Free Tibet in Guildford
Keith Parkins | 11.11.2008 18:22 | Repression | Social Struggles | World
Monday evening 10 November 2008, Amnesty International hosted a talk by Free Tibet at St Nicolas Church in Guildford.
It was a dark and stormy night, the River Wey was in full spate close to overflowing its banks, thus although the turnout was not great and could have been better, it was lucky anyone turned out at all.
http://www.heureka.clara.net/surrey-hants/gu-ford.htm
The talk consisted of an introduction by the Director of Free Tibet Stephanie Brigden, who has had experience of working in Tibet on development projects in a remote region of Tibet, a short film Leaving Fear Behind produced by Tibetans in Tibet at great risk to themselves, more on the current situation in Tibet, followed by questions and answers.
In the short time Stephanie Brigden was in Tibet in a remote region she saw change. A region that was all Tibetans flooded with Han Chinese, who took over most of the local businesses.
In the remote regions, the Tibetans are nomads, they travel over great distances, their wealth measured by their flocks of yaks.
These nomads are being denied access to their pastures, forced to sell their yaks and forced to live in the cities.
The Chinese are carrying out cultural genocide. They are forcing the nomads off their lands because of the great mineral wealth that lies beneath the surface. Tibet has vast reserves of copper, gold, aluminum and gas.
The Yulong Copper Mine in Tibet is the second largest copper mine in Asia, with proven copper reserves of 6.5 million tons.
The nomads practiced sustainable living. The Chinese are destroying the fragile Tibetan environment with deforestation, strip mining and dumping of nuclear waste.
Children are forced to learn Chinese, are not educated in their own language.
Tibetans are routinely tortured.
Following the uprising that was brutally put down by the Chinese with a shoot to kill policy, many Tibetans who took part in the protests have disappeared.
Women are tortured by shoving electric shock batons up their vagina.
It is a criminal offence for a Tibetan to posses a portrait of the Dalai Lama, to watch on TV an image of the Dalai Lama.
The film showed Tibetans watching the Dalai Lama on TV.
The film was smuggled into China to be shown in the run up to the Olympic Games.
The Chinese failed to meet their promises on Human Rights that were made to obtain the Olympic Games.
There was supposed to be free access for journalists. Any Tibetans that talked to journalists were arrested and tortured.
Within the last few days, British Foreign Secretary David Milliband has recognised Tibet as part of China. This disgraceful act is on a par with Robin Cook approving the shipment of BAE Systems Hawk ground attack aircraft to Indonesia in the full knowledge that the Hawks were going to be used in East Timor when it was under Indonesian occupation.
The British Government's recognition of Tibet as part of China has had no scrutiny by Parliament, no scrutiny by the media.
Since the uprisings that erupted across Tibet during the run up to the Beijing Olympic Games, Tibet is in lock down. The Dalai Lama has called an emergency meeting to of all exiles to take place this month to discuss the deteriorating situation in Tibet.
The Olympic Games awoke the world to the atrocities that China is committing in occupied Tibet. China is now having difficulty putting the lid back on.
2009 will be an important year. It will be 60 years since China occupied Tibet, 50 years since the Dalai Lama was forced to flee into exile.
Every Wednesday evening, a Tibet Vigil takes place outside the Chinese Embassy in London.
The Chinese economy is collapsing, half the toy factories closed, their workers put out on the street owed back wages, civil unrest is rising.
We do not have to buy Made in China tat.
It was unfortunate that the meeting was not publicised and flyers had not been distributed around Surrey University which has a large Chinese student population as it would have been interesting to expose them to what was said and what is being done in their name and get their reaction.
7.30pm Tuesday 25 November 2008, Amnesty International are hosting a meeting in Guildford at Holy Trinity Church (top of High Street near Sainsbury's) to commemorate 60 Years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Speakers will include Caroline Lucas MEP, Bruce Kent, Carole Seymour-Jone (chair of PEN).
Websites
http://www.freetibet.org/
http://www.tfortibet.org/
http://www.tibetwatch.org
http://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/
http://www.hrw.org/
http://www.amnesty.org.uk/
Background
China orders purge of Tibet's monasteries, Free Tibet, October 2008
Dennis Cusak, Tibet's War of Peace, Brown Door Publishing, 2008
Dalai Lama and Daniel Goleman, Destructive Emotions, Bloomsbury, 2003
Dalai Lama calls emergency meeting, Free Tibet, October 2008
Forced resettlement threatens Tibetan identity, Free Tibet, October 2008
Leaving freedom behind, Free Tibet, October 2008
Leaving Fear Behind, 2008 {DVD}
Lockdown in Tibet, Free Tibet, October 2008
Mark Thomas, As Used on the Famous Nelson Mandela, Ebury Press, 2006
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/6661110
Torture continues in Tibet, Free Tibet, October 2008
http://www.heureka.clara.net/surrey-hants/gu-ford.htm The talk consisted of an introduction by the Director of Free Tibet Stephanie Brigden, who has had experience of working in Tibet on development projects in a remote region of Tibet, a short film Leaving Fear Behind produced by Tibetans in Tibet at great risk to themselves, more on the current situation in Tibet, followed by questions and answers.
In the short time Stephanie Brigden was in Tibet in a remote region she saw change. A region that was all Tibetans flooded with Han Chinese, who took over most of the local businesses.
In the remote regions, the Tibetans are nomads, they travel over great distances, their wealth measured by their flocks of yaks.
These nomads are being denied access to their pastures, forced to sell their yaks and forced to live in the cities.
The Chinese are carrying out cultural genocide. They are forcing the nomads off their lands because of the great mineral wealth that lies beneath the surface. Tibet has vast reserves of copper, gold, aluminum and gas.
The Yulong Copper Mine in Tibet is the second largest copper mine in Asia, with proven copper reserves of 6.5 million tons.
The nomads practiced sustainable living. The Chinese are destroying the fragile Tibetan environment with deforestation, strip mining and dumping of nuclear waste.
Children are forced to learn Chinese, are not educated in their own language.
Tibetans are routinely tortured.
Following the uprising that was brutally put down by the Chinese with a shoot to kill policy, many Tibetans who took part in the protests have disappeared.
Women are tortured by shoving electric shock batons up their vagina.
It is a criminal offence for a Tibetan to posses a portrait of the Dalai Lama, to watch on TV an image of the Dalai Lama.
The film showed Tibetans watching the Dalai Lama on TV.
The film was smuggled into China to be shown in the run up to the Olympic Games.
The Chinese failed to meet their promises on Human Rights that were made to obtain the Olympic Games.
There was supposed to be free access for journalists. Any Tibetans that talked to journalists were arrested and tortured.
Within the last few days, British Foreign Secretary David Milliband has recognised Tibet as part of China. This disgraceful act is on a par with Robin Cook approving the shipment of BAE Systems Hawk ground attack aircraft to Indonesia in the full knowledge that the Hawks were going to be used in East Timor when it was under Indonesian occupation.
The British Government's recognition of Tibet as part of China has had no scrutiny by Parliament, no scrutiny by the media.
Since the uprisings that erupted across Tibet during the run up to the Beijing Olympic Games, Tibet is in lock down. The Dalai Lama has called an emergency meeting to of all exiles to take place this month to discuss the deteriorating situation in Tibet.
The Olympic Games awoke the world to the atrocities that China is committing in occupied Tibet. China is now having difficulty putting the lid back on.
2009 will be an important year. It will be 60 years since China occupied Tibet, 50 years since the Dalai Lama was forced to flee into exile.
Every Wednesday evening, a Tibet Vigil takes place outside the Chinese Embassy in London.
The Chinese economy is collapsing, half the toy factories closed, their workers put out on the street owed back wages, civil unrest is rising.
We do not have to buy Made in China tat.
It was unfortunate that the meeting was not publicised and flyers had not been distributed around Surrey University which has a large Chinese student population as it would have been interesting to expose them to what was said and what is being done in their name and get their reaction.
7.30pm Tuesday 25 November 2008, Amnesty International are hosting a meeting in Guildford at Holy Trinity Church (top of High Street near Sainsbury's) to commemorate 60 Years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Speakers will include Caroline Lucas MEP, Bruce Kent, Carole Seymour-Jone (chair of PEN).
Websites
http://www.freetibet.org/ http://www.tfortibet.org/ http://www.tibetwatch.org http://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/ http://www.hrw.org/ http://www.amnesty.org.uk/ Background
China orders purge of Tibet's monasteries, Free Tibet, October 2008
Dennis Cusak, Tibet's War of Peace, Brown Door Publishing, 2008
Dalai Lama and Daniel Goleman, Destructive Emotions, Bloomsbury, 2003
Dalai Lama calls emergency meeting, Free Tibet, October 2008
Forced resettlement threatens Tibetan identity, Free Tibet, October 2008
Leaving freedom behind, Free Tibet, October 2008
Leaving Fear Behind, 2008 {DVD}
Lockdown in Tibet, Free Tibet, October 2008
Mark Thomas, As Used on the Famous Nelson Mandela, Ebury Press, 2006
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/6661110 Torture continues in Tibet, Free Tibet, October 2008
Keith Parkins
Homepage:
http://www.freetibet.org/
Comments
Hide the following 4 comments
cia front
11.11.2008 19:39
cia front
e-mail:
cia front
Really?
12.11.2008 15:07
Wondering
cia?
13.11.2008 14:35
Maybe I should submit a claim for back pay and expenses.
Keith
are you sure you are not in their payrol?
16.11.2008 14:35
Tibet 2007:
Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet
$60,000*
To provide support to Tibetan political prisoners and to educate Tibetans in exile about human rights conditions in China. Gu-Chu-Sum will run a school for former political prisoners, support serving and former political prisoners in Tibet, sponsor a lecture tour and human rights workshops, maintain a human rights desk, and publish a bi-monthly human rights newsletter.
International Campaign for Tibet (ICT)
$53,000
To increase understanding between Tibetans and Chinese. ICT will facilitate interaction between Tibetan and Chinese officials, academics, and general publics through meetings, conferences, and the publication of a Chinese-language newsletter and website.
International Tibet Support Network (ITSN)
$45,000*
To coordinate and build the capacity of the worldwide Tibet movement through a series of meetings, trainings, and workshops. ITSN will coordinate three multi-faceted international campaigns focused on the 2008 Beijing Olympics, human rights, and environmental and economic rights in Tibet.
Khawa Karpo Tibet Cultural Centre Charitable Trust
$25,500*
To provide news and analysis to the Tibetan public and promote greater discussion and debate on current issues related to Tibet and Tibetans. Khawa Karpo will publish the weekly Tibetan-language newspaper, Bo-Kyi-Bang-Chen (Tibet Express), maintain a trilingual website, and translate and publish a book by a prominent Tibetan writer.
Social and Resource Development Fund (SARD)
$50,000*
To raise awareness of the principles of human rights and democracy at the grassroots level in Tibetan communities in exile. SARD will provide modest support in the form of seed money or one-time grants to Tibetan organizations, associations and ad hoc committees that are working to inform and educate their communities about democracy and human rights and to increase participation in the political process.
Social, Economic & Cultural Development Fund
$20,000*
To increase Tibetans’ access to information by maintaining a library and learning center. The center will sponsor language and computer classes, hold discussion meetings for the general public, and maintain an Internet café to provide greater access to information for the community.
Tibetan Literacy Society
$30,000
To provide the Tibetan public independent and accurate information on developments in Tibet and in the exile community, and to promote open discussion among intellectuals and a general readership on civic issues, including human rights and democracy. The Tibetan Literacy Society will publish and distribute throughout the Tibetan community in exile and in Tibet Bod-Kyi-Dus-Bab (Tibet Times), a Tibetan-language newspaper published three times a month.
Tibet Museum
$15,500*
To preserve and present material related to modern Tibetan history and to educate visitors about the Tibetan culture and people. The Tibet Museum will maintain and operate its Dharamsala-based museum, “Demton Khang,” display a touring exhibition, organize seminars and lectures, and maintain a website.
Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD)
$12,000*
To promote political participation in local governance and strengthen democratic practices at the local level. TCHRD will conduct community surveys and two-day workshops on local governance in Tibetan settlements in India, as well as organize half-day public talks in each community on the issue of local elections.
Tibetan Parliamentary and Policy Research Centre (TPPRC)
$15,000*
To strengthen leadership skills and political awareness of young people in Tibet. The TPPRC will conduct a nine-day workshop designed to introduce Tibetan high school students to the structures and functions of the Tibetan government-in-exile and expose them to key civil society organizations, media outlets, and educational institutions as well as human rights and environmental issues related to Tibet.
Tibetan Review
$33,660*
To promote freedom of press and understanding of democratic concepts in the Tibetan exile community. Tibetan Review, a monthly English-language news magazine, will provide Tibetans in exile and the international community with Tibet-related news, insightful opinion pieces, and editorials, including articles written by prominent journalists, academics, and others interested in Tibetan issues.
Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA)
$31,720*
To promote the empowerment of Tibetan refugee women and to raise awareness of human rights violations against women in Tibet. TWA will publish a newsletter and a magazine, conduct leadership training for TWA members, carry out international advocacy, translate the autobiography of one of the TWA’s founders into English, and commission a report on the role of women in the Tibetan struggle for human rights.
Tibetan Writers Abroad PEN Center
$15,000*
To preserve Tibetan literature and culture and protect and support Tibetan writers in Tibet. The Tibetan PEN Center will translate essays and other written materials into Tibetan, much of it originally published in Chinese; publish works by Tibetan writers, including political prisoners; conduct an extensive research project on Tibetan writers imprisoned in Tibet; and participate in International PEN activities.
Voice of Tibet
$38,330*
To encourage and sustain independent public opinion inside Tibet and to familiarize Tibetans with the ideals of democracy and human rights. The Voice of Tibet, an independent, Tibetan-language shortwave radio station, will continue to broadcast regular news about Tibet, the Tibetan exile community, and the Tibetan government-in-exile to listeners in Tibet and in neighboring countries.
xie shao