有一个没有媒体审查和控制的社会?我们究竟要掩饰什么?什么样的事实那么危险?显然,如果多数人仅能获取片面的信息,这样会更加容易控制。信息即是权力。但是在人们做出谁对谁错的判断之前,必须要了解所有的真相。这历来都是必须的。我们从来没有这样的权利,现在是我们具有这样的权利的时候了。否则当人们回顾历史,整个世界都会将责任推卸在其身上,没有做什么可耻的事情,为什么要遮掩?我总体上认为,媒体并没有夸大其词。如果对于此没有丝毫报道,没有人观察究竟发生了什么,那才真正是破坏性的。很多中国人现在诅咒西方。这是来自于长期的宣传的结果,即西方是敌人,欺诈中国的敌人。这是偏见的后果。
If people carry preconceptions with them, they wont see the outside world clearly - "A single leaf before ones eye/ Obscures a view of all Mount Tai." Wherever there are cover-ups, there are also suspicions and speculation. I fundamentally believe that misunderstandings and resentment between people and between nations, and differences between ideologies and between east and west, and that the misunderstandings and resentment between Han and Tibetan people can to a large degree be traced back to the suppression of information, and a lack of transparency and channels for gathering information. This has been at great cost to society. Throughout China there have been some changes on this, but there are still areas which are led by these old structures and thinking. And in this regard, I think the Tibet issue is particularly special. Due a lack of facts and a deliberate suppression of the truth, people's understanding and powers of deduction have been impeded. It sounds a little naïve, but this is incredibly basic. The ways and means people use to try and acquire facts and experience denote fundamental differences among different societies. In the early stages of Communism, people attempted to acquire the absolute truth by means of struggle. While people were striving for the truth, ordinary people who needed the truth were not trusted with it. It is extremely dangerous to tell the public the truth. This very old way of thinking touches upon how people wield their power. I often ask why can't we have a society with no supervision or control of the media. What are we trying to hide? What kind of facts can be so dangerous? Naturally, if the majority of people can only get one-sided information then they're easier to control. Information is power. But before judgment can be made on who is right and who is wrong, the truth has to be understood. This has always been the way. We've never had this power before, but now is the time for us to have it. Otherwise when history is reviewed the whole world will try and put responsibility elsewhere - if nothing shameful has been done, then why should there be cover-ups? Overall, I think the media did not exaggerate. If there wasn't the slightest reporting of this and there was no one to actually see what was happening, that would have been truly damaging. Many Chinese people are now cursing the west, and this is an outcome of a long period of propaganda where the west is the enemy, the enemy who deceived China. This is an outcome of bias.

很多中国人感到好奇,为什么这么多西方人对西藏感兴趣。相反是否可以这样问,为什么这么少的中国人关心西藏?
Many Chinese are curious as to why so many western people are interested in Tibet. And conversely we can also ask: why are so few Chinese people concerned about Tibet?

在中国缺少同情弱者的习惯。弱者和伤者,在这个社会没有立足之地。这是一个成功者和实权的社会。少有同情。西方是另外一个世界,人们天然地站在弱者的立场上。许多中国人把西藏简单作为旅行目的地,观光目的地。那些来自上海或北京天真蒙昧的小资们倒是很乐意在那里度上一段时日的假期。但是他们不理解当地人,他们和当地人压根就没有实质的交流。
Customarily in China, there's a lack of sympathy for the weak. The weak and injured have no toe-hold in this society. This is a society for the successful, for the power-brokers. There is little empathy. The west is another world, where people naturally stand on the side of the weak. Many Chinese people regard Tibet as a holiday destination, somewhere to go and sightsee. These minor businesspeople from Shanghai and Beijing will happily and obliviously spend a holiday there, but they don't understand the local people and they have absolutely no qualitative interaction with the local people whatsoever.

中国的艺术界如何看待这件事情?
How do people in China's literary and artistic society view these events?

人们现在感到迷惘。我常听到人们说:是什么出错了?达赖究竟要干什么?人们陷入了迷惘状态。佛教徒理应是爱好和平的人,但看到的是他们手持匕首,焚烧旗帜,捣毁窗户,满腔怒火。但是是否有可能,让他们说出他们的想法?是否可以邀请他们到中央电视台谈谈他们是怎么想的,而不是简单的认定他们是不法之徒。我不禁要问,为什么不可以?是谁筑起了误解的高墙?又是为了什么?如果我们一直把他们视为野蛮人,有可能得到他们的理解?唯一的结果是裂痕和怨恨加深。如果想要让其他人消失,无论是在肉体还是在精神层面上,这才是野蛮血腥的。
People are confused at the moment. I often hear people ask, What went wrong? What does the Dalai want? People have been thrown into confusion. Devotees of Buddhism should be peace-loving, but they were seen with knives in their hands, burning the flag destroying buildings and filled with a burning hatred. But is there any possibility that they could speak? Could they be invited onto Central China Television to discuss what they're thinking, and to stop just simply calling them criminals? I can't help but asking why not? Who has built these high walls of misunderstanding? What are they for? If we continue to regard them as barbarians are we ever likely to be understood by them? The only possible outcome is the deepening of division and hatred. True bloody barbarism is if one wants other people to disappear, whether physically or in the spiritual realm.

2008年8月8日
August 8, 2008.

汉人朱瑞致尊者达赖喇嘛的信
Zhu Rui's Letter to the Venerable Dalai Lama

敬爱的达赖喇嘛:
Revered Dalai Lama:

我不得不告诉您,在我少年和青年时代的印象里,您是一个剥人皮,剔人骨的妖魔。仅仅这一点,也许您猜到了我是一个汉人。是的,我在中共的教育体制下长大。1997年,一个偶然的机会,我踏上了西藏之路。那一年,我第一次看见了您的照片(秘密地),您慈祥尊贵的面容,使我对中共的宣传产生了怀疑。
I have to tell you that my impression of you in my childhood and youth was that you were a flayer of human skin, a demon who picked flesh from human bones. From this point alone, you have probably guessed that I am Han Chinese. Indeed, I grew up within the Communist education system. But in 1997, I chanced upon an opportunity to travel to Tibet. That was the first time I (secretly) saw your photograph, your kind and compassionate visage, and it made me doubt the Communists' propaganda.

那一年的吉祥天母节,我早早地到了祖拉康,吉祥天母的面罩打开了,灯光里,当我仰视女神的时候,突然,我的背后响起了歌声。那是一个老人忧伤而激越的歌声。在松赞干布的佛殿前,她一边唱,一边把酒倒进松赞干布像前的酒坛里。四周的男人、女人、甚至小孩子,立刻和着老人唱了起来,警察来了,他们的歌声更加嘹亮... "是在颂赞达赖喇嘛啊!" 一位僧人悄悄地告诉我。
At the Festival of the Bodhisattva of Good Fortune that year, I went early to the Zulakang temple where the Bodhisattva's covering had already been removed, and in the light as soon as I saw her face, the sound of a voice rose behind me. It was the mournful yet excited sound of an elderly voice. There before the Songsten Gampo hall, she sang while she poured wine into a goblet in front of the statue. Men, women and even the children all around immediately joined in the singing, and when the police turned up, their voices rang ever more brightly... "They're praising the Dalai Lama," a monk quietly told me.

那天,我从旅馆里搬了出来,住进了帕廓街冲赛康一户从前的商人家里。1959年以前,这个家庭的女主人,在平常的日子里,身上的饰物也要价值三、四万人民币,现在她仅剩下了一两件换洗的衣服。连祖辈留下的老房子,也被拆迁了。换来的新房似乎比过去多了一些光线,但是,空间小了二分之一还多,又没有上下水,公共卫生间说堵就堵,忍无可忍的气味,甚至串到了帕廓街上。对中共的掠夺,这位女主人从没说过一句怨言,她在不停地说着另外的语言,声音很小,我仅能看到她的嘴一张一合。我以为她在念六字真言,希望来世更好。可是,有一天,只剩下我们俩人的时候,她看了看空无一人的窗外,说,她在为您念长寿经。
That day, I moved out of my hotel and into the former home of a merchant on the Barkhor. Prior to 1959, the mistress of this family used to wear clothes most days worth 30,000 to 40,000 renminbi, but now all she had left was two sets of clothes. The home left to her by her ancestors had been demolished. The new home seemed to be worth more, but it was less than half the size of the old one and there was no running water and the communal toilets were constantly blocked, sending their unbearable stench right out into the Barkhor street. This woman had no complaint about being plundered by the Communists, but there was something she was constantly saying, very quietly - I could only ever see her lips moving. I thought she was reciting the mantra, "Wish for a better life to come." But one day, when there were only the two of us and she saw there was no one there outside, she said she was reciting a long-life prayer for you.

1999年4月,我第二次到西藏,住在山南地区扎朗县吉汝乡日直卡村的一个农民家里。那里没有自来水,也没有电。每天早晨,家里人沉重地到河边背水,晚上,连小孩子也坐在微弱的油灯下捻羊毛。卖氆氇,差不多是村里人唯一的生活来源。我们的食物很简单,土豆,是一日两餐(不包括早餐的糌粑)的奢侈品。可是,在楼上,光线最充足的房子里,挂了一张镶着精制的镜框的您的照片,镜框的上面挂着一条长长的白色哈达。
In April 1999 I went to Tibet for the second time where I lived in the home of farmers in Rizhika village in Jiru township, Zalang county in Rikaze prefecture. There was no running water there and no electricity. At dawn each day, the family traipsed to the river to carry water and in the evenings even the small children sat around the weak oil lamp twisting wool. Selling felt was pretty much the only means of livelihood the villagers had. Our food was very simple, with potatoes for two meals a day (aside from gruel for breakfast) being a luxury. But there in the home, in the place where the most light came in, was a picture of you in an exquisite frame draped all over with long white khada.

后来,我选择了在西藏工作。作为一名编辑和记者,我有机会接触了一些在中共机关里工作的藏人,亲眼看到了他们中一些人的家里最秘密处供放的您的照片和从没有熄灭的酥油供灯。
Later, I chose to work in Tibet. As an editor and journalist I had the opportunity to meet with some Tibetans who worked in Chinese Communist Party offices, and with my own eyes saw how in the most secret places in their homes they have photographs of you and yak butter lamps that had never been lit.

是的,您不是藏人的敌人,而是藏人的父亲,是藏人慈悲和幸福的源头。是益西诺布 - 藏人的如意珍宝;是衮顿 - 永远在藏人呼唤您的时候,出现在跟前;是嘉瓦仁波切 - 至高无上的法王和最尊贵的珍宝...显而易见,中共政权不是解放了西藏,而是抢劫了西藏,不是播种了幸福,而是在制造苦难。
You are not the enemy of the Tibetan people, you are the father of the Tibetan people; you are the source of the Tibetan people's compassion and happiness. You are Yeshe Norbu, the Tibetan people's wish-fulfilling jewel; you are Kundun, who forever will appear before all Tibetans whenever they call you; and you are Gyalwa Rinpoche, higher than all kings and the most precious of treasures. And evidently, the Communist authorities did not liberate Tibet, they robbed Tibet; they did not sow happiness, they created suffering.

倾听您在美国维斯康辛洲麦迪逊的讲座,我感慨万千。那有如大海一般的佛学知识,经过您循序有致、由浅入深地阐述,奇迹般地成为雨露,滋养和清新着听众;您尽其所能地回答大家的每一个问题,关怀每一个微不足道的个体的痛苦和哀伤;尤其当有人提问有关中国和西藏的问题的时候,您总是虚怀若谷地强调中华民族优秀的一面,鼓励藏汉民族之间友好相处...和中共的邪恶、阴谋、腐败、独裁相比,您的悲悯、透明、清廉、民主,将受到时间的检验。
Listening to your lecture at Madison in Wisconsin, I was filled with emotion. An ocean of Buddhist wisdom of the greatest depth and by degree ever more complex was systematically expounded by you until it miraculously became like rain, nourishing and vitalizing your listeners; you did your utmost to answer every everyone's questions, embracing the smallest shred of individual pain and suffering; and even when someone asked a question about China-Tibet relations, with limitless patience and concern you emphasized the excellence of the Chinese nation, and encouraged friendly exchange between the Chinese and Tibetan peoples. And the Communists' evil, their scheming, their corruption and dictatorship, when compared to your compassion, your transparency, your honesty and democracy - all shall undergo the test of time.

五十多年来,中共在西藏的残酷殖民统治,挑起了今年三月遍布全藏区100多处地点从所未有的和平抗暴活动。可悲的是中共领导人不仅没有就此反省和调整治藏政策,而是居高临下地给您规定了"四不支持"为对话前提,把摆在眼前的白热化的西藏问题,变成了您个人的问题。其本质,是在掩盖甚至抹杀西藏问题。目前,西藏已成了一座大监狱。据说在拉萨,每三个人中,就有一个便衣,军队开进了最偏远的乡村,所有的外来电话(尤其国外电话),受到严密监控...
In March of this year, the Communists' cruel 50-year colonial rule of Tibet gave rise to peaceful, non-violent protests at more than 100 locations throughout all Tibetan areas. The tragedy is that not only have the Communist leaders failed to reflect upon or adjust their policies in Tibet as a result, but condescendingly they actually dictated to you that there were the "four do not supports" as preconditions to dialog, making the white-hot Tibet question a problem for you personally. Their intention is to smother and even kill off the Tibet question, and Tibet has now become an enormous prison. It's said that in Lhasa, one in three people is a plain-clothed police officer. The military has gone into even the most remote village and all telephone calls from the outside (especially foreign calls) are closely monitored...

西藏的文化博大精深,古老而又先进,我在藏人身上早已看到了它美妙的传承:虔敬,善良,感激,给予;中国五千年文化,留给汉人的是什么呢?当然不仅仅是精华。而中共政权又在淋漓尽致运用那些糟粕,束缚和扼杀藏人那独一无二的对人类绝对有益的传承!二十一世纪,当人们正在穿越国家的栅栏,共同追寻自由、民主、人权,尊崇民族文化个性的时候,这种令人发指的殖民行为,恰恰是这个世界最无法接受的肮脏物。在中国,越来越多的深刻而敏锐的知识分子,正在看穿中共,公开地表达他们在西藏问题上的独立见解,强烈地要求结束专制统治,实行言论自由和媒体开放,撤消以"分裂祖国"为罪名对您的指控,并要求以"尊重、宽容、磋商和对话的方式解决西藏问题"。
Tibet's culture is profound and extensive, ancient and progressive, and I long ago saw the beauty of its traditions in the Tibetan people: devotion, kindness, gratitude, benevolence; and what has China's 5000-year culture left the Han people? Naturally, not all of it has been exquisite, and the Chinese authorities have used those dregs in gruesome details to enslave and shackle the Tibetan people with "traditions of unique benefit to all mankind!" In the twenty-first century when people leap over their countries' fences in a common pursuit of freedom, democracy and human rights, and respect for the singularity of their ethnic culture, it is precisely such colonial behavior as this that the world rejects as a thing of filth. There are more and more deep-thinking and incisive intellectuals in China who are starting to see through the Communists, publicly expressing their own independent views on the Tibet question, demanding an end to totalitarian rule, the implementation of freedom of expression and freedom of the media, withdrawing the accusations against you of being a "splittist of the Motherland", and demanding "a resolution of the Tibet problem by means of respect, tolerance, consultation and dialog."

近三十年来的改革开改,似乎使中国出现了"大国崛起"之势。事实上,不过是"中国在加入世界潮流的同时,搭上了全球化的便车"。道德沦丧,已蔓延到了中国最偏远的乡村,作恶和糜烂成为时尚。在这种情况下举办奥运,必然与奥运精神相悖。表面的繁荣无法掩饰内在的空虚。改革恶政,已成了摆在每一个中国人面前的事实。如果中共领导人继续在西藏问题上骄横跋扈,威逼和践踏藏人,欺骗和误导中国民众,否定您在世间无法替代的和平价值和无与伦比的精神贡献,固守"枪杆子里面出政权"的反人类逻辑,其末日会在不远的一个早晨突然而至。您一定会回到您的土地!当您和苦难的藏人团聚的时候,敬请您慈悲的光芒,也眷顾罪孽深重的中国大地。
In the almost 30 years of reform and opening up, the trend has led China towards becoming a "great nation". In actual fact, it's no more than "As China enters the international mainstream, it is hitching a ride towards globalization." The loss of morality has permeated into even China's most remote villages, and evil and dissipation have become the fashion. Hosting the Olympics under circumstances such as these inevitably runs counter to the Olympic spirit. The superficial prosperity cannot conceal the void within. The need to reform bad governance is a fact that has been placed before every Chinese person. If the Communist leaders continue to be arrogant and imperious on the question of Tibet and coerce and trample upon the Tibetan people, and deceive and mislead the Chinese masses, and if they continue to deny your irreplaceable value towards peace in the world and your unrivaled spiritual contributions, and adhere to the inhuman logic of "power grows from the barrel of a gun," their days will come to a sudden end one not too distant dawn. There is no doubt you will return to your land! When you are reunited with the suffering Tibetan people, please extend the warm light of your benevolence to care upon the heavy sins of China's vast land.

愿您慈悲的航船永驻人间!
May the ship of your compassion for ever be among us!

一个同情藏人的苦难并对您怀有无限崇敬之心的汉人:朱瑞
From a Han who sympathizes with the suffering of the Tibetan people, and who has limitless respect for you: Zhu Rui.

This report can be found online at http://savetibet.org/news/newsitem.php?id=1349

ATLETA POLACO PELO TIBETE !


Szymon Kolecki, atleta Olímpico Polaco demonstrou o seu apoio pelo Tibete.

Levando para casa uma medalha de prata surpreendeu tudo e todos pelo facto de ter aparecido com cabeça rapada, uma das sugestões apresentadas pelos Grupos pró-Tibetanos através da Campanha dos Jogos Olímpicos e relativamente a formas simbólicas de protesto por parte de atletas Olímpicos de consciência.

Parabéns por tal gesto !


In
Comentário realizado pelo atleta
e enviado via email (17 Ago) pelo Tibetan Programme,
um dos Grupos pró-Tibetanos existentes na Polónia:
"This is a haircut from this morning. (..) I can't tell directly, why I decided for it. It is connected to some things that Olympic Charter not allowed me to do. But this haircut is symbolic - he added."

Governo Chinês bloqueia iTunes

iTunes a loja online de música da Apple foi bloqueada na China, na sequência do download por parte de 40 atletas do album pró-Tibete que se encontrava no site.
O album produzido pela Art of Peace Foundation e promovido pela International Campaign for Tibet, que anunciou o download de "Songs for Tibet" por parte de atletas da América e Europa, foi desta forma colocado gratuitamente à disposição dos atletas.

O album incluía cerca de 20 canções de vários artistas como Sting, Moby, Damien Rice e Alanis Morissette e foi colocado no iTunes a 5 de Agosto, três dias antes do início da cerimónia de abertura dos Jogos Olímpicos de Pequim

“We don’t know why the Chinese Government has blocked iTunes, but it seems the most logical explanation is that it is because of us. One side of my brain says it must be. The other side is just incredulous that our simple, non-violent action could have caused this.”
Michael Wohl
Executive Director
Art of Peace Foundation
In

Thursday, August 14, 2008

ITN reporter attacked and detained by Chinese police at Tibet protest

Chinese police knock-ed a British journalist to the ground and dragged him away from a pro-Tibet protest yesterday, in an incident that is sure to reopen the debate about interference with media freedom at the Beijing Olympics.

Police hauled John Ray, ITN's China correspondent, from a park less than a mile from the "Bird's Nest" Olympic stadium to a nearby restaurant, where they threw his shoes in the corner and sat on his arms, shortly after foreign protesters unfurled a pro-Tibet banner. The reporter said after his release: "I wonder how this fits in with their solemn promise of free and unrestricted reporting... it was a wrestling match.

Ray, who is fully accredited to report in Beijing during the Games, said he was detained for about 20 minutes and his equipment bag was confiscated, despite repeated protestations in Chinese that he was a journalist. He was thrown into a police van and he had bruising on his hand from where a police officer stood on it, he said.
The pro-Tibetan independence group, Students for a Free Tibet, said two of its protesters who unfurled the banner were arrested while six other members were also detained for protesting nearby. They included six Americans, an Israeli-American and a Japanese national.
Last month, the Beijing Olympic organisers said they were introducing three "protest parks" where anyone who wanted to express their opinions could do so. However, the demonstrations require approval and any protests that might harm "national unity" and "national, social or collective interests" are forbidden.
Ji Sizun, 58, who describes himself as a grassroots legal activist from Fujian province, was arrested this week after he applied for a permit to hold a protest in one of the three designated protest zones. In his application, Mr Ji said the protest would call for greater participation of Chinese citizens in political processes, and denounce rampant official corruption.
When it was awarded the right to stage the Games in 2001, China pledged to allow foreign media to report just as they would anywhere in the world, but the government has been criticised for continuing to block reports on sensitive issues, such as Tibet and Xinjiang.
The British embassy expressed "strong concern" to the Chinese authorities about the incident involving Ray. Jonathan Watts, president of The Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) in Beijing, said: "The FCC is appalled by this treatment of an accredited journalist within half-a-mile of the main Olympic stadium. We call on the authorities to return his equipment, to apologise and, if it is proved that a crime has been committed, to punish those responsible."
In

URGENTE


CAMPANHA POR
DHONDUP WANGCHEN E GOLOG JIGME



Os realizadores do documentário "Deixando o Medo para trás"- Dhondup Wangchen e Golog Jigme - foram presos logo após o envio das gravações para um local seguro, em Março 2008 e hoje, continuam presos.


Dhondup Wangchen foi detido pelas autoridades de segurança chinesas a 26 de Março. Ficou preso no Centro de Detençao de Ershilipu, em Xining (Qinghai), durante três meses. Depois foi transferido para Guangsheng Binguan, em Xining. Foi visto, pela última vez, em Guangsheng Binguan a 12 Julho 2008.



Golog Jigme, monge Budista, ajudou o seu amigo Dhondup na realização do filme. Nasceu e cresceu em Golog Serta, na região Karze da província do Kham, que fica no sudeste do Tibete (Chinês: Ganze, Sichuan). Golog Jigme foi detido no dia 23 de Março 2008. Foi visto, pela última vez, num centro de detenção da cidade de Kachu (Chinês: Lingxia, Gansu).



Apelamos à V/ participação na Campanha por Dhondup Wangchen + Golog Jigme.



Como ?

Enviando cartas acerca da situação em que se encontram Dhondup Wangchen e Golog Jigme.



A Quem ?

1 - Ao Presidente do Comité Olímpico Internacional

2 - Ao Presidente da R.P.C.

3 - Ao PM da R.P.C.

4 - Ao Ministro da Segurança Pública da R.P.C.

5 - Ao Embaixador da R.P.C. em Lisboa


Procedimento

Textos dos emails : Basta fazer "copiar" e na caixa de email, "colar", não esquecendo de inserir "nome" no fim.


1 - Texto da Carta para o Presidente do Comité Olimpico Internacional

Mr. Jacques Rogge

PresidentInternational Olympic Committee

Chateau de Vidy

1007 Lausanne

Switzerland

Fax: +41 21 621 6216


Dear Mr. Rogge,


I write out of deep concern over the whereabouts and welfare of Dhondup Wangchen and Golog Jigme, two Tibetans who have been detained by Chinese authorities since March 2008. Their alleged crime was to film Tibetans' peaceful expression of their views on the XXIX Olympic Games. Their work, the documentary film Leaving Fear Behind: Tibetans Speak on Tibet, China and the Olympics, presents a poignant picture of the hopes and aspirations of the Tibetan people. Dhondup Wangchen, from Hualong, Haidong (Qinghai) was detained by authorities on or about March 26, 2008. He was held in Ershilipu Detention Center in Xining (Qinghai), and was last seen in Guangsheng Binguan on or about July 12, 2008. Golog Jigme, a monk, from Golog Serta, Ganze (Sichuan) was detained on or about March 23, 2008. He was last seen in a detention center in the town of Lingxia (Gansu). When China made its bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games, it publicly pledged that its hosting of the games would boost the advancement of human rights. The detention of Dhondup Wangchen and Golog Jigme, flies in the face of that commitment. I urge you to use the considerable influence of the IOC to exert strong pressure on the Chinese leadership to secure the unconditional release of Dhondup Wangchen and Golog Jigme, and to ensure that they are not subjected to torture or other ill-treatment while in detention. I also urge you to ensure that all those associated with the film Leaving Fear Behind, including all those interviewed in the film, remain free and unharmed by Chinese authorities.


Thank you.

(...nome...)

Portugal



2 - Texto da carta dirigida ao Presidente da R.P.C.


President of People's Republic of China

Hu Jintao

Guojia ZhuxiThe State Council General Office

2 Fuyoujie, Xichengqu

Beijingshi 100017

People's Republic of China


Your Excellency,


I write out of deep concern over the whereabouts and welfare of Dhondup Wangchen and Golog Jigme, two Tibetans who have been detained by Chinese authorities since March 2008. Their alleged crime was to film Tibetans' peaceful expression of their views in the documentary film Leaving Fear Behind: Tibetans Speak on Tibet, China and the Olympics. Dhondup Wangchen, from Hualong, Haidong (Qinghai) was detained by authorities on or about March 26, 2008. He was held in Ershilipu Detention Center in Xining (Qinghai), and was last seen in Guangsheng Binguan on or about July 12, 2008. Golog Jigme, a monk, from Golog Serta, Ganze (Sichuan) was detained on or about March 23, 2008. He was last seen in a detention center in the town of Lingxia (Gansu). When China made its bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games, it publicly pledged that its hosting of the games would boost the advancement of human rights. The detention of Dhondup Wangchen and Golog Jigme, flies in the face of that commitment. I urge you to immediately disclose the whereabouts of these two men and to secure their unconditional release. Until they are released, please do all that is within your power to ensure that they are not subjected to torture or other ill-treatment. I also urge you to ensure that all those associated with the film Leaving Fear Behind, including all those interviewed in the film, remain free and unharmed.

Thank you.

(nome)

Portugal


3 - Texto da carta dirigida ao PM da R.P.C.


Premier of the People's Republic of China

Wen Jiabao

The State Council General Office

9 Xihuangcheng Genbeijie

Beijingshi 100032

People's Republic of China


Dear Prime Minister, (texto igual ao de cima)



4 - Texto da carta ao Ministro da Seg. Pública da R.P.C.


Minister of Public Security of the People's Republic of China

Meng Jiangzhu Buzhang

Gong'anbu

14 Dongchang'anjie

Dongchengqu,

Beijingshi 100741

People's Republic of China

Fax: 011 86 10 63099216


Your Excellency, (texto igual)


5 - Texto da carta para a Embaixada da R.P.C.


A enviar via email para: chinaemb_pt@mfa.gov.cn


Dear Mr. Ambassador,

(texto igual)


Wednesday, August 13, 2008

EMBAIXADA R.P.C. REJEITA ENTREGA DE FAIXA

Na sequência da manifestação de dia 8 de Agosto, realizada pelas 20 h frente à embaixada da República Popular da China em Lisboa, foi disponibilizada uma faixa de cartolina onde dezenas de pessoas escreveram mensagens que gostariam de enviar ao governo Chinês e alusivas ao Tibete.
Na quinta-feira, dia 7 de Agosto, contactámos telefonicamente o Sr. Fhi adido de Imprensa junto da embaixada que nos garantiu que seríamos então recebidos pelo mesmo, na segunda-feira seguinte em hora que indicaria no próprio dia 11 de Agosto, de manhã.
Na segunda-feira pelas 10h representante do Grupo de Apoio ao Tibete entra em contacto com o Sr. Fhi que se prontificou a ligar passados 20 minutos para o telemóvel da pessoa que o contactou. Tal como já havíamos informado, não foi recepcionado um telefonema da parte do Sr. Fhi.
Ontem de tarde solicitámos um serviço de estafeta para entrega da referida faixa hoje, dia 13 de Agosto pelas 10 horas. A tal hora o estafeta deslocou-se à embaixada da R.P.C., situada na R. de S. Caetano, nº 2 e tocando à campainha refere que pretende realizar uma entrega. Foi-lhe inicialmente pedido que colocasse no visor do intercomunicador o documento de entrega. Depois que colocasse o objecto no visor. Após estes dois pedidos a comunicação via intercomunicador foi interrompida, e um senhor Chinês abriu uma janela do edifício e gesticulou que não queria receber a entrega e que o estafeta se fôsse embora.
Lamentamos, sem admiração, esta falta de transparência, credibilidade e abertura da parte dos funcionários da embaixada da R.P.C., especialmente após a longa conversa telefónica mantida entre o Sr. Adido de Imprensa e um dos representante do Grupo de Apoio ao Tibete, em que este manifestava vontade e disponibilidade em realizar um encontro informal com membros do Grupo de Apoio ao Tibete.

FIM

Protesto de Tibetana em Pequim - 10 Agosto


“I’m here at the Beijing Olympics, at Tiananmen Square
People are seeing this is what’s going on, and they know exactly what’s going on.
They’ve kidnapped Tibet,
They’ve kidnapped (inaudible)
They’ve kidnapped the Beijing Olympics to demonstrate their power in front of everyone.
They claim they don’t want to politicize it, but they do.
And they’re trying to keep it locked up, keep it all under control (inaudible)
All we have… is the flag that I was trying to hold
This is my flag, this is the flag of my people
And my people… and they’re not (inaudible)
And they’re not Chinese!”
In

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Chinese troops suspected of shooting two Tibetan women

Free Tibet Campaign has received reports from a highly reliable source about the shooting of two Tibetan women on 9 August in Ngaba town in Ngaba (Ch: ABA) county.
The two women are Sonam Wangmo, 22, from Tseni township in Lower Ngaba county, who works as a waitress in a teashop, and Zhang Yeying, 28, from Gyarong (Ch: Jiarong), in Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Kham (Ch: Sichuan). They were en route to a mobile phone shop at approximately 4:30pm when shots were fired, hitting Sonam Wangmo in the arm and Zhang Yeying in the hand.
Free Tibet Campaign’s source spoke to eyewitnesses who reported hearing four or five shots and stated that the shots appeared to come from a nearby building known to be accommodating troops recently quartered in the town. Tibetans who went to the assistance of the women, reported that Chinese soldiers arrived on the scene shortly after the shots were fired. The witnesses report that the Chinese troops claimed that the firing had been a mistake. The women were taken to the Ngaba County Civil Hospital. Their present medical condition is unknown.
An atmosphere of great fear is reported in Ngaba town, where a 7pm curfew has been in effect since 1 August.
The curfew is being maintained by a five-fold increase in the number of Chinese soldiers based in Ngaba town. It is not known whether the soldiers are from regular People’s Liberation Army (PLA) units or from the People’s Armed Police (PAP). There are reports that checkpoints manned by armed soldiers have been set up on each road in Ngaba town and Tibetans registered in other towns are not being allowed in to Ngaba. The crackdown appears to extend beyond Ngaba town. Eyewitnesses report troops performing military drills (see photos below) on grassland used as pasture for Tibetan nomads from the nearby villages of Jadhe and Chushu, trampling the crops and grass. Most of the guests from the local Ngaba county government were invited to observe the exercise.
Free Tibet Campaign is unable to confirm the reason for the huge influx of troops in Ngaba town, however it is reported that the troops will be there until after the end of the Beijing Olympics, suggesting their purpose is to suppress any protests by Tibetans during the Games.
Ngaba town was the scene of a brutal crackdown by Chinese security forces in March following the outbreak of protests throughout Tibet against Chinese rule. On March 16 Chinese security forces fired live rounds into a crowd of peacefully protesting Tibetans, killing at least 13 according to eyewitnesses(1). The shooting was widely reported in the international media.
Director of Free Tibet Campaign, Stephanie Brigden, said:
“The Chinese government must launch an immediate and open investigation into these shootings.“
Gordon Brown, when he meets President Hu at the Games later this month, must seek an explanation for the military build up and restrictions in Ngaba town and he must publicly condemn the worsening human rights situation in Tibet.
Ends
Notes to Editor:

Volta'2008 - 13 a 24 Agosto

A Volta a Portugal em Bicicleta do ano 2008 será disputada entre 13 e 24 de Agosto.
Caso se encontrem nalgum destes locais, levem o Tibete convosco:
através de t-shirts e bandeiras !

13 Agosto - Prólogo - Portimão
14 - 1.ª etapa - Portimão-Beja
15 - 2.ª - Vila Viçosa-Castelo Branco
16 - 3.ª - Idanha-Torre
17 - 4.ª - Guarda-Viseu
18 - Descanso
19 - 5.ª - Gouveia-São João Madeira
20 - 6.ª - Aveiro-Gondomar
21 - 7.ª - Póvoa de Varzim-Santo Tirso
22 - 8.ª - Barcelos-Fafe
23 - 9.ª - Fafe-Senhora da Graça
24 - 10.ª - Penafiel-Felgueiras (Monte Santa Quitéria), contra-relógio individual

Monday, August 11, 2008

Tenzin Tsundue to be handed over to Kangra police from Mandi Jail

Dharamshala: Tibetan independence activist, poet and writer Tenzin Tsundue was released Monday from Mandi Jail, after spending nine days in police custody for his alleged attempt to cross over India border into Tibet to protest against Chinese rule.

Although he is now released without any formal charges for the time being, he is now being taken to Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan Government-in-exile, to be handed over to Kangra district police.

According to him, he would be presented to Kangra district’s Superintendent of Police office tomorrow morning after arriving in Dharamsala.

“As of now no formal charges have been filed against me,” Tsundue told Phayul over the phone. “But let’s see what happens after being handed over to Kangra police tomorrow,” he added.

At the time of filing this report, he was on his way to Dharamsala, accompanied by four policemen in a police vehicle.

Police first arrested Tsundue from Buntar Airport in Himachal state on August 3, after suspecting his alleged attempt to cross over into Tibet. He was taken to Kullu police station, but released the following day.

He was again picked up by police on August 4 from Mandi, and was taken to Mandi Jail, where he refused to eat or drink in judicial custody. According to him, he was then taken to Mandi Zonal Hospital on the fourth evening and approved “forced feeding” on him. After that he was again sent back to the jail.

He was formally released from Mandi Jail today around 5:00pm to be taken to Dharamsala and handed over to Kangra SP office tomorrow.Tsundue said he was thankful to local Tibetans from Mandi, Pandoh, and Riwalsar, who helped him secure his release today and even met him at Mandi Jail with fruits.

This was not the first time Tsundue was arrested for trying to cross over into his homeland. He was among the many “core” Tibetan marchers taking part in Tibetan People's Uprising Movement's “March to Tibet” that began from Dharamsala on March this year.
He, along with other marchers, was, however, prevented by Indian authorities at Dharchula, the last Indian township before the border, after walking more than 110 days.
“Forced-feeding and arbitrary detention treated on me reminded me that we (Tibetans) don’t have our country and freedom” Tsundue, who is also the General Secretary of Friends of Tibet, India, told Phayul. “But situation in Tibet is still worse” he adds.

He said he feared situation for Tibetans in Tibet would worsen once the Beijing Olympics would be over. “That makes me feel to act more, and I am determined to do that,” he said.

Tenzin Tsundue gained notoriety in January 2002 after scaling the 14th floor of the Oberoi Towers Hotel to unfurl a Tibetan National Flag and a banner reading 'Free Tibet' while the then Premier of China Zhu Rongji was addressing a business conference inside.
In 1999 Tenzin published his first collection of poems, Crossing the Border. His essay 'My Kind of Exile' won the Outlook/Picador Best Non-fiction Award.. . . . .
Friends of Tibet, PO Box: 16674, Bombay 400050, India.. . . . .
Friends of Tibet is a people’s movement to keep alive the issue of Tibet through direct action. Our activities are aimed at ending China’s occupation of Tibet and the suffering of the Tibetan people. Friends of Tibet supports the continued struggle of the Tibetan people for independence. To know more, visit: www.friendsoftibet.org
Caros Amigos,

Durante a manifestação frente à embaixada da R.P.C. realizada na passada sexta-feira pelas 20h, foi colocada à disposição dos presentes uma faixa de papel onde os mesmos escreveram messagens dirigidas ao governo Chinês e que seria entregue a um funcionário da referida embaixada hoje, segunda-feira dia 11 de Agosto.


Conforme combinado ao telefone na passada quinta-feira e com um representante da embaixada, estabelecemos hoje pelas 10h contacto com o mesmo que, tomando nota do nome e tm de membro do GAT, se comprometeu a ligar dentro de meia-hora de forma a fornecer a hora do encontro que decorreria hoje.
São 14h45 e o telefonema ainda não foi recebido.
Desta forma o GAT procederá ao envio da faixa via correio registado.
Vimos, mais uma vez, profundamente lamentar a ausência de vontade por parte da Embaixada da R.P.C. em estabelecer contacto com representantes do Grupo de Apoio ao Tibete.




Saudações

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Tibetana em protesto em Pequim

Cinco activistas pró-Tibete protestaram hoje no exterior da entrada sul da Praça Tiananmen, em Pequim.

Dois dos activistas conseguiram exibir a bandeira Tibetana, e enquanto a polícia Chinesa lhes tentava retirar as bandeiras das mãos a activista Tibetana foi vista a ser arrastada pelo chão.

Os restantes três activistas tentaram exibir uma faixa onde se podia ler "Tibetans are dying for freedom" mas foram detidos pela polícia Chinesa.
Antes da acção ter início Padma-Dolma, a manifestante Tibetana, realizou a seguinte declaração: "There are no words to describe the terrible suffering of my people at this moment – the Chinese government is relentlessly crushing the Tibetan people when they desire nothing more than the restoration of their basic rights and freedom. Tibetans are being killed, silenced and marginalized, our precious religion strangled, as the Chinese government attempts to extinguish all trace of Tibetan identity. I am protesting today to tell the world that, while it stares mesmerized at China's Olympic Games, my people are being crushed under the boot of Chinese oppression."
In
http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=22414&article=Tibetan+woman+and+four+supporters+protest+at+Tiananmen+Square

Tony Jones interviews Erping Zhang

The director of the Association for Asian Research in New York City, Erping Zhang, speaks to Lateline about the situation in China.

Transcript
TONY JONES, PRESENTER: Well, now to our guest, Erping Zhang, the Director of the Association for Asian Research in New York City. His work focuses on China's political economy, foreign policy, social change and human rights issues. In the late 1990s, Mr Zhang was the Falun Gong Movement's chief spokesman. He's addressed a range of international bodies about China, including the European Union and US Congress. Mr Zhang holds degrees from the Beijing International Studies University and from the John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University where he's also an Edward Mason Fellow. And he's in Melbourne at the moment and joins us there.
Thanks for being there Erping Zhang.
ERPING ZHANG, ASSOCIATION FOR ASIAN RESEARCH: Hi. How are you?
TONY JONES: Very good thank you. Can you tell me what you believe is at stake for China's ruling Communist Party with these Olympic Games?
ERPING ZHANG: Well, it appears clear that the Government of China has politicised the games to the maximum by, first, to unite this granting public through nationalism and through this Olympic Games. On the other hand, the use of the Games to crack down on the dissenting voices like the underground church groups and the round up of 8,000 Falun Gong practitioners prior to the games and also members of Tibetan groups and also dissenting intellectuals. So it's the most politicised Games we have seen.
TONY JONES: You say they've rounded up 8,000 Falun Gong practitioners. I mean, does anyone know if that is true, can you prove it, do you know where those people are?
ERPING ZHANG: Yes. Well, there are reports from different sources from rights groups that they were rounded up, you know, in the run up to the Games, and sent to a place that nobody knows, even the family members cannot identify the location. The similar situation occurred to the outspoken intellectuals and other, you know, pro-democracy activists.
TONY JONES: Is there any way of foreign journalists calculating exactly how many people have been detained prior to these Games?
ERPING ZHANG: It's very hard to know. That's the problem with China, because there's no transparency, and there's no, you know, free access to information, and that's why we are so concerned about the internet blockage, and also the lack of access to the general public by the foreign reporters.
TONY JONES: I'll come to the internet question in a moment because I know you made a specific study on that. First of all, we saw in the first of those reports, we saw those demonstrators last night close to Tiananmen Square, people angry enough to risk open dissent, saying that they'd been removed from their houses, their houses had been pulled down to make way for the new housing or for streets or whatever to be widened. Do you know how many people in Beijing have been affected in this way?
ERPING ZHANG: Well according to ABC American reports, of the 17 million people living in Beijing, 1.5 million, at least, have been forcefully evicted from their homes to make room for the Olympic constructions. Of course, for these people, and the other people who are disallowed to participate in the Games, it's not a very pleasant experience. For example, I saw one media report listing the 11 categories and 43 types of individuals, these are Chinese, not allowed to participate in the Games. These are the Tibetans, Falun Gong practitioners, pro democracy activists, all the hostile foreign journalists. So, this is just a very much against the Olympic charter number six, which says, you know, any form of discrimination based on gender, race, religion, politics is incompatible with it belonging to the Olympic Games, but sadly the feeble IOC is not enforcing this Olympic charter at this moment.
TONY JONES: You've written yourself, however, that the Beijing Games will be an occasion of nationalism, pride, and of hope for many Chinese. That's not a bad thing, is it?
ERPING ZHANG: It's not a bad thing. The Games itself has high ideals and high hopes, and the Chinese people deserve to celebrate this opportunity. But on the other hand we don't want the Government to utilise this sports event to politicise and set up legitimacy for themselves while suppressing the dissenting voice and also to cover up, you know, the evil doings that they've been conducting.
TONY JONES: How do you know that this exposure, the spotlight of the world to at least some degree being on China, won't lead inevitably as some people hope to a new openness, rather than entrench the regime and the one party state?
ERPING ZHANG: Well, the way it shows that this Games is highly staged and highly orchestrated by the regime. We see the big foreign sponsors, corporate sponsors, you know, spending over $US50 billion to share the limelight of the games, not pressuring the regime to open up the media, open up the society to, you know, to truly comply with the international community centres. And also we are, we see that the high security actually essentially, you know, isolate Olympic Village, become a small society in China, which has nothing to do with the true reality of society where you have, you know, 150 million floating population from the rural countryside with no jobs and you have people in labour camps and mental institutions because of political religious beliefs. And those kind of realities are not presented.
TONY JONES: There was a wave over here when it was revealed that the Chinese authorities did not intend to allow open internet access to reporters who are going to report on the Games. But of course the problem still exists, no matter what changes they make for those reporters, the problem still exists for the whole country, does it not, because of the system put in place, which I think is known as the Golden Shield, which creates instead of an internet, a kind of giant intranet. Can you tell us how that works?
ERPING ZHANG: Well starting in 2000, the year 2000, Beijing has determined that the internet is perceived to be a threat for undermining the authoritarian regime so they spend $US800 million to build up this firewall system called Golden Shield, nicknamed the Great Firewall of China. They hired over 50,000 cyber cops to monitor the online information flow. Essentially they build up three gateways between the Chinese internet and the world cyberspace in Shanghai, Chengdu and Beijing. So every information that is communicated between the Chinese internet and outside world has to go through these three gateways, so all that Beijing needs to do is filter and control the three gateways. That effectively turning the Chinese internet into an intranet.
TONY JONES: So, you say there are 50,000 basically cyber censors who work at these gateways. Is that correct?
ERPING ZHANG: Yes.
TONY JONES: What, monitoring sites the Chinese Government doesn't like, or specific information?
ERPING ZHANG: Yes, you know, with the three gateways, and a 40-plus monitoring centres throughout China, the, what happens is they filter and block information such as the websites of Tibetans, Falun Gong, the pro democracy, Taiwan, even human rights and including the name Jiang Zemin actually was blocked, who was the former head of the state. So any information that is deemed as dangerous or threatening to the regime will be blocked. It is quite effective because of the use of key word filtering; they use the domain name, redirection, connection, reset, quite a number of ways to effectively block the overseas internet information. Fortunately, according to yesterday Washington Post, there's a group called Global Internet Freedom Consortium. This group has website is called internetfreedom.org. They offer several free anti-censorship software that people can use. And actually some journalists based in Beijing are already using this software to access overseas websites and also sending secure emails. So it's highly recommended to people to use, to access, you know, the internetfreedom.org to get all this free software to operate in China.
TONY JONES: It will be interesting to see whether this interview gets censored and it appears on the internet in China, but we'll have a look at that obviously overnight to see what happens tomorrow. In the meantime, where did the technology come from to actually do this, for the Chinese Government to do this?
ERPING ZHANG: Well, thanks to the foreign conglomerates like Yahoo, Google, Cisco and Microsoft, over 300 foreign companies have signed a so-called self disciplinary pledge with the Chinese authorities meaning that they will self-censor themselves based on the content, you know, deemed as dangerous by the Beijing authorities. So the Chinese users inside China are unable to access foreign prohibited websites and there's one reporter who tried to send an email overseas and got sentenced to 10 years jail term thanks to Yahoo's email system. They provide his personal email to the Beijing authorities and this is a case that we know. But we believe there are many other people who have been sent to jail without the public awareness.
TONY JONES: The argument made by these companies is that the system, the regime, will change over time, it will become freer, and inevitably things like this internet site you are talking about, which will unscramble the censorship, will emerge in China and they'll get free access to information. Is that how you think it's going to work?
ERPING ZHANG: It's not likely because the facts speak the opposite. The people in China are still unable to access, you know, the overseas websites including the Chinese language website of BBC. Until recently only limited within the Olympic Village for the media centre. The majority of people cannot access, you know, to overseas sites and the most alarming thing is recently there was a media report in the United States, reporting that the Cisco company internal document indicates they agree to collaborate with Beijing in terms of censoring any content related to the Falun Gong websites. So that's kind of alarming because the US companies are not allowed to collaborate with foreign government in terms of such a censorship on the US soil.
TONY JONES: Tell me, we are nearly out of time unfortunately, but tell me what you think will happen inside China once the spotlight, the international spotlight goes off again. I mean, it's going to be on for this period of the Games, there'll be this period of great hope and so on. But what will happen afterwards, do you believe?
ERPING ZHANG: Well people will come back to the reality. You have the inflation rate is up 11 per cent, 7.1 per cent, compared with the past. Then you have, you know, I mentioned 150 million so-called floating populations of peasants migrating from rural area to the city looking for jobs. You have 20 million each year people looking for jobs, and plus 20 per cent of the college graduates looking for jobs and the disparity issue, you know, between the inland and the coastal residents, and then you have the disparity between the rural and the urban dwellers. So there's also social unrest factor. In the year 2005 the Government admitted there was 87,000, you know, large scale protests. That's tenfold increase compared with 1993. That's an indicator of, you know, the grass root dissatisfaction with the regime. Also, if you look at the financial sector, 70 per cent, last year probably 50 per cent of the Chinese growth come from the capital investment, FDI, foreign direct investment, so essentially an exported economy, not self sustainable over, you know, if they want to continue the 10 per cent GDP growth assured over the natural resource and energy supply domestically.
TONY JONES: Well Erping Zhang, we're out of time I'm afraid. Hopefully we'll be able to speak to you again at some point, maybe after the Games are over. But we thank you very much for taking the time to come and talk to us, a very different perspective of what's going on in China right now. Thank you.
ERPING ZHANG: Thank you.

In
http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2008/s2325003.htm
VIDEO: http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2008/08/05/2325003.htm