An urgent appeal from Amnesty International for Tibetan prisoners

1. 76

   Guru-Cposted 17 years ago

   "URGENT ACTION APPEAL
   - From Amnesty International USA
   
   To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
   http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
   ----------------------------------
   For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
   http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/ … a07608.pdf
   
   18 March 2008
   
   UA 76/08 Fear of torture and other ill-treatment
   
   CHINA
   Samten (m), aged 17, Lungkar Monastery, Qinghai Province
   Trulku Tenpa Rigsang, (m), aged 26, Lungkar Monastery, Qinghai Province
   Gelek Pel (m) aged 32 Lungkar Monastery, Qinghai Province
   Lobsang (m) aged 15, Onpo Monastery, Sichuan Province
   Lobsang Thukjey (m), aged 19 Onpo Monastery, Sichuan Province
   Tsultrim Palden (m), aged 20 Onpo Monastery, Sichuan Province
   Lobsher (m), aged 20 Onpo Monastery, Sichuan Province
   Phurden, (m), aged 22 Onpo Monastery, Sichuan Province
   Thupdon (m), aged 24 Onpo Monastery, Sichuan Province
   Lobsang Ngodup (m), aged 29 Onpo Monastery, Sichuan Province
   Lodoe (m), aged 30 Onpo Monastery, Sichuan Province
   Thupwang (m), aged 30, Darthang Monastery
   Pema Garwang (m), aged 30, Darthang Monastery
   Tsegyam (m), aged 22, Kashi Monastery
   Soepa (m), aged 30, Mangye Monastery
   
   According to information published by the Tibetan Centre on
   Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD), 15 Tibetan monks were
   detained on 10 March for staging a peaceful demonstration in
   Barkhor, Lhasa, the capital of Tibetan Autonomous Region.
   There is no information of their current whereabouts or of
   any charges brought against them. They are at high risk of
   torture and other ill-treatment.
   
   On Monday 10 March hundreds of monks began a march from
   Drepung Monastery towards Barkhor. Another group, which
   included the 15 monks now in detention, began their march
   from Sera Monastery, but were soon detained. The monks had
   been demanding that the government ease a "patriotic re-
   education" campaign which forces them to denounce the Dalai
   Lama and subjects them to government propaganda.
   
   Protests began in other monasteries in support of those
   detained. Demonstrations also involving lay people then
   followed across Lhasa, in other parts of Tibet and in areas
   of the neighboring provinces of Qinghai, Gansu and Sichuan
   with large populations of Tibetans. On Friday the protests
   became violent, with some protesters specifically targeting
   and setting fire to Chinese-owned businesses and attacking
   people from other ethnic groups.
   
   The Chinese authorities urged the protesters to give
   themselves in by Monday 17 March at midnight, Beijing Time,
   and promised that those who did would be treated leniently.
   As of today, the streets of Lhasa were reported to be
   largely quiet and empty.
   
   Police and soldiers are reported to be conducting house to
   house sweeps in Lhasa. Some eyewitnesses have reported
   individuals being dragged from their homes. There continue
   to be reports of unrest in neighboring Sichuan and Gansu
   provinces. There are also reports that some Chinese police
   and soldiers have used excessive force, including lethal
   force, against Tibetan demonstrators in Lhasa and elsewhere.
   With large numbers of troops now deployed in the region
   further human rights violations may be committed.
   
   The Chinese authorities have imposed a near-total block on
   information leaving Tibet and surrounding areas. Permits for
   journalists to enter Tibet were stopped from 12 March.
   Foreign journalists have been barred or removed from
   districts in Gansu, Sichuan and Qinghai provinces, where the
   unrest has spread.
   
   The Chinese government has the right and duty to defend all
   individuals and property from violence. At the same time
   international law requires that the authorities handle such
   crises in ways that uphold fundamental human rights and the
   principles of necessity and proportionality in the use of
   force. For example, firearms should only be discharged as a
   last resort and when lives are at risk.
   
   TCHRD has obtained pictures of fourteen of the detained monks. The portraits are on their website at:
   http://www.tchrd.org/press/2008/p001.html
   
   RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
   - urge the authorities to release the 15 monks named above, as well as all others detained for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression, association and assembly;
   - urge the authorities to fully account for all those detained during the demonstrations, ensuring they are not tortured or otherwise ill-treated, have access to lawyers and medical care, are brought promptly before an independent
   court and are able to challenge their detention;
   - ensure that those prosecuted are charged with internationally recognizable offences and tried in proceedings which meet international fair trial standards;
   - allow full and unimpeded access to Tibet and other Tibetan areas to journalists and other independent observers
   - allow independent UN investigation into the events of the last week, including full access to scenes of confrontation, eye-witnesses, and detainees, and allow similar access to independent observers, including journalists and human rights NGOs.
   
   APPEALS TO:
   President of the People’s Republic of China
   HU Jintao Guojia Zhuxi
   The State Council General Office
   2 Fuyoujie, Xichengqu
   Beijingshi 100017
   People’s Republic of China
   Salutation: Your Excellency
   
   Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Regional People’s Government
   Qiangba PUNCOG Zhuren
   Xizang Zizhiqu Renmin Zhengfu
   1 Kang’angdonglu
   Lasashi 850000, Xizang Zizhiqu
   People’s Republic of China
   Salutation: Dear Chairman
   
   Minister of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China
   MENG Jianzhu Buzhang
   Gong’anbu
   14 Dongchang’anjie
   Dongchengqu, Beijingshi 100741
   People’s Republic of China
   Fax: 011 86 10 63099216 (it may be difficult to get
   through, please keep trying)
   Salutation: Your Excellency
   
   COPIES TO:
   Mayor of Lasa Municipal People’s Government Tibet Autonomous Region
   LOBSANG Gyaincain Shizhang
   Lasashi Zizhiqu Renmin Zhengfu
   16 Jinjulu, Lasashi 850000, Xizang Zizhiqu
   People’s Republic of China
   Salutation: Dear Mayor
   
   Ambassador Wen Zhong Zhou
   Embassy of the People’s Republic of China
   2300 Connecticut Avenue NW
   Washington, D.C. 20008
   Fax: 1 202 745 7473
   
   PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
   Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 29 April 2008."

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   1. 68

      SparklingJewelposted 17 years agoin reply to this

      Here is the address for a petition you can sign that will go to the Chinese government calling for not violence; I just received it recently
      
      http://www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_end_the_violence/20.php

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2. 59

   premsinghposted 17 years ago

   I don't think chinese government shall pay any attention to such appeals by individuals.Influential governments of powerful countries should  make diplomatic efforts to convince or pressurize chinese government. This is  incidence of human right violation similar to Iraq, Afganistan and some other  countries. Unfortunate thing is that poor people of Tibet neither has many natural resources nor they are economically or politically sound.

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3. 73

   Shirley Andersonposted 17 years ago

   I think premsingh is right, I don't think appeals will carry any weight with the Chinese.
   
   Monks and violence, what a sad combination.  It makes me mad that anyone would be so brutal with such a peaceful order.  Perhaps the earthquake will get all the soldiers called back to where they came from and leave the poor monks alone. 
   
   I'm neither a monk nor a Buddhist, but I very much like the Dhali Llama.  For Pete's sake, why can't one sect leave the other alone and in peace.

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4. 76

   Guru-Cposted 17 years ago

   I agree with Premsingh and Shirley Anderson that the Chinese government is a huge monolith, and that it will be difficult to influence them.  However, every voice counts, and I would suggest clicking on the links above to see how you can add yours.
   
   You may find an article that appeared in the New York Times interesting: 
   
   http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/22/world … p;emc=eta1

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5. 91

   Paragliderposted 17 years ago

   Guru-C -
   Well done for raising the issue here. I've been watching the coverage of the unrest on Chinese CCTV4, where, of course, the slant is very different. The problem the 'free' world has in making representations to the Chinese government on Tibet's behalf is that our own credibility is at a pretty low ebb in regard to human rights and respect of sovereignty. Nevertheless, individuals can make a difference, even to China. Remember Tiananmen Square?

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   1. 76

      Guru-Cposted 17 years agoin reply to this

      Hello Paraglider,
      
      I'm sorry it's taken me this long to respond.  Thank you so much for your comments.  It's so true what you say, individuals can make a difference.  Look at Gandhi or Martin Luther King. 
      
      Right now there's an objective to send 2 million signatures to the Chinese government.  Even if there's a remote possibility that they will take positive action, it's worth the attempt.
      
      Best Regards,
      Cory
      
      PS:  How's the baby in your family?  I hope very happy.

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6. 66

   Hope Alexanderposted 17 years ago

   Maybe I am missing something here, and I am sure I am, but I thought that being a Buddhist monk was about non attatchment, from things, and the world?
   
   Tibet is a tiny, poor country being ruled over by a large country who are prepared to use whatever force and violence are necessary to keep the country under control. The larger world powers like Russia, don't care, and the USA can't say a damn thing after the Iraq fiasco. Essentially, Tibet is screwed and everyone knows it. China is a major power, and nobody has the inclination or the nous to really stand up to them. They could gas the whole of Tibet tomorrow and I doubt they would suffer any ill effect on a global scale. The yuan is supporting the US economy, and China makes for a huge part of the world's food production as well.
   
   In spite of an atrocious human rights record, China was awarded the Olympics Games. Let's face it, the powerful majority of the world has spoken on the China issue, and they've resoundingly said that they don't care what China does to its own citizens, or to Tibetans.
   
   But why are Buddhist monks getting involved in something so very obviously worldy, after all, this is about politics and borders, neither of which matter a whit on a spiritual plane. I understood a monk's role to be a spiritual one, focused on living in the present with what one has, rather than inciting protest. Those things seem very separate from discovering inner peace.
   
   (I'm not supporting what China is doing in any sense, or saying that the Buddhist monks shouldn't protest, I just wonder why it is that these people hopelessly make trouble for themselves, and seem to take themselves away from their spiritual goals.)

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   1. 76

      Guru-Cposted 17 years agoin reply to this

      Dear Hope:
      
      I feel your heart is in the right place, and agree that the world has already weighed in.  The reason, I think, Tibetan Buddhist monks have taken to protesting, is that through the years into the present, innumerable monks and nuns have been harassed, imprisoned, tortured and executed for expressing their views.  Remember, it is a capital crime in Tibet to own a photo of the Dalai Lama. 
      
      Also, Tibetan monks tend to not be as removed from the world as one might think.  Many of them are asked to go out into the world and engage in commerce to help support the monastery.  It is the monks' and nuns' families and the monks themselves who help pay for the monasteries' subsistence, as well as sponsors.  There is no actual institution that supports the monasteries.    So while they are not of the world, they are in the world.
      
      I think that even though it is a very daunting task, every individual can help by adding one's name to the lists of protesters.
      
      I hope this helps.

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7. 73

   Shirley Andersonposted 17 years ago

   Hope Alexander, I think you've raised a good point, and it's one I wondered about it when I first heard the news.  I think that their protest arose because of the Chinese denouncing the Dahli Llama.
   
   Still, it was a bit of a surprise.  Perhaps not peaceful demonstration, but the ensueing violence.

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8. 66

   Hope Alexanderposted 17 years ago

   Thanks for your reply Guru-C, I find this situation, and others like it incredibly disheartening, and to be honest, a clear sign that either A) Democracy doesn't work, or B) Humans are inherently evil. For no major country, or indeed, the citizens of China themselves, feel inclined to do anything about what is happening to the Tibetans. Sure, there are protests, I remember there being protests about this very issue 10 years ago. In that time absolutely nothing has changed, in fact, things only seem to be getting worse.
   
   We might care a little, but we don't care enough to actually do anything to stop the multitude of known human rights travesties going on across the world. You would think that people would be outraged and put an immediate end to terrorism, torture, and repression, but we don't. Evidently there is some element of the human psyche that supports these things.
   
   I don't think that writing to the Chinese will help. I think that ceasing to buy the products they are churning out at such a massive rate would work though, because it would cripple their economy. That's the sort of action that could be taken en masse at an individual level, or in the form of a trade embargo at a governmental level. But instead, we will all continue to buy the products that support these evil practices, and our governments will continue to broker trade deals.
   
   We're all just too damn selfish to really care.
   
   (Well maybe not ALL of us technically, but enough of us are that those that aren't are probably statistically irrelevant anyway.)

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   1. 76

      Guru-Cposted 17 years agoin reply to this

      Dear Hope,
      
      So much of what you say resonates about the need to do more to promote human rights.  And you are right, boycotting their exports may be a step in the right direction.  The only thing I fear there is that China is such an economic superpower, I don't have the mathematical mind to figure out the impact in either direction.  I certainly try not to consume any products that were produced in inhumane conditions. 
      
      I don't really think democracy is the problem here : 
      
      The most immediate possibility is to boycott the 2008 summer Olympics in every way possible and to sign the petitions, make the phone calls to our representatives, send the letters to the Chinese government officials, attend the candle light vigils.  If we would share the links above with everyone on our mailing lists, and urged our friends to do the same, our politicians would here the roar of people who care.

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9. 76

   Guru-Cposted 17 years ago

   People here may find it heartening that there are politicians holding office who have spoken out against the actions of the government of China toward Tibet.  I received a press release today that was issued by the office of Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ross-Lehtinen:
   
   Ros-Lehtinen Condemns Beijing’s Policies in Tibet
   Critical of removal from U.S. list of countries with major human rights concerns;
   Warns of potential for Beijing’s repression of rights advocates during Olympics   
   
   (WASHINGTON) – U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said today that China’s violent crackdown in Tibet is a clear indication that the State Department acted prematurely last week in removing China from the list of nations with major human rights issues. In a March 10th letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Ros-Lehtinen raised concerns about the continuing crackdown on the rights of Tibetan and Uighur minorities.  She also cautioned that attempts by Chinese officials to silence advocates of democracy and human rights, as well as critics of the regime, during the  August Olympic games in Beijing could lead to the arrest and mistreatment of American citizens. Statement of Ros-Lehtinen:
   The failure of Beijing’s policies has led to the violence we now see on the streets of Lhasa, and the people of Tibet are paying a terrible price.
   Clearly the State Department’s decision to remove China from the list of countries with which we have major concerns about human rights was hasty and ill-considered and should be reversed.
   Americans are very concerned about human rights abuses throughout all of China, including the suppression of the Falun Gong and every form of political dissent. Beijing’s steadfast support for the murderous regimes in Sudan, Burma and North Korea further demonstrates its callous disregard for basic human rights.
   Beijing is attempting to use the Olympic games to hide its repressive policies. Responsible nations must not buy into this façade. Protests by human rights activists and others during the games are likely to result in a crackdown similar to that we are witnessing in Tibet. The gleam is already off the Olympic gold which Beijing so desperately seeks.

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10. 66

    Hope Alexanderposted 17 years ago

    My comment about people either being evil, or democracy not working was meant to imply that either the people of the nations of the world don't give a damn about tyranny going on elsewhere, and are therefore complicit in the evils that go on... or the system of democracy has failed these people, and their views are not being represented and acted upon.

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    1. 76

       Guru-Cposted 17 years agoin reply to this

       Dear Hope,
       
       It's true that the world doesn't give a damn about tyranny going on elsewhere, or, that people's views are not being represented.  I know that mine aren't. 
       
       Wishing you a great day,
       Cory

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11. 76

    Guru-Cposted 17 years ago

    Today I received a link to a video of two New York City cops beating up a Tibetan protester in front of the United Nations.  The protester was merely holding up a Tibetan flag.  It makes me feel ashamed that police brutality would occur in a city as sophisticated as New York.
    
    If you'd like to view the video to see for yourself, it's at:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7NUNwq2 … ture=email
    
    
    While you're here, please, please click on the link in the first posting of this thread to add your signature to the petition to the Chinese Government to end the violence towards the Tibetan people.  Thank you.

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