FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 31, 2005





BOMBARDIER TARGETED BY TIBETAN RIGHTS GROUPS

COMPANY TO BUILD CARS FOR CONTROVERSIAL RAILWAY



Montreal & New York City – Students for a Free Tibet set its sights on Bombardier today for its participation in the controversial railway being built by China through Tibet. The nearly 1,200-kilometre rail line will be the first to connect China to Tibet’s capital city and is opposed by Tibetans both inside and outside Tibet as a political project aimed at consolidating China’s control over the region. Bombardier is one of the first western corporations to directly partner with the Chinese government in the construction of the railway. Once completed, it will bring an influx of Chinese settlers into Tibet, further marginalizing Tibetans and posing a threat to the survival of their culture and identity.



“The Tibet railway threatens the very survival of Tibetans as a people,” said Lhadon Tethong, Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet. “Bombardier’s involvement is an ethical disaster and we are fundamentally opposed to it.” The railway is a cornerstone of China's politically charged 'Western Development Plan', which is designed to solidify China's grip on Tibet and East Turkestan and eradicate nationalism and the cultural identity of Tibetans and Uyghurs. Tibetan rights groups informed Bombardier of the social and political implications of the railway in 2003.



“The Chinese government has publicly admitted that the railway is not commercially viable and is instead being built for political reasons,” said Maude Côté, a member of Students for a Free Tibet in Montreal. “There is no excuse for a Canadian company to join hands with the Chinese government on this devastating project and we urge Bombardier to withdraw immediately.” Students around the world will target Bombardier for their involvement in the coming months.



Bombardier announced their involvement on February 25th, followed three weeks later by Nortel Networks, who will supply a wireless network for the rail line. Students for a Free Tibet and other Tibetan rights groups have sent letters to Bombardier’s senior management but have received no formal response. Efforts are also underway to contact Nortel Networks.



More information about the railway can be found in the report “Crossing the Line: China's Railway to Lhasa, Tibet” at  http://www.savetibet.org/documents/document.php?id=34.



Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) is a chapter-based network of more than 650 schools worldwide, SFT campaigns for Tibetans’ fundamental right to political freedom through education, grassroots organizing, and nonviolent direct action. www.studentsforafreetibet.org