[Onthebarricades] Tibet Protests 3 of 3 - the global freestyle: protests in Tibet and across the world, + analysis
Andy
ldxar1 at tesco.net
Wed Aug 27 15:59:08 PDT 2008
ON THE BARRICADES: Global Resistance Roundup, April-August 2008
https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/onthebarricades
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/globalresistance/
TIBET:
* Nuns detained as protests continue in Kham - May 30
* Cop, suspect die in shootout over involvement in Tibet protests
* Monks protest against earlier detentions
GLOBAL:
* Protesters rally worldwide as Games begin
* GERMANY: Rally at Chinese embassy for minority peoples
* US: Rally for Tibet in Detroit
* UK: Protests continue as Games go on
* CANADA: Marchers take to Parliament Hill
* RUSSIA: Five arrested for Tibet protest
* GERMANY: Dozens rally in Berlin
* MALAYSIA: Falun Gong protests persecution
* JAPAN: Protests as Chinese President visits
* TAIWAN: Tibetans shave heads to protest killings
* GERMANY, US, CANADA: Amnesty International hold "human rights torch
relay"
* PHILIPPINES: Rights groups protest China
* NEW ZEALAND: Clashes at pro-China rally
* GERMANY: Protest targets Olympic sponsor Adidas
* BULGARIA: Protest over Falun Gong persecution and organ harvesting
* US: Pro-China rally targeted by Falun Gong supporters in Flushing
* US: Activists target Coca-Cola over Games sponsorship
* CANADA: Three-day protest at Chinese embassy
* US: Candlelit protest in New York
* FRANCE: Tour de France targeted for China protest
* US: Pro-Tibet "flash mob" planned in New York
* AUSTRALIA: Falun Gong organ harvesting protest
* US: Deported protesters rally on Union Square
* CANADA: Falun Gong site survives legal persecution for now
* US: 500 march to Chinese consulate in Chicago
* US: Protester climbs on consulate in San Francisco
* FRANCE: Protest on Champs Elysees
* TURKEY: Uighur protester self-immolates
* FRANCE: Journalists arrested for protesting at embassy
* IRELAND: Protesters call for end to Tibet crackdown
* INDIA: Hunger strikers arrested in New Delhi; monks storm Chinese
embassy
* Protests in Siliguri, Manali, Dharamsala, Lucknow, Andhra
Pradesh
ANALYSIS:
* The place of Buddhism in Tibetan protests
* The Uighur: "The other anti-Chinese protesters" (link)
* Protests and marketing ploys "harm Olympic brand"
http://newsblaze.com/story/20080530171153tsop.nb/topstory.html
Published: May 30, 2008
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More Than 80 Nuns Detained After Peaceful Protests Continue in Kham
Tibetan female student fired upon by troops after solitary protest calling
for Dalai Lama's return
Tibetan nuns have taken a leading role in dissent in Kardze (Chinese: Ganzi)
Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan (the Tibetan area of Kham) with two
further peaceful protests on Wednesday (May 28) and at least six more
separate protests since more than 50 nuns were detained after a bold
demonstration on May 14.
More than 80 nuns have now been detained in the unrest in Kardze, that has
continued despite the severe 'anti-separatist' crackdown in Tibetan areas
that has been upheld even since the earthquake struck Sichuan on May 12
(http://www.savetibet.org/news/newsitem.php?id=1313).
In an incident on Wednesday (May 28), a 21-year old female student, Rinchen
(or Rigden) Lhamo, was fired upon and possibly injured in the leg by armed
police after she unfurled the banned Tibetan 'snow lion' flag at the
government headquarters in Kardze, according to an eyewitness report
received by the Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD), and
other Tibetan sources. Her whereabouts is now unknown.
Senior lama Phurbu Rinpoche, head of a nunnery in Kardze County [where more
than 50 nuns were detained after they protested against the repression that
has followed the wave of protests in Tibetan areas since March 10] was
detained on May 18. Two monks from a local monastery were later taken into
custody after they held a protest about his arrest and calling for the Dalai
Lama's return.
The recent incidents in Kardze are part of a second wave of dissent since
March 10 that appears to have been sparked by the authorities' heavy-handed
response to acts of peaceful protest, and stringent 'patriotic education'
campaigns that compel Tibetans to denounce the Dalai Lama.
On May 28, three nuns of Dragkar nunnery in Kardze County, Kardze Tibetan
Autonomous Prefecture, staged a brief peaceful demonstration in the town
market square and distributed leaflets before they were detained, according
to Tibetan sources with contacts in the area. The nuns were identified by
TCHRD as 26-year old Sangye Lhamo, 26 years old from Serchuteng Township,
Kardze County; Tsewang Kando, 38, also from Serchuteng Township, and Yeshi
Lhadon, 24, from Tsozhi village, Kardze County. A Tibetan source told ICT:
"The tension heightens after each such protest, how small it may be. Word
gets around and there is an increase in the number of troops in the area."
Approximately two hours later, 21-year old Rinchen Lhamo from Thingkha
Township in Kardze left her college class during a break and, despite the
heavy presence of police in the market square due to the nuns' earlier
protest, she unfurled a Tibetan flag. The same Tibetan source, who has
spoken to several Tibetans with contacts in the area, said: "She shouted
'May His Holiness the Dalai Lama live for thousands of years; His Holiness
should be welcomed back to Tibet; freedom in Tibet; release political
prisoners'. She shouted these slogans from the top of her lungs as if these
are the last words she was going to utter." According to several sources,
she appears to have been injured on the leg after security personnel opened
fire. At least one eyewitness reported seeing blood on her body when she was
taken away.
A Tibetan source who witnessed a protest in Kardze on March 18 told the
Tibetan newspaper in exile Bod Kyi Bang Chen: "It could be that they [the
protestors, particularly referring to the monks] could not take oppression
any more. The fact that the Chinese are forcing Tibetans to denounce His
Holiness the Dalai Lama everyday makes Tibetans put their lives on the line
and protest." The same source reported that a nun in the area left behind a
letter with her relative before joining a protest in Kardze, saying: "I
cannot bear any longer the constant denunciation campaign against His
Holiness the Dalai Lama. I cannot even concentrate on my prayers. I have 500
Yuan [US$72] - give away 50 to others and keep the rest for prayer after I
die."
Since May 11, more than 80 nuns, two layperson and two monks have been
detained following at least six separate incidents of protest in different
areas of Kardze.
The Dragkar nuns' protest on May 28 was the third incident of dissent by
nuns from this nunnery in the last few weeks. Two Dragkar nuns, named by
TCHRD as Sonam Lhamo and Thubten Dolma, were detained on May 11, after
protesting against 'patriotic education'. The next day, a group of Dragkar
nuns again protested against the Chinese authorities in Kardze and ten were
detained, according to TCHRD and other Tibetan sources.
On May 14, around 55 nuns, whose names are known to ICT, from Pang Ri
nunnery in Su-ngo township, Kardze County in Kardze Tibetan Autonomous
Prefecture, staged a demonstration two days after the Sichuan earthquake.
According to Tibetan sources, including TCHRD, the Pang Ri nuns protested on
May 14 because of their distress and anger at the crackdown, detentions and
disappearances that have followed peaceful protests in different areas of
the Tibetan plateau. They were also angered by the implementation of the
'patriotic education' campaign by the Chinese authorities. There has been an
intensification of this campaign since protests swept Tibet on March 10, and
it has been particularly rigorous in areas where dissent has occurred.
According to TCHRD, the Pang Ri nuns vowed not to take part in any
'patriotic education' campaigns and said: "It is better to die than to
denounce, criticize and attack the Dalai Lama, to sign official documents
denouncing the Dalai Lama, if there is no place for us to worship and live,
let us go somewhere else or die, if the Chinese authorities kill us, let us
be killed, we have no regrets." (http://www.tchrd.org). On the afternoon of
May 14, the nuns marched peacefully towards the Kardze County government
headquarters chanting slogans including "Long live the Dalai Lama" and
calling for the Dalai Lama to return to Tibet. They were detained as soon as
they approached the building and taken away in police vehicles.
According to a Tibetan source in exile, "Police and soldiers responded
violently to the protest and the nuns were arrested on the spot, many got
severely beaten up and stains of blood were seen on the street, with nuns'
robes and shoes scattered everywhere. The nuns were seen being taken away in
trucks. People were too scared to pick up the nuns' robes for fear of being
detained themselves."
Since the protest by the Pang Ri nuns, the crackdown has worsened in Kardze
County. Even so, on May 23, two nuns in their twenties, Jampa Lhamo and
Rigzen Wangdon, held a further protest, calling for the release of political
prisoners, freedoms for Tibet, and a long life for the Dalai Lama, according
to a Tibetan monk in exile. The two nuns, from Dhargay Hardu nunnery in
Trehor, Kardze County, were detained.
Their protest follows the arrest of four nuns from Gesay Nunnery, also in
Trehor, on May 22. The nuns, Bhumo Tengah, Rinchen Jamatsang, Jamgah Dolma
and Pema, scattered leaflets which called for a free Tibet, long life for
the Dalai Lama, his return to Tibet, and the release of all political
prisoners, according to the same source. TCHRD reported that the four nuns
staged their protest outside the county government headquarters, and that
they were severely beaten after being detained.
Two days before, on May 20, three Tibetan nuns from Nyagay nunnery, also in
Kardze County, made a protest calling for greater religious freedom,
according to TCHRD, which named the nuns as Achoe, Soe Choekyi and Tashi
Yangtso. The nuns had left their nunnery in the early hours of the morning
in an attempt to avoid being stopped by security personnel on duty in the
area en route to Kardze county town.
Four days after the demonstration by the more than 50 nuns from Pang Ri, a
senior lama who was the head of the nunnery, Phurbu Rinpoche, was detained,
according to Tibetan sources in exile who received information from the
area. Phurbu Rinpoche, an incarnate lama of Trehor Kardze monastery who
lives in Dragyab village, Kardze, was taken into custody at around 4:30 am
on May 18, according to the same sources. His current whereabouts and
welfare are unknown.
Phurbu Rinpoche is a deeply respected local figure known for his work in the
community, including the building of a center for elderly people, and two
pharmacies. In addition to Pang Ri, Phurbu Rinpoche is also the head of
Ya-tseg nunnery, according to TCHRD.
(http://www.tchrd.org/press/2008/pr20080517a.html).
Nuns ordered to raise Chinese flag
According to a further source from Kardze, prior to the protest of the nuns
on May 14, the Chinese authorities had been enforcing the raising of Chinese
flags at Pang Ri nunnery and Ya-tseg nunnery. The source said that after
protests in March in Kardze: "Security personnel have ordered nuns to hoist
a Chinese flag atop the nunnery; they have asked nuns to reveal the
instigators and say that they are grateful of the Chinese government. Also,
they always ask nuns to denounce His Holiness the Dalai Lama. In return,
nuns have told officials that they cannot say that they are grateful of the
Chinese government because for five years when nuns were not able to get
enough financial backing to rebuild the nunnery, the government did not
extend any help for their difficulty. As for the protests [in March], [they
said] no one instigated any one, they all took part voluntarily."
(Translation from Tibetan, the Tibet Express, Bod Kyi Bang Chen, May 28,
2008).
Two monks from a nearby monastery, Tsitsang, were taken into custody on May
20 after protesting against Phurbu Rinpoche's detention, according to TCHRD.
The two monks, identified by TCHRD as Loyang and Tenzin Ngodup, shouted
slogans calling for the Dalai Lama's return and the release of political
prisoners, including Phurbu Rinpoche, in front of a county government
building before being detained.
Sources from Tibet also reported that nuns from Ganden Choeling nunnery in
Kardze protested on May 14, leading to the arrest of six nuns and one
layperson.
As of March 17, Kardze County had more known Tibetan political detainees
than any other county outside of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, according to
the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC)
(http://www.cecc.gov). 'Patriotic education' was stepped up in Kardze
earlier this year, even before the recent protests. Citing an official
article in the Ganzi Daily, the CECC reported that on January 8, 2008,
authorities began a pilot program which utilizes "propaganda and cultural
service kits" and "mobile propaganda banners" in select county villages
aimed at increasing anti-separatism and 'patriotic education' initiatives.
http://www.cecc.gov/pages/virtualAcad/index.phpd?showsingle=102948
Mary Beth Markey, Vice President for Advocacy of the International Campaign
for Tibet, said: "Political restrictions were in place at Kardze even before
the recent crackdown, making the personal risks taken by the nuns in
protesting at this time all the more remarkable. If Chinese hardliners ever
believed that making the veneration of the Dalai Lama an outlawed political
act would sever the bond between the Tibetan people and their lama, then the
nature of the protests in Tibet this spring continues to prove them wrong."
Eyewitness testimony of March 18 protest in Kardze
An eyewitness source told the Tibetan newspaper Bod Kyi Bang Chen about the
aftermath of a demonstration in Kardze on March 18. He said: 'Initially [on
that day] ten monks protested in Kardze County [town], followed by three
nuns and a young man named Sergah.
The protest had just happened when I reached the market, and Chinese police
were disposing of small pieces of paper that were scattered everywhere. I
did not see what was written on the paper, but others told me that the words
on the paper read: 'His Holiness the Dalai Lama must be welcomed back to
Tibet soon.' Police had sealed off the area, but blood stains were still
visible on the street. They say it belonged to the young man, Sergah. The
three nuns and Sergah were beaten to the point where they couldn't move and
than thrown on to a truck as if they were bags of luggage - it is difficult
to tell whether they were alive nor not. In the crackdown, police kicked the
heads of monks and other protestors [who were on the ground] and plastic
bags were shoved in their mouths to gag them.
"Since then, 10 to twenty armed soldiers roam in the street everyday. Aside
from guns, they carry other weapons to quell or control people. When they
happen to come across a group of monks or nuns they immediately become
suspicious and point guns at them." (Translated from Tibetan, Bod Kyi Bang
Chen, May 28, 2008).
International Campaign for Tibet
judythpiazza at newsblaze.com
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D90BV2P00&show_article=1
Policeman, Tibetan riot suspect die in shootout: Xinhua+
Apr 30 12:08 AM US/EasternWrite a Comment
BEIJING, April 30 (AP) - (Kyodo)—A police officer and a suspect accused of
organizing Tibetan antigovernment riots in an ethnic Tibetan area of
northwestern China died in a gun battle, state media reported, indicating
that unrest is continuing in China's Tibetan areas.
The shooting began when several police officers went to arrest the suspect
in Dari County in Qinghai Province, the official Xinhua News Agency reported
late Tuesday.
Xinhua said the suspect was tracked down to an unnamed location in Dari on
Monday and the shooting began when he resisted arrest.
The policeman, named Lama Cedain, died of his wounds early Monday, according
to the report.
The unnamed suspect was alleged to have incited herders in the area to take
part in a riot on March 21.
Foreign journalists and independent observers are barred from Tibet and
parts of neighboring provinces, where riots and antigovernment protests
erupted in March, so there is no means of verifying the police report.
Meanwhile, state-run media reported Tuesday that 30 people convicted of
taking part in the riots in Lhasa on March 14 were given jail terms ranging
from three years to life imprisonment.
U.S.-based Human Rights Watch released a statement late Tuesday saying the
Tibetans had not received a fair trial as the evidence was given in secret
and Chinese human rights lawyers offering to represent Tibetan suspects were
warned off and threatened with disciplinary action by the legal authorities
in Beijing.
Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, said, "The
Chinese authorities have so restricted the defendants' rights that the
hearings are no more than a rubber stamp. This isn't fair and transparent
justice. It's political punishment masquerading as a legal process."
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said Tuesday that all cases concerning
the riots in Lhasa are dealt with according to the law. "Those who break
Chinese law should be punished by law," she said.
Another U.S.-based advocacy group, the International Campaign for Tibet,
released a statement late Tuesday quoting witnesses as saying that sporadic
antigovernment protests are continuing in Tibet and neighboring provinces,
despite a massive security clampdown.
These include a protest by monks and nuns at Mozhu Gongka in Lhasa on April
12, it said.
http://www.newscloud.com/read/China_Said_to_Arrest_100_Protesting_Monks?skipSplash
o China Said to Arrest 100 Protesting Monks
Via New York Times at 11:46 pm Apr 4, 2008
o As many as 100 Tibetans were arrested in northwest China on
Thursday after they demonstrated against the earlier detention of monks from
a nearby monastery, witnesses and a Tibetan human rights group said Friday.
Local residents reached by telephone on Friday said that the police beat and
arrested people at an open-air market in Tongren, a town in Qinghai, a
western province bordering Tibet, after they refused orders to leave.
http://www.theledger.com/article/20080808/news/808080370
Protesters Rally Worldwide as Games Begin
Demonstrations focus on China's record on human rights.
By JENNIFER QUINN
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: Friday, August 8, 2008 at 10:50 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, August 8, 2008 at 10:50 p.m.
LONDON | A protester set himself on fire outside the Chinese Embassy in the
Turkish capital and thousands of Tibetan exiles took to the streets in
Nepal, as anti-China demonstrations occurred worldwide to coincide with the
start of the Beijing Olympics.
By the end of the day Friday, protests that had begun in Asia also were
taking place in London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.
In Ankara, a demonstrator suffered second-degree burns after setting himself
on fire during a rally by several hundred ethnic Uighurs, officials said. He
was identified as a 35-year-old from Turkey's local Uighur community, an
ethnic minority in China seeking independence or greater autonomy.
In Katmandu, Nepal's capital, thousands of Tibetan exiles demonstrated at
the Chinese Embassy, shouting, "China, thief: Leave our country. Stop
killing in Tibet."
Police forcibly dispersed the protesters, some of whom tried to storm the
embassy, police official Ramesh Thapa said. More than 1,000 people were
detained for violating a ban on demonstrations - the largest number of
Tibetans detained in a single day in Katmandu.
In India, more than 2,000 protesters marched in Dharmsala, a northern hill
town that is home to the Tibetan government-in-exile and the Dalai Lama,
Tibet's spiritual leader.
In China, three Americans who planned to hold Tibetan flags during the
opening ceremony were detained by police as they traveled to Beijing
National Stadium, Students for a Free Tibet executive director Lhadon
Tethong said. Police did not confirm the incident.
While the spectacle of the opening ceremonies was broadcast on large screens
in London's Trafalgar Square, the Chinese Embassy was the focus for
protesters railing against the country's treatment of people in Tibet,
Sudan, Zimbabwe and Myanmar.
In San Francisco, Buddhist monks holding up the Tibetan flag and chanting
led between 200 and 300 protesters bearing banners across the Golden Gate
Bridge on Friday. The crowd, clad in yellow, drew honks and the occasional
"Free Tibet" cheers from passing tourists.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3545274,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
07.08.2008
Protestors Rally in Europe on Eve of China Olympics
Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Tibetans, Uighurs and
Mongolians protested in front of the Chinese embassy in Berlin
A day before the Olympics open in Beijing, protestors demonstrating for
human rights rallied in front of Chinese embassies in several European
cities with the exception of France where authorities banned protests.
In Berlin, demonstrators representing Tibetan groups, Uighurs, Mongolians
and the Falun Gong spiritual movement gathered in front of the Chinese
embassy on Thursday, Aug 7, waving flags and holding banners.
The protest was one of a series of events planned in several European cities
on the eve of the prestigious Olympic Games to draw world attention to
China's continuing human rights violations.
Protests were planned in Lisbon and in Porto in Portugal, candle vigils were
planned in several Swiss cities and one in Norway, while in London the Free
Tibet campaign was to hold a protest in front of the Chinese embassy on
Friday.
France bans protests outside Chinese embassy
In Paris, authorities banned rights groups from demonstrating outside the
Chinese embassy on Thursday and Friday.
News agency AFP reported that a ruling ruling sent to media watchdog
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) bans "all gatherings" from Thursday at 7:00
am (0500 GMT) to Friday at midnight (2200 GMT) within a fixed perimeter
surrounding the Chinese embassy and consulate.
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Human
rights activists have criticized Sarkozy's final decision to attend the
Olympic opening ceremony
RSF had called for a rally outside the embassy at 1:00 pm Friday, to
coincide with French President Nicolas Sarkozy's arrival in Beijing for the
three-hour-long Olympic opening ceremony.
The media watchdog has challenged the ruling in court, with a decision due
Friday at 10:30 am, AFP reported.
RSF head Robert Menard voiced outrage at the demo ban, saying similar
rallies were allowed to go ahead in six other European countries.
"Does this mean that it is the Chinese embassy that decides who has the
right to demonstrate in Paris?" he asked.
Rowdy protests by activists angry at China's crackdown in Tibet seriously
disrupted the Olympic flame's Paris leg in April, with images of the chaotic
event provoking a wave of anti-French protests in China.
"Games of repression"
In Berlin, demonstrators tried -- and failed -- on Thursday to hand over a
petition signed by 10,000 people calling for greater human rights in China
organised by a local non-governmental organisation.
According to the Goettingen-based human rights group, Society for Threatened
Peoples, the diplomatic delegation would not grant an appointment, despite
multiple requests.
By handing over the petition the organization wanted to once against
demonstrate against the increasing persecution of ethnic groups and
religious communities.
The Society for Threatened Peoples' secretary general, Tilman Zülch, told
German news agency DPA the Olympics would not be a “Games of Peace” for
Tibetans, Uighurs, Mongolians and Falun Gong members.
“They’ve already suffered too much repression in the past months for that,”
he added.
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Some
have compared China's carefully-orchestrated Games to the 1936 Olympics in
Nazi Germany
Zülch also told news agency DDP that the Olympics in China were “comparable
with the games from 1936 in Berlin,” when Nazi Germany hosted the sporting
event.
“These aren’t the games of openness and friendship, but rather the games of
repression,” he said, adding that China was a ruled by a totalitarian regime
that committed human rights abuses.
China has painted the Games as a celebration of three decades of economic
reforms and hopes the event will showcase a rapidly modernizing country.
More than 1,000 Tibetans missing, groups say
Some 100 participants took park in the demonstration in Berlin which couldn’t
take place directly at the embassy due to police barriers. They held up
banners with Chinese characters written on them, expressing their hope for
improvement of human rights.
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:
Protestors in Berlin wanted to highlight the mass arrests and persecution of
Tibetan groups, Uighurs and Falun Gong members
The protestors also took lit torches, emblazoned with the Olympic rings, and
put them out in giant tubs of water. With this symbolic gesture, the
demonstrators wanted to make clear that Beijing has failed to honor the
promises made leading up to the games to better human rights in the country.
According to human rights organizations, more than 1,000 Tibetan were taken
into custody during the unrest and mass arrests in March 2008 and are still
missing.
More than 1,500 Uighurs have been arrested in recent weeks for political
reasons, and members of the Falun Gong sects have been victims of torture
and murder. 3,160 of them have meet grisly deaths while in the custody of
the security forces, they say.
Germany-wide "protestival"
Pro-Tibet groups are planning to hold Germany-wide demonstrations in order
to call attention to the constant violations of human rights in China.
Over the next 17 days, some 50 campaigns are planned to take place in 30
different cities, including Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt.
One group of Tibet activists plan to hold a “protestival” at Berlin’s
landmark Brandenburg Gate to call attention to the “ongoing bad human rights
situation” in the Chinese-controlled province.
Germany's human rights commissioner, Guenter Nooke who has been in the
Chinese capital since Tuesday, said on Thursday that the decision to let
Beijing host the Games has failed to improve the human rights situation in
the country.
Planning for the Games has improved the mood of the city and brought new
construction but the ruling party still tolerates no criticism or press
freedoms, Nooke told news agency AP.
http://www.humanrightstorch.org/news/2008/05/11/human-rights-activists-in-detroit-protest-chinese-government/
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-mi-china-protest,0,2826259.story
Human rights activists in Detroit protest Chinese government
Filed under: USA, Headlines, Torch Relay News | May 11th, 2008
3:32 PM CDT, May 10, 2008
Associated Press
DETROIT - About 40 human rights activists marched downtown to protest what
they call human rights abuses by the Chinese government or those supported
by it.
Jeanmarie Lunsford is a spokeswoman for the Human Rights Torch Relay, which
has held similar demonstrations in other cities in advance of the Summer
Olympics in Beijing. She tells The Detroit News that Saturday’s protest was
directed against China’s government, not the Olympics.
The group accuses China of human rights abuses including a government
crackdown on the Falun Gong and protesters in Tibet, support for corrupt
regimes in Darfur and Myanmar and persecution of Christians, lawyers and
others who oppose the government.
China has launched a massive nationwide security campaign to head off
possible protests, terror attacks and any sort of disorder that could
tarnish its staging of the Olympics, a source of prestige and huge national
pride.
http://www.nowpublic.com/world/amidst-golds-and-glory-tibet-protest-continue-3
Amidst golds and glory Tibet protest continue
by Teacher Dude | August 17, 2008 at 07:12 am | 58 views | add comment
Amidst an upsurge in nationalism brought on by the British Olympic team's
continuing success media criticism of China's on going crack down on Tibetan
protesters has faded from TV screens and front pages. However, Tibetans in
the UK have continued their attempts to keep the issue of Chinese repression
in what Beijing calls the Tibetan Autonomous Region in the public eye.
Yesterday Tibetan and British demonstrators marched from the Chinese embassy
in London to Downing Street, the official residence of the British prime
minister, Gordon Brown, where they handed in a petition calling upon Brown
to urge Beijing to halt its bloody crack down inside Tibet and find a
peaceful solution to the issue of the country's future.
In Bristol, south west England protestors held their own mock Olympics in
the centre of the city in order to bring attention to a side of modern
China, the communist regime would rather the world forgot at a time when the
country is hosting the Games.
Tibetan forced to flee their country told of their struggle to protets and
the reprisals they risk from the Chinese police for even the most beneign of
protest gestures such as putting up posters. Tashi, who fled to neighbouring
Nepal in 2007 and then England told of his own personal story when he
narrowly escaped arrest for protesting the Chinese occupation of his
country. His friend, whowever, was not so lucky and was caught and has not
been heard from since.
Nor is this an isolated incident, according to Amnesty International more
than 1000 protestors arrested during protests earlier this year in Lhasa and
other parts of Tibet have not been accounted for. Amnesty International's
Asia-Pacific director sam Zarifi was reported as saying that the situation
in Tibet was "a dire picture of arbitrary detentions and abuse of
detainees".
Despite making commitments to the IOC when winning the Olympic Games in 2001
to improve its human rights record China has continued to harrass, arrest
and detain critics of its regime. Most recently, Independent Television News
reporter John Ray was detained and reportedly physically abused by Chinese
police for trying to cover a Free Tibet protest near the Olympic Bird's Nest
stadium. Similarly, Tibetans protesting in Bristol spoke of China failing to
live up to their pre - Olympic commitments concerning press freedom in Tibet
itself, saying that the level of repression had increased in the run up to
the Games and that contact with the country had been made extremely
difficult for those living outside Tibet.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2008/08/16/6472001-sun.html
Free Tibet protest takes to Hill
Murray takes the plunge
By AEDAN HELMER, SUN MEDIA
The Ottawa Sun
A massive pro-Tibet march snaked its way from Parliament Hill through the
downtown core yesterday, before storming the Chinese Embassy.
About 200 Tibetan expatriates and supporters were bused from Toronto,
Montreal and Belleville to the capital, where they were joined by the Ottawa
chapter of Students for a Free Tibet.
The group chanted pro-Tibet slogans and marched amid a heavy police presence
from the Hill to the United Nations building on Albert Street, before
massing outside the embassy.
Maude Cote, a 28-year-old Montreal lawyer who was recently deported from
China after organizing a demonstration in Tiananmen Square, said human
rights abuses in China and Tibet have worsened since the start of the
Beijing Olympic Games.
"People in China have been imprisoned for doing the same thing that I did,"
she said. "Chinese dissidents have been pre-emptively detained in the leadup
to the Games. This is why we decided to go and take action for Tibet and for
human rights in China."
HOLLOW PROMISE
Cote said China's pledge to address concerns over its human rights record
has been a hollow promise.
"While the world is watching the Games, and while China is putting on such a
show, backstage so many people are suffering. So many people have been
imprisoned to prevent peaceful protest from happening during the Games," she
said.
Tsering Lama, national director of Students for a Free Tibet, said protests
would continue long after the Olympic spectacle comes to an end.
"The victory is being here on the streets and making the Chinese government
hear us," she said. "Our religion is different from the Chinese, our respect
for nature is different. There's no way the Tibetans can be assimilated into
China. All the government can do is put a bunch of Chinese people in Tibet
to try to overwhelm us, but I don't think they realize how strong our
resolve is."
Yesterday's protest was peaceful, as Ottawa police and RCMP tactical units
guarded a barrier erected around the Chinese Embassy.
"We work to ensure individual rights of demonstrators are respected in a
peaceful manner, as well as ensure public safety and the safety of
demonstrators," said RCMP Cpl. J.J. Hainey.
Police asked a lone pro-China demonstrator to remove a large Chinese flag
from his car and vacate the area to avoid a potential clash.
DAILY VIGIL
Lama vowed protests would continue at the Chinese consulate in Toronto,
where Students from a Free Tibet hold a daily vigil.
The group has also staged six protests in Beijing and one in Hong Kong to
date.
Another demonstration is planned in Ottawa to coincide with the Olympic
closing ceremonies on August 24.
http://news.indiainfo.com/2008/04/26/0804260235_russia-protest.html
Five arrested in pro-Tibet protest in Moscow Saturday, April 26, 2008 02:21
[IST]
Moscow: Russian police quickly crushed today a demonstration in support of
Tibet outside the Chinese embassy in Moscow, arresting five people moments
after the protest began.
Around twenty demonstrators held up a Tibetan flag and a banner saying "Stop
Killing Civilians" and distributed leaflets that denounced "the bloody acts
that continue in historical Tibet" before armed anti-riot police broke up
the protest.
An AFP journalist was briefly arrested during the protest before being
released.
"We want them to stop spilling blood," said Yulia Bachinova, one of the
organisers of the demonstration.
Russia has said that China's violent clampdown on protests in Tibet is not
an international diplomatic issue but rather an internal matter for the
country to resolve.
Source : PTI
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/04/20/europe/EU-GEN-Germany-Tibet-Protest.php
Dozens in Berlin protest Chinese crackdown on Tibet
The Associated Press
Published: April 20, 2008
BERLIN: Dozens of protesters in Germany's capital staged a rally Sunday to
protest China's crackdown on Tibet, with marchers carrying Tibetan flags and
pictures of the Dalai Lama.
The peaceful crowd was made up of German residents and exiled Tibetans who
carried banners denouncing violence in the region, along with pictures of
the Dalai Lama, who is scheduled to visit Germany in May.
Many of those marching called for talks between Tibet and China's
government.
"I think it is important that one supports dialogue rather than the
violence," Kai Mueller, of the Tibet Initiative, told Associated Press
Television News. "It is an important motto and I think it is important that
the Chinese realize that the Tibetans are open for dialogue."
Beijing has blamed recent violence in Tibet, which broke out March 14, on
the Dalai Lama and his supporters. China said 22 people died in rioting in
the Tibetan capital, Lhasa.
The Dalai Lama's government-in-exile has denied any involvement in the
violence and has said that more than 140 people were killed in the
government crackdown.
Sunday's protest started in front of the Chinese Embassy and wound its way
toward Berlin's iconic Brandenburg gate.
http://en.epochtimes.com/news/8-4-21/69548.html
Falun Gong Protests Against Intensified Persecution Ahead of Olympic Games
By James Chow
Epoch Times Malaysia StaffApr 21, 2008
Zhang ZiJian reads out statement in front of local and international media
outside the Chinese embassy. (The Epoch Times)
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia�Falun Gong practitioners demonstrated outside the
Chinese embassy on Friday morning, raising concerns of intensified
persecution of the group in China by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) by
using the Olympics as justification.
Thirty local and Chinese Falun Gong practitioners carried banners and read
statements outside the embassy in an event covered by many major local and
international media. The banners read "Falun Dafa is Good", "Release Falun
Gong Practitioners: Liu Guo Rong, Li Zhi Hong, Zhang Guo Tong", "Protest
CCP's Unlawful Arrest of Falun Gong Practitioners".
The protest spokesperson, 24-year-old Chinese student Ms. Li ChiYue, said
the CCP has intensified the persecution of Falun Gong ahead of the Olympics
game.
"We want the CCP to stop using the Olympic Games as excuse and reason to
continue persecuting Falun Gong practitioners," said Li.
Li ChiYue describes how the CCP is intensifying the persecution of Falun
Gong because of the Olympic Games. (The Epoch Times)
Li further explained the intensified arrests and persecution of Falun Gong
in China is because the CCP does not want the truth to be exposed in front
of the world.
Falun Gong practitioners protest outside Chinese embassy in Malaysia. (The
Epoch Times)
According to statistics from Clearwisdom website, from January 1 to March
11, 2008 (71 days), there were 1,878 arrests in 29 provinces, cities, and
autonomous regions.
Jia Jia, a Chinese Falun Gong practitioner studying in Malaysia, said that
her parents in ChangSha City, Hu Nan Province, were illegally kidnapped by
police on March 25th, 2008.
"This is a difficult time for me. I have to stand the pressure alone, I have
lost my financial support, and I haven't heard from them since the illegal
arrest," said Jia Jia.
Another Chinese Falun Gong practitioner Zhang ZiJian said that his father
Zhang GuoDong was arrested in Wei Hai, China on 11th October 2007. His
mother was told by the police that she can only visit Zhang GuoDong after
the Beijing Olympic game. Zhang said that the CCP is increasing the
persecution because of the Beijing games.
"We appeal to international communities to help save Falun Gong
practitioners in China; we also strongly protest to the CCP to release them
immediately," said Zhang.
The protest took place ahead of the Olympic torch relay in Kuala Lumpur on
April 21. The fear of interruptions by protesters in the Kuala Lumpur torch
relay has focused Malaysian's attention on CCP's severe human rights
violations.
However, Li ChiYue said the Falun Gong group will not protest during the
torch relay. Li said they are waiting for the CCP to fulfill their Olympic
promise made in 2001, to improve the human rights conditions inside China.
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/05/06/japan.tibet/index.html?eref=rss_world
May 6, 2008 -- Updated 1725 GMT (0125 HKT)
Hundreds protest as Chinese president arrives in Japan
Story Highlights
It was the first state visit by a Chinese president in nearly a decade
Hu is in Tokyo as a state guest in a sign of warming relations
Tibet is a thorny issue between the two nations
TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- Hundreds of pro-Tibet demonstrators protested in Tokyo
on Tuesday as Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived for the first state visit
by a Chinese president in nearly a decade.
Hundreds of people protest the arrival of Chinese President Hu Jintao in
Tokyo on Tuesday.
The president arrived to the sound of applause and well-wishes from
supporters while protesters demonstrated a few miles away, in downtown
Tokyo. They shouted "Free Tibet!" and carried signs that said "The Genocide
Olympics."
Tibet is a thorny issue between the two nations, but Japan has indicated it
is encouraged by weekend talks between Chinese officials and envoys of the
Dalai Lama. Protesters said those talks are not enough and urged stronger
action.
"Most Japanese people are angry with China," said a protester who declined
to give his name. "But (Prime Minister Yasuo) Fukuda is not listening to our
voices."
Hu is in Tokyo as a state guest in a sign of warming relations between the
two nations. Japan hopes to discuss global warming, food safety and oil
exploration in the East China Sea.
Hu is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, the Japanese
emperor and business and political leaders.
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUST397420080508?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
Campus protests as China's Hu courts Japan public
Thu May 8, 2008 7:45am EDT
08 Aug 2008
By Yoko Kubota
TOKYO (Reuters) - Chinese President Hu Jintao, on a symbolic visit to cement
warming ties with Japan, urged the two Asian powers to look to the future as
partners not rivals, but protests outside even as he spoke suggested some
bumps ahead.
Hu wants to build goodwill after a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo
Fukuda, when they agreed to focus on cooperation after years of rancor over
Japanese wartime aggression.
In a speech at Tokyo's elite Waseda University, Hu touched on Japan's
1931-1945 invasion and occupation of part of China, saying the "unfortunate
history caused not only great misfortune among Chinese people but also great
suffering for the Japanese people.
"To remember history is not to nurse hatred, but to use history as a mirror
and look forward to the future. Cherish peace, safeguard peace, let Chinese
people and Japanese people be friends generation by generation," Hu said to
applause, in a speech broadcast live on Japan's NHK public television.
Hu lavished praise on Japan, expressed admiration for the hardworking
Japanese and urged the two countries to "recognize each other's development
objectively and accurately and consider each other as partners for
cooperation, not rivals ... not as threat, but an opportunity."
Both leaders want Hu's visit to be a success -- Fukuda because of low
support ratings that could force him from office and Hu because he wants to
shake off international pressure over unrest in Tibet that could mar the
Beijing Olympics in August.
But even as Hu spoke, about 200 protesters waved signs outside the
university gate saying "Free Tibet" and "No Pandas, No Poison Dumplings",
the latter referring to Hu's offer to lend two pandas to a Tokyo zoo and a
row over Chinese-made dumplings laced with pesticide that made several
Japanese people ill.
RIVAL RALLIES
Sino-Japanese ties chilled during Junichiro Koizumi's 2001-2006 term as
Japanese prime minister, when he outraged Beijing with his visits to
Yasukuni Shrine for the war dead, seen in much of Asia as a symbol of
Japan's past militarism.
They have since improved, and experts said the main purpose of what is only
the second state visit by a Chinese leader was to cement a shift to
friendlier ties by the Asian rivals, closely linked by trade and investment
despite rows over the past.
"The fact that the visit is taking place is an achievement," said Andrew
Horvat, a professor at Tokyo Keizai University.
Many ordinary citizens in both countries, though, are wary of the other
nation, while anti-Chinese feelings among some Japanese have been stirred by
Beijing's reaction to Tibetan unrest.
"I just want to say 'Free Tibet'. I want to say 'No' to China's oppression
of human rights," said 29-year-old Atsushi Hanazawa, who carried a guitar
along with a Tibetan flag.
Some Waseda students were more concerned about getting to class. "I can't
get through the gate. It's a pain," said 18-year-old Takuhiro Waki of the
protest.
About two dozen right-wing activists yelled anti-Chinese slogans such as "Hu
Jintao, Go Back to China". Earlier, some right-wing Waseda alumni protested
against Hu's speech in a blog.
Nearby around 50 Chinese students held their own rally, yelling "Go, China"
in Chinese, "Sino-Japanese Friendship" in Japanese, and "Yes, We Can" in
English.
"When I hear the anti-Chinese slogans, I feel that the Chinese people's
character has been maligned," said 28-year-old Chinese graduate student Cao
Shunrui.
But he added that the leaders' summit was positive. "The most important
thing is moves to understand each other," he said.
"VERY STRATEGIC"
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang dismissed the
protests as the actions of a small handful of individuals that would "not
stop the development of China-Japan relations and won't undermine the
China-Japan friendship".
Hu is also seeking to convince his own skeptical citizens that the two
nations should draw closer, and on Thursday he stressed that his country had
much to learn from Japan.
The latest stage of Hu's trip, which lasts until Saturday, began with
breakfast with former Japanese prime ministers.
Koizumi did not attend.
Hu later shed his suit jacket to play ping-pong at Waseda with popular
players from both countries, but Fukuda, 71, declined to pick up a paddle.
"I'm glad I didn't play ping-pong with him," Fukuda told reporters. "He's
very strategic. I thought you can't be too careful."
(Additional reporting by Chris Buckley, Teruaki Ueno and Chisa Fujioka in
Tokyo and Lindsay Beck in Beijing; Writing by Linda Sieg; Editing by Alex
Richardson)
http://www.taiwanheadlines.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=117394&CtNode=39
Tibetans in Taiwan shave heads to mourn dead protesters
05/04/2008 (CNA)
Taipei, May 4 (CNA) Fourteen Tibetans have shaved their heads in Taipei to
mourn an estimated 200 Tibetan protesters who died in China's bloody
crackdowns March 14.
The head-shaving -- a Tibetan tradition to mourn the loss of family members
or relatives -- was part of an initiative by India's exiled Tibetan
community launched in April, said Rinzin Tsering, the chairman of the
Taipei-based Taiwan Tibetan Welfare Association that organized the event,
Saturday.
The drive was aimed at highlighting a non-violent campaign led by the Dalai
Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, to seek human rights and freedom
in Tibet, Rinzin noted.
In a show of support for the campaign, over 5,000 people worldwide have
shaved their heads, including Tibetan children and Youdon Aukatsang, a
member of the India-based Tibetan parliament-in-exile, Rinzin said.
According to the association, Tashi Tsering, a Tibetan protester who was
arrested by police immediately after attempting to disrupt the Japan leg of
the torch relay for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has received legal assistance
from a Japanese lawyer.
Meanwhile, two other Tibetan groups in Taiwan held a mass funeral service in
Taipei Saturday to pray for the souls of those Tibetan victims who rose up
against the brutal Chinese rule in Tibet.
At the service, Dawa Tsering, chairman of the Tibet Religious Foundation of
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, cited the Tibetan-government-in-exile's
estimates that more than 200 Tibetans were killed in the March 14 protests.
The violence was the worst since the 1989 protests.
Dawa added that more than 5,000 Tibetans were arrested for their involvement
in the March protests and are now being abused by the Chinese government.
Thirty of the Tibetan protesters, including six monks, were sentenced to
jail terms ranging from three years to life in prison April 29, marking the
first sentencing of Tibetans by the Chinese government, Dawa pointed out.
The court rulings have also raised concerns about whether the Tibetans
received fair trials, Dawa said.
Describing the dead Tibetan protesters as "brave, " Own Su-jei, a Taiwanese
and deputy secretary-general of the Taiwan Tibet Exchange Foundation, said
at the service that they had sacrificed their lives to preserve Tibet's
culture, religion and traditions.
Some 300 people, including Tibetan monks and other Tibetans, Taiwanese nuns
and local residents, took part in the Buddhist service. (By T.C. Jiang)
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1403255.php/Amnesty_begins_protest_torch_run_in_Germany
Amnesty begins protest torch run in Germany
May 3, 2008, 10:55 GMT
Freiburg, Germany - Amnesty International began its own torch relay through
Germany on Saturday to draw attention to what it described as human rights
breaches in China.
The run, organized by university students, was set to last several weeks and
pass through 25 German cities, starting Saturday in Freiburg im Breisgau in
Germany's south-west.
It was modelled on the Olympic relay for this summer's Beijing Olympic
Games. Pro-Tibet protests accompanied the official relay.
The human rights group said the flame would reach Berlin on July 13. Germans
would be invited to sign a petition to Beijing, asking it to carry through
on a promise to improve its human rights at the time the games were awarded
to Beijing.
http://wnyt.com/article/stories/s429627.shtml?cat=300
Posted at: 04/30/2008 05:38:30 PM
By: Bill Lambdin
Print Story Email to a Friend
Human rights torch lit during Capitol protest
ALBANY - Human rights demonstrators rallied Wednesday at the state Capitol.
They put forward an alternative to the Olympic torch currently making its
way around the world.
One of the demonstrators was Tenzin Norgay. He was born in Tibet and lived
out of the country for many years before returning in 2004.
"It was crowded with Chinese soldiers, Chinese immigrant workers and
prostitutes. Monasteries were basically empty. Temples and shrines that used
to be the center of daily Tibetan lives were nothing but museums for
tourists," Norgay said.
In addition to widespread complaints that Tibet's national identity and
religious practices have been squashed by the Chinese government,
demonstrators on the steps of the state Capitol complained unsanctioned
religions and philosophies within China have been repressed, often brutally.
Anne Li says her relatives in China are being punished because they
practiced
"My mother and my aunt were arrested and now they are under house arrest at
my aunt's house in China," Li said.
The actual Olympic torch has been drawing anti-Chinese government
demonstrations at many locations during its world tour. The closest stop to
here was San Francisco, where it was met with protests and forced to reroute
under tight security.
Demonstrators lit their own torch in Albany and conducted a ceremony in
support of human rights.
Demonstration organizers estimate 100 million Falun Gong practitioners are
being persecuted in China. They warn some "prisoners of conscience" are
having their internal organs forcibly removed and sold.
http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8247688
Protesters to bring "human rights torch" relay to Albany
Associated Press - April 30, 2008 3:15 AM ET
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Activists looking to focus attention on human rights
abuses in China before the August Olympic games in Beijing will bring a
"human rights torch" relay to Albany today.
The relay's organizers include members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement,
which China's government has banned as a dangerous cult, and the Tibetan
Youth Congress.
The Human Rights Torch Relay describes itself as a global grassroots effort
to raise awareness of the Chinese communist regime's human rights abuses.
Among other things, it denounces China's crackdown in Tibet and the
underwriting of genocide in Darfur.
The relay, which follows the Oympic torch relay route in some areas, plans
to traverse six continents, 40 countries and 150 cities.
Supporters plan to light the torch at noon on the state Capitol steps and
march to Albany City Hall.
http://en.epochtimes.com/news/8-5-20/70858.html
Calgary Human Rights Torch Relay Protests Chinese Regime's Abuses
By Dane Crocker and Neil Campbell
Epoch Times Calgary StaffMay 20, 2008
Relay host Caylan Ford and human rights torch bearer Carrie Gilkison. (Jerry
Wu/The Epoch Times)
CALGARY�Continuing its trip around the world, the Human Rights Torch Relay
(HRTR) arrived in Calgary Monday, bringing with it the message that "The
Olympics and crimes against humanity cannot coexist in China."
Initiated by the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong
(CIPFG), the HRTR is a global grassroots campaign to press for an end to
human rights atrocities in China before the Olympics in August.
Representatives from a handful of non-governmental organizations joined the
relay at the outdoor plaza by City Hall, and entertainment was provided by
local musicians.
Host Caylan Ford stressed that the point of the relay was not to be divisive
but rather out of respect for the Chinese people, conveying a hope that
China could take a positive role on the world stage.
However, she said the Chinese communist regime is blocking this kind of
development with its ongoing human rights violations against groups such as
Tibetans, Uyghurs, Christians, Falun Gong practitioners, journalists,
lawyers and democracy and human rights advocates.
MLA Dr. David Swann emphasized the need for people to take a stand against
human rights abuses wherever they occur. (Jerry Wu/The Epoch Times)
Guest speaker Dr. David Swann, MLA for Calgary-Mountain View, emphasized the
need for people to take a stand against human rights abuses wherever they
occur.
"It is also true that we are all responsible at some level for violations of
human rights, for all that is needed for evil to triumph is for good people
to do nothing. We are all responsible for violations of human rights when we
remain silent. So this is a call to each one of us."
Winston Liu, a graduate student at the University of Calgary, came to
Calgary in 2005 to escape religious persecution in China. Liu practices
Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline which follows the principles of
Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) outlawed Falun Gong in 1999, since then
carrying out an unprecedented level of persecution against the group. Liu
spoke of his ordeal in China.
"During the time I was confined in the detention center� the mental torture
I endured was worse than the physical abuse� The police told me directly
that they would try to drive me insane if I continued to practice Falun
Gong� Toward the end of my [sentence] my hair turned grey and I was on the
verge of mental collapse."
Liu added that his wife was sentenced to 12 years in prison for the crime of
"downloading Falun Gong materials" from the internet.
Liu also said he underwent "extensive medical exams" while in prison.
Allegations surfaced two years ago that Falun Gong practitioners jailed in
China were being murdered for their organs which were in turn sold at high
prices, mainly to foreign transplant tourists.
A man who appeared to be unaffiliated with any media group taking pictures
not of the event or guest speakers but of relay supporters and coordinators.
(Jerry Wu/The Epoch Times)
These allegations have since been confirmed in Bloody Harvest, a report
co-authored by former MP David Kilgour and Winnipeg-based human rights
lawyer David Matas.
Kevin Chazotsang, spokesman for the Tibetan community in Calgary, talked
about the history of the CCP's repression of the Tibetan culture and people.
It is estimated that over one million people have been killed in Tibet as a
result of the China's policies in the region.
"Freedom of speech is non-existent in Tibet and in most parts of China, so
we have to be ten times as loud here in Canada to speak for those who can't
speak for themselves," he said.
Other speakers were Giao Pham, a representative of the Vietnamese community
and Lu Decheng, the Chinese democracy activist who spent over a decade in
prison for throwing paint-filled eggs at Mao's portrait in Tiananmen Square
during the 1989 student demonstrations.
While Ford reiterated that those present were not against the Chinese people
but only wanted to raise public awareness of the CCP's human rights crimes,
nonetheless a small group of Party supporters tried to disrupt the event.
Two Chinese men approached the gathering, shouting profanities and making
obscene hand gestures while attempting to fight with relay supporters and
guests.
But order was quickly restored after five members of the Calgary Police
Service bicycle team broke up the shoving and escorted the two troublemakers
from the plaza. They left the scene without being detained.
Police talk to two men who tried to disrupt the rally by shouting
profanities and making obscene hand gestures and attempting to start a fight
with relay supporters and guests. (Jerry Wu/The Epoch Times)
Rally organizers also spotted a man in the crowd sporting a high-powered
Nikon camera with a professional lens. The man, who appeared to be
unaffiliated with any media group, was taking pictures not of the event or
its guest speakers as other media were � he was instead focusing on relay
supporters and coordinators.
After an organizer approached the man and asked him if he was there on
behalf of the Chinese consulate, the man left.
When the Chinese Spectacular played in Calgary in April, consulate officials
attempted to pressure the local Chinese community into not attending or
supporting the cultural show, telling people, among other threats, that they
would be refused passports if they wanted to return to China.
HRTR is calling on China to release all prisoners of conscience and end the
persecution of Falun Gong, Christians, lawyers, reporters and "all who have
become prisoners of the Olympics as a consequence of China's pre-Games
whitewash."
HRTR condemns the arrest of close to 2,000 Falun Gong practitioners since
January 1 and China's support of the regimes of Sudan, Burma, North Korea
and Zimbabwe.
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSMAN32169520080430
Philippine group protests rights abuse in China
Wed Apr 30, 2008 3:22am EDT
MANILA (Reuters) - Dozens of Philippine activists held a mock Olympic torch
relay parade outside the Chinese consulate in Manila's financial district on
Wednesday, protesting against what they called political repression in
China.
Carrying placards saying "No to Political Harassment", the protesters
marched behind a man in running gear and holding a symbol of an Olympic
torch, but were blocked by a group of anti-riot police officers outside the
consulate building.
"We hope that the Chinese government will really address issues of internet
censorship, arrest of peaceful protesters, as well as summary execution,"
Aurora Parong, a leader of the Amnesty International chapter in the
Philippines, told reporters.
"We would like to appeal to the Chinese government to choose human rights as
a legacy of the Beijing Olympics."
Some legs of the Olympics torch relay have been marred by protests in
Athens, Paris, San Francisco and Nagano in Japan.
Thousands of Australians joined a pro-Beijing rally to drown out anti-China
protests while pro-China supporters clashed with some South Korean
protesters in Seoul.
In Hong Kong, authorities have barred would-be Olympic torch parade
protesters as several groups, including "Free Tibet" activists, are aiming
to protest as the torch passes through the territory on Friday.
(Reporting by Manny Mogato; editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Jeremy
Laurence)
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/philippines/2008/05/01/154413/RP%2Dsees.htm
RP sees China abuses protest
Reuters
Thursday, May 1, 2008
MANILA -- Dozens of Philippine activists held a mock Olympic torch relay
parade outside the Chinese
consulate in Manila's financial district on Wednesday, protesting against
what they called political repression in China.
Carrying placards saying "No to Political Harassment", the protesters
marched behind a man in running gear and holding a symbol of an Olympic
torch, but were blocked by a group of anti-riot police officers outside the
consulate building. "We hope that the Chinese government will really address
issues of internet censorship, arrest of peaceful protesters, as well as
summary execution," Aurora Parong, a leader of the Amnesty International
chapter in the Philippines, told reporters. "We would like to appeal to the
Chinese government to choose human rights as a legacy of the Beijing
Olympics."
Some legs of the Olympics torch relay have been marred by protests in
Athens, Paris, San Francisco and Nagano in Japan. Thousands of Australians
joined a pro Beijing rally to drown out anti-China protests while pro-China
supporters clashed with some South Korean protesters in Seoul.
In Hong Kong, authorities have barred would-be Olympic torch parade
protesters as several groups, including "Free Tibet" activists, are aiming
to protest as the torch passes through the territory on Friday.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4499625a6479.html?source=RSSdominionpost/localnews_20080428
Protesters clash at rally to back China (+video)
NZPA | Monday, 28 April 2008
Scuffles broke out between pro-Tibet campaigners and supporters of China and
the Beijing Olympics at a rally in Auckland's Aotea Square.
View video: Pro Chinese rally ends in scuffle
An estimated 3000 Chinese supporters filled the square yesterday afternoon,
waving flags and singing patriotic songs during the two-hour rally.
It was believed there had not been such a big gathering of Chinese people in
New Zealand for 10 years.
Some of the crowd became aggressive, taunting four protesters holding
Tibetan flags during the rally. It was the second demonstration in support
of China and the Olympics in two days.
Yesterday, several hundred Chinese people took to the streets of Wellington
to support their country in its hosting of this year's Olympics. The
protesters, mostly Victoria University students, said they were upset at
perceived media bias in the reporting of human rights issues in China and
the strife between China and Tibet.
They denied the Chinese Government was behind the march. "Oh no, no, this is
all student-made," one protester said. "Support China, support Chinese,
support Olympics," she chanted.
Yesterday, the Olympic torch arrived in South Korea on the latest leg of its
world tour, with demonstrators vowing to disrupt its run through Seoul,
which hosted the 1988 Olympics.
About 8000 riot police have been deployed to guard the flame, along with
about 100 officers with marathon- running experience to follow the torch
relay in shifts.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3325643,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
09.05.2008
Activists Stage Olympics Protest at Adidas Meeting
Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: "Clean Clothes Campaign"
activists protested against the exploitation of low-pay labor
Activist groups staged protests during the annual shareholders meeting of
sportswear giant Adidas on Thursday to protest the German company's
sponsorship of the Beijing Olympics.
Media rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) gained the right to
attend the shareholders' meeting in the central German town of Fuerth by
buying shares in the company.
RSF called company executives to consider the implications of its brand
being linked with human rights violations in China.
"Adidas has a moral responsibility," said RSF executive officer Elke
Schaefter.
Adidas chief executive Herbert Hainer said he took human rights very
seriously, according to the text of his speech at the meeting.
He nevertheless criticized human rights organisations as "moralists who just
emit rhetoric."
The Paris-based RSF used the same tactic in order to attend the annual
general meeting of Coca-Cola last month in the United States. The company is
also sponsoring this summer's Olympics.
Business or politics?
The CEO of the International Campaign for Tibet in Germany, Kai Mueller,
said Adidas should work on improving human rights in Tibet.
The Adidas chief, however, said that his company was combining profitable
growth with social and environmental responsibility.
"I don't think that what's going on in China is good," Hainer said. "But
Adidas has nothing to do with it."
Earlier this week, the brand with the three stripes reported a big jump in
profits for the first quarter of 2008, driven by double-digit growth in
sales.
Net income attributable to shareholders increased 32 percent from the same
period a year ago to 169 million euros ($260 million), the company said in a
statement.
First-quarter sales in Asia increased 25 percent on a currency-neutral
basis, driven by particularly strong growth in China and Korea, the company
said.
In addition to sponsoring the Olympic Games in Beijing, Adidas will be
represented at this year's European soccer championship to be held in
Austria and in Switzerland, as well.
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=95309
Protest against Repressions in China Staged in Sofia
20 July 2008, Sunday
"Olympics and crimes against humanity cannot exist simultaneously in China,"
reads the poster. Photo by Nadya Kotseva (Sofia Photo Agency)
Demonstrators staged a protest against repressions of human rights in China
during the official send-off ceremony for the Bulgarian Olympic athletes in
Sofia on Sunday.
Protesters called for end of the repressions against practitioners of Falun
Gong and spread a report into allegations of organ harvesting of Falun Gong
practitioners in China.
Falun Gong is a spiritual practice that was founded in 1992 and has millions
of followers in China. It has sets of meditation exercises and seeks to
develop the human character according to the principles of Truthfulness,
Compassion, and Forbearance.
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=95959
Bulgarians Stage Protest Rally Before China's Embassy in Sofia
9 August 2008, Saturday
Dozens of Bulgarians took part Saturday in rally before the Chinese Embassy
in Sofia protesting against the human rights abuses and censorship in the
People's Republic of China. Photo by BGNES
Several dozens of persons from the Bulgarian Falun Dafa Association, the
Bulgarian Organization for a Free Tibet, and the Bulgarian Helsinki
Committee took part in a protest rally before the Embassy of the People's
Republic of China in Sofia on Saturday.
The participants in the initiative protested against the media and Internet
censorship in China and insisted that detained 80 detained journalists be
freed, and that foreign media be allowed free access to the investigation of
certain cases, mostly regarding human rights abuses.
The protest is part of the initiative of the Reporters without Borders
organization, which has called for massive protests before Chinese Embassies
all over the world during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, is a Chinese spiritual practice
founded by Li Hongzhi in 1992.
It was banned by the Chinese government of Jiang Zemin in 1999 after ten
thousand of its follower protested human rights abuses, and has been
prosecuted in China ever since.
http://en.epochtimes.com/news/8-6-1/71261.html
Tables Turned on Pro-Communist Protesters in Flushing
By Evan Mantyk and Cary Dunst
Epoch Times StaffJun 01, 2008
Chen Yonglin, who defected from his position as first secretary at the
Chinese Consulate-General in Sydney in late May 2005, calls the Flushing
incidents "one of the CCP's biggest diplomatic scandals since its
establishment as a regime." (The Epoch Times)
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01, 2008
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31, 2008
FLUSHING, New York�The Flushing Chinatown was host to close to 1,000 Falun
Gong practitioners Saturday as members of the spiritual practice and
supporters rallied to encourage the area's Chinese community to quit the
Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The event, which featured triumphant marching-band style music and speakers
from pro-democracy groups, sent a clear message to the community that the
CCP is responsible for recent disruptions in Flushing and that
Chinese-language media's claims that Falun Gong practitioners oppose Sichuan
earthquake relief donations are groundless. Meanwhile, across the street,
close to a dozen Chinese people protested against Falun Gong practitioners,
apparently for criticizing the regime that rules their motherland.
The scene stood in stark contrast to the situation in Flushing two weeks ago
when as many as 500 local Chinese gathered in an angry mob around 20 Falun
Gong practitioners who regularly staff the Service Center for Quitting the
CCP in a public area.
In a recorded phone conversation obtained by The Epoch Times , New York
Chinese Consul General Keyu Peng admitted to having incited the mob to
disrupt, intimidate, and attack Falun Gong practitioners in Flushing.
"It's actually only a small group of Chinese who support what the CCP is
doing. The majority know it is wrong and support Falun Gong in opposing the
CCP," said Wei Jingsheng, a prominent Chinese pro-democracy activist, in his
speech at the rally.
"After all, why did Chinese people come here to the United States in the
first place? To get away from the violence of the CCP. What Falun Gong is
doing I applaud. They represent all Chinese people," said Wei.
Many Chinese-language media outlets, which are known to be either directly
owned or influenced by the CCP, initially carried heavy coverage of the
anti-Falun Gong protests.
For full coverage of the Flushing disturbances please see
CCP Incites Flushing Mobs
Their reports claimed Falun Gong practitioners at the Service Center for
Quitting the CCP, "do not care about the victims of the Sichuan earthquake,"
and "do not love China." Their reports also claimed that Falun Gong
practitioners had disrupted donations for Sichuan earthquake relief.
"They told lies about Falun Gong not supporting the earthquake victims, but
Chinese people know the truth," said Chairman of the China Peace and
Democracy Alliance Tang Baiqiao in his speech at the event.
Tang, as well as other speakers, highlighted the CCP's reluctance to inform
the public about warnings it had received from seismologists before the
Sichuan earthquake on May 12 that has killed at least 70,000 people. Tang
and others also spoke of the poor construction of school buildings� often
referred to as "Jell-O buildings"�that led to a large number of children
being killed during the catastrophe.
"They build Jell-O buildings for schools and then no warnings were properly
given to the people, despite the government knowing of the earthquake," said
Mr. Zhisheng, who is also a member of the China Peace and Democracy
Federation.
"I feel that people withdrawing from the CCP will eventually save more lives
than the rescue workers could," he said.
http://en.epochtimes.com/news/8-6-23/72282.html
Activists Protest Olympics Sponsors
By Joshua Philipp
Epoch Times New York StaffJun 23, 2008
VOICES HEARD: Human rights activists protest Coca-Cola, one of the sponsors
for the Beijing Olympics.
Olympic Corporate Sponsors' Position on Human Rights Questioned (Exclusive
NTDTV Video)
NEW YORK�As the Beijing Olympics grow closer, calls for human rights grow
louder. On Friday, activists gathered with signs and megaphones to protest
Coca-Cola, one of the sponsors of the Beijing Olympics, for failing to
address China's ties with the genocide in Sudan, Darfur.
The protest was held outside the Coca-Cola headquarters on Fifth Ave. in
Manhattan. According to organizers, similar protests took place across the
nation against such Olympics sponsors as Swatch, Volkswagen, and General
Electric.
The protest focused on the fact that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) not
only provides weapons to the Sudanese government, but is also Sudan's main
financial advisor, and advocates for them in the United Nations Security
Council. China has leverage over the government of Sudan, which it can use
to possibly end the genocide in Darfur, protesters argue.
The protest of Coca-Cola took place to ask the Olympic sponsor to call on
China to help end the genocide in Darfur, which the U.N. has estimated has
cost over 300,000 lives. The CCP "has the most influence, the most sway over
Omar Hassan Al Bashir, the dictator from Sudan," said Jeremy Taylor, 43, a
filmmaker who joined the day's protest. "Sudan also exports 80 percent of
their oil to China."
"Coca-Cola sponsored the 1936 Berlin Nazi Olympics," added Taylor.
"Coca-Cola is sponsoring the 2008 Chinese Communist Party Olympics. That's
what we're doing here."
Ellen Freudenheim, the director of corporate outreach for Dream for Darfur
talked about why she feels the Olympics sponsors have done so little in
approaching China about the genocide in Darfur.
"They don't want to do it because they're afraid of risking the ire of the
Chinese government, because they want those 1.3 billion Chinese to buy their
products. Something stinks about that, something is wrong about that," said
Freudenheim.
"We want them to use their leverage and their connections in China to make
it known to the Chinese government that the world is watching, that genocide
is not business as usual, and that it isn't acceptable in the 21st Century,"
said Freudenheim.
http://en.epochtimes.com/news/8-6-22/72267.html
Tibet Activists Hold Three-day Protest Outside Toronto Chinese Consulate
By Matthew Little
Epoch Times Toronto StaffJun 22, 2008
Chinese democracy activist Sheng Xue speaks to Tibet supporters outside the
Chinese consulate on Saturday. Activists held three days of events outside
the consulate while the Olympic Torch made its way through Tibet. (Matthew
Little/Epoch Times)
TORONTO�While the Olympic torch was run through Lhasa on Saturday, half a
world a way supporters of human rights in Tibet lined the street four-people
deep in front of the Chinese consulate in Toronto from Friday to Sunday.
Some of the Tibet supporters were Chinese democracy activists, some were
Falun Gong practitioners, others were just people that wanted to see human
dignity respected in the mountainous Tibetan region.
In the crowd was former Tibetan Buddhist monk Kunga Chodak, who fled China
in 1997 because he could no longer bear to have his prayers censored or see
his fellow monks disappear.
"We don't know where they are," he said. "If they are dead or alive�we don't
know."
In some places, like Kaza Kam monastery, in East Tibet, Chodak says a temple
that once had over 300 monks now has only 30.
"We don't know how many people died," he said.
This year two of his cousins in Tibet were killed but the Chinese military
refuses to release their bodies and allow the family to give their lost ones
a proper burial, he said.
Although Chinese authorities say that Tibetan Buddhists can practice freely
in the region, Chodak says prayers are tightly controlled and any
acknowledgement of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, is prohibited.
"If I pray 'long live the Dalai Lama' they put me in jail."
A Tibetan demonstrator walks in front of the Chinese consulate with a
placard around his neck showing Chinese military shooting Tibetans with
exploding bullets. (Matthew Little/EpochTimes)
Some at the rally described how the communist regime locked Lhasa down and
conducted a tightly scripted Olympic torch run through the city.
"They had a tonne of security," said Tsering Lama, National Director,
Students for a Free Tibet Canada. "They just closed off the area."
Other speakers described how the spectators of the torch run in Lhasa were
hand picked by Chinese authorities. People not picked were warned to stay
away.
"The slogan of the Beijing Olympic Games is 'one world, one dream," said
exiled democracy activist Sheng Xue. "But so many people in this world do
not enjoy the dream. For them it is an endless nightmare."
Xue went on to speak of Tibetans being jailed for having pictures of the
Dalai Lama, Tibetan nuns being tortured and raped in prison, refugees
fleeing Tibet and nearly freezing to death crossing the Himalayas, child
workers from Lianshan toiling 18 hours a day and girls being forced into
prostitution and other victims of China's communist regime.
Xue urged people to stay away from the Games and not participate in what she
described as a "bloody banquet." Although she sympathized with athletes who
were eager for their once in a lifetime opportunity to compete, she insisted
such a choice should be tempered by a deeper respect for human rights.
"Human rights always, above all."
http://news.indiainfo.com/2008/07/30/0807300949_dalai.html
Candlelight protest against repression in Tibet Wednesday, July 30, 2008
09:39 [IST]
Dharam Shourie
New York: People in several countries are expected to light a candle on
August 7, the eve of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics in a
campaign organized by Unity Network to protest against repression in Tibet
and for freedom of mankind.
The organizers said "Sad Smoky Mountains" teams will fire flares with red
smoke from skyscrapers, monuments and major buildings and from the summit of
a hundred mountains synchronizing with the opening of the Olympics in the
action called "The Greatest Light Protest on Earth."
The organizers called on people attending the opening ceremony to light
candles, lighters and flashlights to coincide with entrance of the Chinese
delegation into the Olympic arena and asked motorists to drive with
headlights on August 8.
They named 14 countries, including the United States, Britain, Germany, the
Philippines, Greece and Brazil where the protests would be held.
The organizers said the Dalai Lama has endorsed the campaign and quoted his
representative Tsering Tashi as expressing the hope that the campaign would
inspire the Chinese authorities to appreciate the value of freedom for all
mankind and the importance of Tibetan Buddhist culture which has the
"potential to serve all mankind."
The Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile, he said, are not against
the Beijing Olympics. "We are also not against the Chinese people, who also
do not enjoy genuine human rights and freedoms that the people in the free
world take for granted," he added.
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2008/28/c7830.html
Olympic campaign protest greets Tour de France arrival in Paris
MONTREAL, July 28 /CNW Telbec/ - With less than two weeks to go to the
start of the Beijing Olympic Games, a large flag showing the Olympic rings
as
handcuffs was unfurled today by members of Reporters Without Borders in the
Tuileries Garden in Paris as the Tour de France cyclists went by on the last
leg of the annual bicycle race.
"The support shown by the Parisian spectators for our protest is
evidence
of the exasperation that sports lovers feel about the human rights situation
in China and Tibet," Reporters Without Borders said. "With just 12 days to
go
to the 8 August opening ceremony in Beijing, we appeal to sports fans to
protest against the crackdown on free speech activists in China."
The Olympic rings turned into handcuffs are the symbol of the Reporters
Without Borders Beijing 2008 campaign. Around 100 journalists,
cyber-dissidents, bloggers and netizens are still imprisoned in China. The
Chinese government has not kept the promises to improve respect for human
rights that it made in 2001, when Beijing was chosen to host the 2008
Olympics.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080815184254.3hcd8fc6&show_article=1Pro-Tibet 'flash mob' protest planned in NYCAug 15 02:43 PM USSome 200 pro-Tibet demonstrators geared up for a "flash mob" protest onFriday in New York City's Grand Central Station, a statement by theorganizers said.The demonstrators plan to converge on the station's immense center hallbetween 5:45 and 6:00 pm (2145 and 2200 GMT), brandishing flags and raisingtheir fists to protest China's "illegal occupation of Tibet," Students for aFree Tibet said."As the Olympic Games continue in Beijing during the month of August,thousands of activists around the world are expressing their solidarity withthe Tibetan people with a series of coordinated rallies and protests takingplace around the world inside and outside of China," the group said.New York's Grand Central Station is one of the largest railway stations inthe world and considered one of America's architectural treasures.http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuId=28&ContentID=90152Falun Gong protests China's human rights record9th August 2008, 13:00 WSTFollowers of a spiritual movement banned in China rallied in Melbournetoday, calling on the public not to forget the Olympic host's human rightsrecord.The Falun Gong has been outlawed in China since 1999 when it was accused ofengaging in illegal activities, jeopardising social stability, advocatingsuperstition and spreading fallacies.Its Melbourne spokeswoman Ana Vereshaka described the movement as an ancientspiritual practice that involved exercises to cultivate the mind and bodythat also promoted peacefulness and tranquility.Members who said they directly experienced persecution in China attendedtoday's rally at the Melbourne City Square.“Our main message is to remember that behind the opening of the OlympicGames there are labour camps within walking distance of Olympic venues whereFalun Gong practitioners are tortured and persecuted,” Ms Vereshaka said.The group wants the Chinese Communist Party to immediately release all FalunGong followers, end their persecution and investigate both the disappearanceof thousands of practitioners in China and claims of organ harvesting.http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/australian-news/4877353Protesters accuse China of ilegal organ harvestingABC - August 10, 2008, 3:04 pmAbout 80 members of the Falun Gong sect have gathered at Sydney's DarlingHarbour to protest against what they say is China's killing of Falun Gongpractictioners for organ donation.The Falon Gong are outside the venue where the International Congress of theTransplantation Society is taking place.The sect's members say they are appealing to the Congress to help stop theillegal harvesting of organs.http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/united-states/team-tibet-on-union-square-after-beijing-protest-2491.htmlTeam Tibet on Union Square After Beijing ProtestBy Shaoshao ChenEpoch Times Staff Aug 10, 2008Johnathan Siblings-Uss (left) and other members of Team Tibet speak at aCounter-Olympics rally at Union Square Park on August 10, 2008. The groupwas deported from China on August 9 for displaying the Tibetan national flagin front of the Olympics stadium during the opening ceremony. SHAOSHAOCHEN/THE EPOCH TIMESNEW YORK—Protestors braved heavy rain at Union Square on Sunday to hold a“Counter-Olympics.”Dozens of protestors gathered decrying China’s continuing and escalatinghuman rights violations. The protest was part of a series of protests byTibetan activists in New York City since the opening of the BeijingOlympics.Joining the demonstration were members of Team Tibet, a sportingorganization advocating the participation of exiled Tibetans in the OlympicGames.An hour before the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, three membersof the group unfurled the Tibetan flag in front of the Beijing NationalStadium, also known as the Birds Nest. They were tackled to the ground anddetained by security officials.“When I was down on the ground, I remembered the Tibetan people all over theworld,” said Jonathan Stribling-Uss, one of the deported Team Tibet members,told supporters at the Union Square rally.The three members were deported from China on August 9.“We proudly displayed the Tibetan flag in Beijing yesterday to shine aspotlight on the Chinese government's lethal military crackdown inside Tibetand its attempt to use the Beijing Olympics to cover up its human rightsabuses there,” said Kalaya’an Mendoza a New York City resident and one ofthe three protestors.“As long as people of conscience actively support Tibetans in their strugglefor freedom and human rights, pressure on China to resolve the issue willcontinue to grow.”After months of protests leading up to the Beijing Olympics, human rightsactivists have continued their efforts in calling for the end of China’shuman rights atrocities.Tibetan groups have planned ongoing protests throughout the duration of theGames, while other groups have been holding similar protests throughout theworld.Most of the protestors have been from the activist group Students for a FreeTibet (STF). Since the start of the games, at least half-dozen members ofSTF have held demonstrations in Beijing.http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Page/document/v5/content/subscribe?user_URL=http://www.theglobeandmail.com%2Fservlet%2Fstory%2FRTGAM.20080812.wbcprotest12%2FBNStory%2FNational%2Fhome&ord=171811227&brand=theglobeandmail&force_login=trueFalun Gong protest site to remain in place until trialSUNNY DHILLONFrom Tuesday's Globe and MailVANCOUVER — Its bright blue walls, round-the-clock vigils and pleas fortruthfulness, compassion and tolerance have made it a Vancouver landmark.Nowthe Falun Gong protest site, located outside the Chinese consulate in the3300-block of Granville Street since 2001, will live to see another dayafter the city of Vancouver yesterday backed off on its request for animmediate injunction.http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-tibet-china-protest-web-aug09,0,3335737.story?track=rssPro-Tibet protest held at Chinese Consulate in ChicagoBy Deanese Williams-Harris and Peter Mueller | Chicago Tribune reporters11:47 PM CDT, August 8, 2008Protesters march down Michigan Avenue. (Tribune photo by Michael Tercha /August 8, 2008)As China celebrated the opening day of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, more than500 protesters marched through the streets of Chicago against the country's57-year occupation of Tibet.Carrying makeshift black coffins and Tibetan flags, the group marched fromWater Tower Place to the Chinese Consulate at 100 W. Erie St. shouting"Shame on China." Many supporters said Friday that Tibet's cries for freedomare ignored because of economics."We are here to let the world know that they are feeding a sleeping giant,"said Jigme Norbu, a nephew of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader. "By2020, China will be the superpower and if the world doesn't wake up, one dayeven America will be under its rule."Norbu asked people to boycott products made in China and spoke about recentdangers of such products including toys and medicine.Norbu was part of a group of 15 core protesters who started a 180-mile walkJuly 25 in Madison, Wis., after the Dalai Lama finished a session ofteachings in the Wisconsin capital. The walk ended at the Chinese ConsulateFriday.The protest was largely peaceful, but police arrested a man who stormed intothe crowd while holding up a picture as he yelled repeatedly in Chinese.Demonstrators said the man was yelling "Long live the Chinese." Someone inthe crowd snatched the photo from the man's hands but before a scuffledensued, police arrested Lian Run Xiong, 20. He was charged with disorderlyconduct, said police spokeswoman JoAnn Taylor.Dozens of police officers on foot and horseback monitored the protesters asthey prayed and chanted while sitting in the streets.Pema Chinyam, 16, a student from Minnesota, said she hopes the protest willshed light on human rights violations against the Tibetan people."The occupation of Tibet is brutal," she said. "Not only are theyimprisoning and killing innocent people, they are trying to destroy ourculture."Palden Gyatso, 77, a monk who spent 33 years in a Chinese prison, came outto speak to the crowd. Gyatso urged the protesters to follow the teachingsof the Dalai Lama and take the middle path."The Dalai Lama's offer of full autonomy for Tibet is a good offer for theChinese government. Now it is time to listen to his holiness and solve thesituation," Gyatso said. "We have no military, but power. Our calm willprevail."The group's organizer, Larry Gerstein, read a list of demands on aloudspeaker aimed at the consulate.They included: withdrawal of troops from Tibet, release of politicalprisoners and religious freedom for Tibetans.Consular officials did not respond to calls Friday.http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=25711Witnesses Say Someone Cut Rope of Rappelling Protester at Chinese ConsulateBreitbart TVA rappelling protester fell two stories from the roof of the ChineseConsulate in San Francisco Wednesday, two days before the Olympic Gamesbegin in Beijing and amid worldwide protest against China’s human rightsrecord in Tibet.San Francisco police and the State Department are conducting a jointinvestigation into the incident, including claims that the protester’s ropesmay have been intentionally cut.http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/united-states/student-falls-san-francisco-olympics-protest-2387.htmlStudent Falls from Chinese Consulate at Olympics ProtestBy Ivan VelinovEpoch Times Staff Aug 8, 2008Share: Facebook Digg del.icio.us StumbleUponRelated articles: United States > WestSAN FRANCISCO—A pro-Tibet female protester who climbed onto the roof of theChinese Consulate in San Francisco on Wednesday. Aug. 6 to stage a mockhanging to protest the Chinese regime’s treatment of Tibetans fell when hersuspension ropes were allegedly cut by consulate personnel.Two students, Nyendak Wangden, 22, and Brianne Morgan, 26, scaled to theroof of the Chinese Consulate during a peaceful pre-Olympics demonstrationin support of Tibet. Staging a mock hanging, Wangden hung suspended a fewfeet from the roof on climbing ropes. She wore a black monk’s robe and helda sign that read “Stop the killing in Tibet!”Morgan tended Wangden’s ropes when she said she was attacked by a member ofthe Chinese Consulate security who allegedly cut the anchor ropes whichcaused Wangden’s fall from more than 15 feet off the building.“I was yelling that Nyendak [Wangden] was being supported by only her linesand that cutting the lines would mean that she would fall and die,” saidMorgan on Thursday, Aug. 7 outside the San Francisco Federal Court.Wangden, who suffered a fractured wrist and a fractured radius bone from thefall, received treatment at the San Francisco General Hospital.“I’m lucky to be alive,” said Wangden.Wangden said that if the Chinese Consulate can cut her rope and let herfall, she fears of what might be happening inside Tibet. She said that as aTibetan who lives outside Tibet she stood up for the people struggling inTibet.Both women, members of Students for a Free Tibet, were accused of “forciblythrusting” themselves on a building used as a foreign diplomatic mission. Ifconvicted, the protesters face a maximum penalty of six months in prison.Wangden’s attorney Derek St. Pierre, said that he had the chance to inspectthe anchor and the climbing ropes. The ropes weren’t frayed, but both werecut with a sharp object, either a knife or scissors, according to Pierre.A Chinese Consulate spokesman condemned the intrusion.Wangden and Morgan were released on $25,000 bail, and will return in courton Aug. 20. http://www.breitbart.com/image.php?id=iafp080808170458.cdrrye4gp1&show_article=1Pro-Tibet protesters and human rights activists demonstrate near theChamps-Elysees in ParisPro-Tibet protesters and human rights activists demonstrate near theChamps-Elysees in Paris to condemn the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Francesaid Friday that its previously tense relations with China have turned acorner following talks between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chineseleaders in Beijing.http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=5542218Turkish Man Sets Self on Fire in Anti-China ProtestAugust 8, 2008ANKARA (Reuters) - A Turkish man set himself on fire during a protest byethnic Uighurs in front of the Chinese embassy in Turkey on Friday againstChina's rule in the region of Xinjiang as Beijing opened the Olympics.The man was sent to an Ankara hospital after police put out the flames,state Anatolian news agency said.Uighurs are a Turkic people who share linguistic and cultural bonds withcentral Asia.Xinjiang is home to 8 million Muslim Uighurs, many of whom resent thegrowing presence and economic grip of Han Chinese.Exiled Uighurs have campaigned for an independent country.http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/23/2344670.htmPhotojournalists arrested at Paris pro-Tibet protestPosted Sat Aug 23, 2008 11:49pm AESTFrench police have arrested three photojournalists after the menphotographed pro-Tibet protesters unfurling a banner near the Chineseembassy in Paris.The three, including one from Agence France-Presse (AFP), had their camerasconfiscated but were later released after being questioned for nearly threehours, one of them said.One of the protesters was also arrested, said the police. He was still incustody after the photographers' release.The pro-Tibet demonstrators climbed onto the roof of a property next to theChinese embassy and dropped the banner, reading China Lives - Tibetans die,down the front of the adjacent building, the AFP photographer said.Police officers later took the banner down.- AFPhttp://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0805/breaking47.htmAugust 5, 2008, 13:34Dublin protesters call end to Tibet crackdownGENEVIEVE CARBERYA demonstration was held in Dublin this morning ahead of the opening of theBeijing Olympics on Friday calling on the Chinese government to stop itscrackdown on Tibetan protesters.Approximately one dozen members of the Tibetan community in Irelandprotested outside the Chinese Embassy to demand that thousands of arrestedprotesters be released.Draped in Tibetan flags they sang the Tibetan national anthem and chanted"we want a free Tibet". They also urged the international community to putpressure on the Chinese government during the games.Protesters said the situation in Tibet remains serious following a crackdownlast March and arrests of protesters last month and are fearful that thesituation will get worse once the Olympics is over."The worst is still to come after the Olympics when attention of world movesaway from China" Namgyal Damdul, Chairman of the Tibetan Community inIreland said."We fear the worst might happen to those in prisons and they might be giventhe death penalty" he said "We are urging all government's around the worldto press China to release all these prisoners"Pro-Tibetan supporters had urged international leaders to boycott theopening ceremony of the Olympic Games.This morning the protesters called on leaders attending the openingceremony, particularly Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism Martin Cullen"to put pressure on and talk directly to the Chinese leadership and ask themto release all prisoners, stop the ongoing repression in Tibet and resolvethe issue as soon as possible".http://www.thenational.ae/article/20080805/FOREIGN/695787172/1042/ARTTibetan protesters in New Delhi arrestedChristian Cotroneo, Foreign CorrespondentLast Updated: August 06. 2008 12:03AM UAE / August 5. 2008 8:03PM GMTA Tibetan monk in exile participating in a hunger strike is checked by thedoctor on the ninth day of the hunger strike in New Delhi. Hours later,police officers descended on the protesters, bringing the nine-day stand-offto a decisive end. AFPNEW DELHI // Under the cover of night, an army of police officers todaydescended on Tibetans protesting against the occupation of their homeland byChina, bringing the nine-day stand-off to a decisive end.More than 100 Tibetans supporting six monks, who had abstained from food andwater since July 28, had vowed to form a human wall to prevent any policeintervention at the protest site in central New Delhi.But the end came quickly. At about 10pm, as many as 500 police officers withtwo buses and two heavy lorries converged on the site, with orders to removethe activists. The monks locked arms to try to prevent the police breakingthrough but did not put up a fight.Moments later, all that remained was a mountain of shoes and blankets leftbehind by monks as they were herded onto the buses – and a couple of dozenshell-shocked Tibetan supporters.“It’s very sad,” said Konchok Yangphel, a spokesman for the Tibetan YouthCongress, which organised the hunger strike. “We don’t have freedom insideTibet. We were striking through non-violent means, but police treated uslike criminals.”The six monks were taken out of the tent where they had lain for the pastnine days, on stretchers, to waiting ambulances and whisked away to a nearbyhospital for forced rehydration, witnesses and police said.The six had vowed to fast until death in order to highlight the plight oftheir fellow six million Tibetans, many of whom live in exile in northernIndia after escaping their homeland following a failed uprising againstChinese rule in 1959. The strike came ahead of the start of the BeijingOlympics on Aug 8, which the Tibetans have protested against because ofChina’s human rights record and the military reaction to an uprising inTibet in March this year.The wages of hunger had taken a toll on their bodies, with each having lostan average 11kg, unable to rise from their beds and registering perilouslylow blood pressure.The Tibetan Youth Congress is known for spearheading high-profile ralliessuch as last year’s storming of the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi.But this was the first time Tibetan demonstrators had declined water as wellas food. Without medical intervention, they were not expected to live beyondthis week.A doctor who examined the monks earlier this week said three were incritical condition and needed urgent medical attention. Today, he addedanother two to the list and insisted they be taken to hospital.“Their health was deteriorating so we took them to hospital,” said BK Singh,the deputy superintendent of New Delhi district police, who oversaw theoperation.Mr Singh said the six would be charged with “attempting to commit suicide”.“You have no liberty to die,” he said.Mr Singh said the 130 protesters who had formed the human chain put up “alittle bit of resistance”. He said they had been taken into protectivecustody, not arrested.The Tibetan Youth Congress had vowed that for every striker that dies,another would take his place.“Tomorrow, we will start our second batch,” Mr Yangphel said.http://story.indiagazette.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/b8de8e630faf3631/id/386872/cs/1/Siliguri Tibetans protest Chinese repression in homelandIndia GazetteSunday 27th July, 2008(ANI)Siliguri, July 27 : Tibetans living in exile in Siliguri took out a rally toseek international attention on their freedom struggle.Holding flags, around 500 Tibetans including school children took part inthe protest rally.As the Beijing Olympics approach, the Tibetans are trying to reinvigoratetheir freedom movement and protest against what they see as China's illegaloccupation of their homeland."Our objective is along with the attention that is being focused, theinternational lympics that is being focused on the happening of Olympics inBeijing. We also would like the international attention to go on Tibet thathas been happening since March 10 and also the conditions existing there sothat they know what is happening in Tibet," said Sonum Lamdup, generalsecretary of Himalayan Buddhist Cultural Association.The Tibetans-in-exile across the world have been holding rallies anddemonstrations to protest against Chinese policies in Tibet.China resumed fence-mending talks with envoys of Tibet's exiled spiritualleader, the Dalai Lama, on July 1 in a move that could burnish itsinternational image weeks before the Chinese capital hosts the Olympics.It is the second closed-door meeting between the representatives of theDalai Lama and the Chinese Government since rioting erupted in Tibet inMarch and heaped international pressure on China to deal with the Nobellaureate.http://www.newscloud.com/read/Tibetan_Monks_Storm_Chinese_Embassy_In_India_To_Protest_GamesTibetan Monks Storm Chinese Embassy In India To Protest GamesNEW DELHI — More than a thousand Tibetan exiles held protests in pouringrain Friday in New Delhi, chanting anti-China slogans and demanding freedomfor Tibet hours ahead of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.The protesters chanted "Free Tibet" and "Down with China" and waved Tibetanflags and a large banner that said, "Time is running out, stop theOlympics."The protests were held in the heart of New Delhi amid tight security, withIndia reluctant to embarrass Beijing ahead of the games.Hundreds of police and armed paramilitary soldiers surrounded the marchersand stood by with tear gas canisters and water canons.Later, heavily armed police stopped dozens of protesters who tried to stormthe Chinese Embassy to coincide with the games' opening ceremony. The troopsand barricades erected earlier kept the three busloads of activists far fromthe Chinese mission.More than 2,000 protesters also marched in Dharmsala, the north Indian hilltown that is home to the Tibetan government-in-exile.All shops and businesses run by Tibetans stayed closed Friday.India is home to the largest Tibetan exile community and their exiledspiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.The protesters say that China's often harsh rule of Tibet goes against theOlympic spirit.While China shows the world the progress it has made with a "grand openingceremony, in Tibet a few thousand Tibetans will be in prison for merelypracticing their freedom of expression," said Chimi Youngdrung, the head ofthe National Democratic Party of Tibet, one the dozens of rights groupsbased in Dharmsala."With protests around the world and in Beijing, the festival of peacefulactivism has begun," he added.In recent months, Tibetan exiles in India have been staging protests andtrying to march to Tibet to show their support for the uprising that eruptedin the Tibetan capital of Lhasa in March, and to protest China being allowedto stage the games.The violent March protests were some of the biggest against almost 50 yearsof Chinese rule in Tibet. Many Tibetans insist they were an independentnation before communist troops invaded in 1950, while Beijing says theHimalayan region has been part of its territory for centuries.The Dalai Lama has been vilified by Chinese authorities, who blame him forthe recent unrest and claim he is trying to split the Himalayan region fromthe rest of China.Nevertheless, the Dalai Lama has not joined calls to boycott the Olympics,saying he supports China hosting the games.On Wednesday he issued a statement offering his "greetings to the People'sRepublic of China, the organizers and the athletes participating in theforthcoming Olympic Games in Beijing."http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php?sid=392584Tibetan exiles in India continue to protest against Beijing OlympicsANI Sunday 10th August, 2008Manali/Dharamsala, August 10 : Tibetan exiles in Manali and Dharamsala stepup their protests against the alleged Chinese suppression in their homelandeven as Beijing hosts Olympics 2008.While the people in Beijing are rejoicing the Olympic games, the TibetanWomen's Association in Manali organized mourning for the Tibetans killed inLhasa.The Tibetan women exiles wore black clothes and tied black bands on theirmouths to mourn what they said were brutal killings of protesters in Tibetin March."We are totally against the China Olympics that are taking place in China.Lots of people were killed since March 10th. We are mourning here that's whywe are wearing black clothes and black bands for all the Tibetans who diedin Tibet," said Tenzin Sangmo, a Tibetan women.The protesters said that China had no right to organize the games afterhaving committed "so many brutalities in Tibet".Meanwhile, thousands of Buddhist monks and Tibetan exiles took part in asit-in protest in Dharamsala, home to Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetanspiritual leader.Buddhist monks and nuns dressed in maroon robes gathered to protest againstthe alleged Chinese suppression.They said that the Tibetans across the globe would be stepping up protestsagainst China's oppressive policies in Tibet.India has been a centre of regular protests for months by Tibetan exiles whoeven scaled the walls of the Chinese embassy in New Delhi at least twice.Tibetans are trying to reinvigorate their freedom movement and protestagainst what they see as China's illegal occupation of their homeland asBeijing is staging the Olympics 2008.China has controlled Tibet since the People's Liberation Army troops marchedinto the region in 1950 with Beijing considering Tibet as an integral partof its territory.China says it has spent billions of dollars developing the impoverishedHimalayan region, and raised its living standards.The Beijing Games torch relay was dogged by protests over Chinese rule inTibet when it made its way through Paris, London and other cities earlierthis year.China has accused followers of the Dalai Lama of stirring the riots andprotests in the Tibetan regions in March in a bid to upstage Olympicpreparations.http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-7261.htmlTibetan protest against china continuesNew Delhi, August 5 : Tibetans living in exile in India continued theirprotest in New Delhi on Tuesday to voice their anger against Chineseatrocities in Tibet even as the condition of six protesters sitting onindefinite fast deteriorated.The 'Indefinite fast for Tibet-without Food and Water' has entered its ninthday today.The aim of the movement is to attract the attention of the internationalcommunity towards the Tibetan cause.The Tibetans have been pressing for Chinese withdrawal from Tibet andrelease of their leaders who have been allegedly detained by the Chineseauthorities."The protest is going on in support of our struggle and in support of ourdemands that the Chinese government should stop its atrocities in Tibet,"said Tsewang Rigzin, president, Tibetan Youth CongressHe demanded that political prisoners should be released and Panchen Lama,whom the Chinese abducted in 1995, should be freed.China has controlled Tibet since People's Liberation Army troops marchedinto the region in 1950 and Beijing considers Tibet as an integral part ofits territory.As the Olympics approach, Tibetans are trying to reinvigorate their freedommovement and protest against what they see as China's illegal occupation oftheir homeland.Over 25,000 Tibetans are expected to gather in New Delhi on August 8 toparticipate in a mass demonstration campaign and appeal to the worldcommunity to boycott the Beijing Olympics.http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/20/stories/2008072059060500.htmAndhra PradeshSilent protestPhoto: Mohd.YousufCalling attention: Tibetan Refugee’s Welfare Association activists raise aprotest against China at Tibetan Freedom Torch Relay in city on Saturday..http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php?sid=398162Tibetan exiles stage protest demonstration in New DelhiANI Saturday 23rd August, 2008New Delhi, August 23 : Scores of Tibetan exiles on Saturday gathered in NewDelhi, to protest against violation of human rights by Chinese authoritiesinside Tibet.The protesters gathered at the historical site of 'Jantar Mantar' in theCapital.Swaying the Tibetan flag and shouting slogans like 'Free Tibet' and 'LongLive Dalai Lama' they tried to motivate the fellow protestors.The police forcibly took away the four Tibetan exiles, who were sitting onhunger strike for the past few days, to the hospital.The protesters were on an indefinite hunger strike under the 'Indefinitefast for Tibet-without Food and Water' movement, to attract the attention ofthe international community towards the Tibetan cause."Today is the eighth day of indefinite fast for Tibet without food and waterand the third batch has entered the eighth day. Four of the hunger strikershealth has become very critical. The doctors at Ram Manohar Lohia hospitalhave advised that the hunger strikers need immediate admission otherwisethere is a risk to their life. So, the police have forcibly, without ourknowledge taken all the hunger strikers except one," said Thundukorje, VicePresident,Tibetan Youth Congress.China has accused followers of the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan leader, ofstirring riots and protests in Tibetan region in March in a bid to upstageOlympic preparations. The Dalai Lama has denied the charge and said he doesnot oppose the Games.The Dalai Lama has rejected accusations that he is behind the unrest and hassupported the Chinese right to host the Olympics.But groups campaigning for Tibetan independence have said they will use theGames to voice their demands and concerns over the alleged Chineseatrocities in Tibet.With the Olympic Games concluding on Sunday the Tibetans in exile assertthat more intensified campaigns would be organised in the near future.http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php?sid=355525Tibetans in exile stage protest in LucknowANI Sunday 4th May, 2008Lucknow, May 4 : Tibetans in exile residing in Lucknow staged ademonstration on Sunday to keep their protest against the Beijing Olympicsalive.Tibetans protestors resorted to sloganeering on city's street to demonstratetheir resentment against the mass killings of their fellow countrymen inTibet last month.The protesters, holding placards, portraits of the Dalai Lama, the pictureof the 'youngest prisoner of world' and flag of Tibet staged the march togather support of government and the citizens in India against the 'Chineserepression'."The aim of this march is to pay our tributes to our dead brothers. Besideswe are striving to amass support of Indian government and citizens of Indiawhile making them aware of issues in Tibet. Regarding the mass protest thatis happening all over the world against Olympics, we believe until Tibet isset free, Olympics should not happen in China," said Sonam Dochi, member,Tibetan Youth Congress.Coinciding with massive protests by the Tibetan Diaspora all over the worldin the run up to the Beijing Olympics, the exiles in India are seeking anend to Chinese repression in Tibet and have staged a wave of protests acrossthe country especially in New Delhi and in Dharamsala, home of the Tibetanspiritual leader, the Dalai Lama in India.http://www.ibnlive.com/news/buddhism-and-its-place-in-tibetan-protests/64495-3.html?xmlBuddhism and its place in Tibetan protestsAasim Khan / CNN-IBNPublished on Sat, May 03, 2008 at 23:16 in Nation sectionQUESTION ON NOTIONS: Do set ideas about Buddhism hold true in contemporaryIndia?Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh): Buddhism is often seen as a religion thatdoes not have place for politics. A faith that many believe shuns the powerplay of everyday life. But do these notions about Buddhism hold true incontemporary India? How are Buddhism and its followers changing?To understand the issues facing Buddhism today, there is no better place tobegin than Dharamshala — ground zero for Tibetans-in-exile fighting forfreedom. It is also home to thousands of Buddha’s warriors.Lhasa Tsering is an angry poet. By his own admission his writings are morepropaganda than poetry. As Lhasa reads, it's not difficult to see that likethe wrinkles on his face, his anger and frustration run deep.“These days whenever I speak, I begin by saying that I hope I am wrong,”Tsering says.An active campaigner for free Tibet for over four decades, Lhasa hastravelled around the world, speaking for his cause. But unlike the 15,000other Tibetans-in-exile, who live in Dharamshala, Lhasa's reverence for theDalai Lama and his middle path ends at the temple walls.“The bare fact is that the Chinese came to Tibet to stay and until we throwthem out, they will never leave. I think Dalai Lama's middle way policy isnothing but wishful thinking,” the poet fumes.What upsets Tsering most is the message of non-violence the Dalai Lamapreaches.“A military man is raping a young girl. In her attempt to save herself, sheflings something at soldier's face and he gets hurt. Can you call thatviolence? If there is any violence in Tibet, the Chinese do it. They useviolence like in genocide,” Tsering says.Disturbing as they may sound, Tsering's words are inspiring young blood inDharamshala, youth who have yet to see the Tibet they are fighting for.What's happened since March 10 may, perhaps, vindicate Tsering's beliefs.“We were on our way to India when we stopped in Lhasa. The Chinese Policehad beaten two monks. We were there when Tibetans came out on the streets,”a Tibetan refugee says.“There was a lot of Chinese police on the border. We had to cross fivemountains on foot. My seven-year-old friend was with me. We felt veryscared,” says a Tibetan young woman who was in Lhasa on that fateful day.She and a seven-year-old girl were lucky to cross into India even asviolence carried on.It was on March 10 in 1959 when Tibetans first stood up against the Chineserule. Every year the day is marked in Dharamshala with prayers and protests.But what happened on March 10 2008 was something completely different bothin its character and scale. It was like a spark that set off a fire thatwent far beyond the corners of the otherwise quiet hill town.Leading the charge of the protest were men and women like Tensing Tsundue, arising star in the Tibetan struggle. With his red bandanna, Tsundue almostlooks like a Tibetan Rambo, taking on the Chinese.“This red band that I’m wearing, for me this red band is the mark of mypledge that I will work for ‘Free Tibet’ and until and unless Tibet is notfree, I will not take this off,” Tsundue says.Tsundue's weapon is not violence, but spectacle. He has gone to incredibleheights to embarrass the Chinese in the past.So when protests broke out inside Tibet, Tsundue lost no time in starting anagitation — a march from Dharamshala to Tibet on foot. He says that thistime, it's the Chinese who have their backs to the wall.“So, they [Chinese] are paranoid. They are criticising Germany for lettingtheir President meet His Holiness. They are criticising America for awardinggold medal to His Holiness. They are criticising India for allowing Tibetanprotest. They are getting paranoid! They are losing sleep,” he says.At Tsundue's home in Dharamshala, photos pasted on the walls tell the storyof a young literature student who evolved into an aggressive campaigner.His long-time friend and mentor, author Jane Perkins sees young protestorslike Tsundue as warriors in the army of believers led by the Dalai Lama.“This incredible force in robes — I see Dalai Lama as the commander-in-chiefof an army of believers, with each monk having his rank fixed. And thencomes along Tsundue who inspires those without robes. The lay people and themonks together form His Holiness’ army of warriors,” she says.But even as the struggle for free Tibet continues on the ground, newbattlefields have opened up elsewhere. On the Internet, for instance,Tibetans are now waging a war of words against what they call is the Chinesepropaganda online.A 28-year-old Tibetan activist, who prefers to stay anonymous, is one suchvirtual warrior, taking on the mighty Chinese using his keyboard.A firm believer, he often goes to the Dalai Lama's temple to seek divinehelp. His laptop, of course, goes with him. Sitting alone in his office hefights what he calls the Chinese war of misinformation.“On March 13, I was trying to do some online chatting with some Chinese, tosee what their reaction is, but the first reaction was how could Dalai Lamado this. I was surprised,” he says.Working for an American NGO he often blogs in Chinese, and uses it tocommunicate with Tibetan sympathisers inside china.“At times it makes us really sad, because these Chinese are really selfishwhen it comes to our ethnic issues and that the Chinese governmentdeliberately diverts purpose,” the online activist adds.Provocative poetry, fierce activism, and ingenious online warfare — this isthe new face of the Tibetan struggle for freedom. But where does all thisleave Buddhism and its principles?Tsering answers this question without a moment of thought.“Before I am a Buddhist, I am Tibetan. Before I am a Tibetan, I am a humanand before I am a human, I am just another animal. The fight for Tibet isnot just about freedom. For Tibetans like me, it's a battle for survival. It’s now or never,” Tsering replies.http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/politics/international_politics/the+other+antichinese+protestors+/2096047?intcmp=rss_news_perspectives_rise_in_chinaThe other anti-Chinese protestorsWatch the reportPrint this pageLast Modified: 28 Apr 2008By: Lindsey HilsumTibet is the main focus of protests targeting the Olympic torch as it makesits way to China, but some demonstrators are also championing China's UighurMuslim minority.The Chinese government says some Uighurs have been involved in a terroristplot to disrupt the Games in Beijing in August.Human rights campaigners say that like the Tibetans to their south, theUighurs are simply protesting against heavy-handed tactics and ethnicdiscrimination.In recent weeks the border with Pakistan and Afghanistan has seendemonstrations and arrests. In a rare report from this remote region, ourChina correspondent Lindsey Hilsum went to investigate.http://www.reuters.com/article/inDepthNews/idUSN2731462220080722?feedType=RSS&feedName=inDepthNewsProtests, ambush marketing hurt Olympic brandMon Jul 21, 2008 10:01pm EDTBy Ben KlaymanCHICAGO (Reuters) - Protests against China's policies at home and abroad, aswell as marketing techniques used by companies that are not official Olympicsponsors, have made the Beijing games a risky proposition for some sponsors."When any corporation wants to hitch its wagon onto an event, they're doingit because it is perceived to have a certain popularity and charm," saidAndrew Zimbalist, a professor of economics at Smith College inMassachusetts."If the event loses some of that -- because of pollution or domesticrepression or because they're sponsoring a genocidal regime in Sudan --there's no question some of the shine wears off," he added.The Beijing Games, which start next month, and the 2006 Winter Olympics inItaly, have already brought in about $4.4 billion in rights and sponsorshipdeals. Contracts for so-called "top partners" span at least four years toinclude both winter and summer games.The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has 12 global sponsors -- payingup to $100 million apiece -- including Coke; General Electric, which ownsNBC Universal, the holder of exclusive U.S. TV broadcast rights for theGames; and McDonald's.In China, sponsors are not getting what they pay for, according to ShaunRein, managing director of China Market Research Group in Shanghai. His firmpolled Chinese consumers and found most do not know or care who the Olympicsponsors are."Most sponsors are going feel very disappointed with the return oninvestment for their sponsorships," Rein said. "There is so much clutter.It's unbelievable how many Olympic-themed messages are popping up all overthe place."Ambush marketing, in which companies try to identify themselves with theOlympics even if they are not official sponsors, does not make it any easierfor the official partners.Germany's Adidas may be the national Olympic sponsor in China, but Reinpointed out Chinese rival Li Ning arranged for the sportscasters of CCTV,China's largest TV network, to wear its apparel during the Games.Nevertheless, Chinese officials earlier this month dismissed critics, sayingcomplaints of human rights abuses were just so much "noise pollution."Coke officials dismiss critics as uninformed, pointing out that the companyis working with nonprofit groups to deliver relief supplies and health careservices in Darfur. It said it also has committed at least $5 million toaddress the need for clean water in Sudan."As a business, we recognize that our role is important, but it is alsoinherently and appropriately limited," Coke spokesman Petro Kacur said in ane-mail. "We are neither a government, nor the United Nations."Coke is the longest continuous Olympic corporate sponsor, dating back to1928, and it recently signed a deal to extend that relationship through2020.Many say sports and politics should not mix."The Olympics should be about the athletes. It should not be politicized,"GE spokeswoman Deirdre Latour said. "In every single country we operate in,we influence change by how we conduct business in that country."GE has rung up $700 million in infrastructure sales in China and istargeting more than $1 billion in advertising sales on NBC Universal'snetworks related to the Games, she said.But, despite the dangers, selling to China's 1.3 billion consumers is toolucrative an opportunity to pass up."There's really nothing else comparable to the Olympics for your branding,"said Ed Hula, editor of Around the Rings, a website devoted to the businessof the Olympics.The cost of a global sponsorship has risen close to $100 million for afour-year period, compared with $30 million to $40 million in the 1990s, heestimated.Others -- such as swimsuit maker Speedo and Nike, the world's largestathletic shoe and apparel maker -- prefer to avoid the big cost of a globalsponsorship, focusing instead on national teams or individual athletes.Not all companies are quiet, however. The chief executive of Germany'sVolkswagen, the first foreign automaker to enter the Chinese market and anational Olympic sponsor in China, in April urged the host nation to open upits society.French retailer Carrefour, not an official Olympic sponsor, said its tradingin China suffered when it became a target of Chinese demonstrations, sparkedby pro-Tibet protests in Paris.Being associated with the Olympics is a must for many companies, which seethe Games as the best known global brand, said Neal Pilson, the former headof CBS Sports at U.S. television network CBS. "In a growing marketplace ofclutter and choice, these major events create greater value because theyvirtually guarantee public attention."(Reporting by Ben Klayman; Editing by Eddie Evans)
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