From London to Lhasa: Students for a Free Tibet UK

LONDON, 25th June- On April 8th, 2009 the Chinese government sentenced Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak to death for their alleged involvement in the March 2008 protests in Lhasa, Tibet. A number of other Tibetans have also received harsh prison sentences, including: Tenzin Phuntsok and Kangtsuk (sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve), Dawa Sangpo (life imprisonment), and three Tibetan women in their early twenties - Penkyi (death sentence with a two-year reprieve), Penkyi (life imprisonment), and Chime Lhamo (10 years' imprisonment).

Chinese authorities routinely deny Tibetans their basic legal rights, and these trials were not conducted in accordance with international judicial standards. The Chinese government has responded to last year's protests with extreme violence, and these convictions are part of a widespread campaign to punish and intimidate Tibetans who dare to speak out against Chinese rule.

March and April 2008 saw the largest protests in Tibet for 50 years. A wave of protests began in Lhasa on 10 March 2008 and, since that time, more than 150 separate protests have taken place across the Tibetan Plateau, the overwhelming majority of which were non-violent in nature.

These harsh sentences signal an alarming escalation in the Chinese government's campaign to punish and intimidate Tibetans who dare to speak out against Chinese rule.

Students For a Free Tibet, as a result , carried out a 10,000 signature petition to condemn the unfair trial and the execution of Loyak and Lobsang Gyaltsen and many tibetans alike.

220 pages of signature petition was delivered to the Chinese Consulate in various parts of the world. In London, 15 people in white tops, symbolizing solidarity and mourning for the tibetans who have sacrificed their lives so far and contnue to suffer under the brutal chinsese regime, delivered the petition to the Chinese Embassy.

Photos by: Sheep

All Tibetans and Tibet Supporters are called upon to sign an important petition demanding the release of Liu Xiaobo who was formally arrested by the Chinese government on 23rd June 2009.

In 1996, Liu Xiaobo was sentenced to three years in labour camp for writing a joint letter addressed to China’s President Jiang Zemin supporting Tibetan self-determination and also calling for dialogue with the Dalai Lama. He was the first Chinese person to be sentenced for speaking up for Tibet.

Liu Xiaobo was a crucial figure behind 2008’s “Twelve Suggestions for Dealing with the Tibetan Situation”, an open letter written and signed by prominent Chinese intellectuals in support of Tibetans.

Tibetan writer Woeser has posted news about a petition for Liu Xiaobo on her blog alongside photos of an action carried out by young Tibetan activists in London earlier this year highlighting “Silenced Voices”. Read the blogpost and see the photos here:
http://woeser.middle-way.net/2009/06/blog-post_6000.html

Sign the petition here: http://is.gd/1efvd

There are three boxes to fill out:

Name:

Place:

Nationality:

Supporting Liu Xiaobo means supporting truth and justice in China today.  SIGN THE PETITION!

London, June 24^th '09– Whilst thousands of people today around the world are expressing their concerns about Continental Minerals' mining operations at Shethongmon [Ch: Xietongmen] in central Tibet, Students For a Free Tibet UK in the narrow streets of Dowgate Hill made a similar stand outside the Standard Bank Plc. Tibet is on the front line of climate change. A unique environment that was protected and treasured for thousands of years by the Tibetan people is now under threat by the Chinese regime that illegally and brutally occupy Tibet, and by the involvement and investment of international corporations. Tibet’s mineral wealth is being exploited, for the profit of the Chinese authorities and at the expense of Tibetans who are given no say over what happens to their land, and who are crushed with military force when they attempt to protest.

Standard Bank Plc is one of the major shareholders of Continental Minerals. Along with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), Standard Bank Plc, invested in Continental Minerals Shethongmon [Ch: Xietongmen] Copper-Gold mining project in central Tibet on 25^th August, 2008.

“Today when Continental Minerals is having their AGM Meeting with its shareholders, we call upon Standard Bank to withdraw its investment in Continental Minerals Corp” said Tenzin Jigdal, spokesperson for Students for a Free Tibet UK, “It is unconscionable that Continental Minerals continue to operate in Tibet at a time when the Chinese government is violently suppressing the Tibetan people's desire for human rights and freedom. As a signatory to the “Equator Principles” which ensures socially responsible and sound environmental management practices in any projects undertaken, Standard Bank must withdraw its investment from Continental Minerals.”

However not long before the final distribution of the flyers and open letters, disproportionate numbers of police arrived only to interrogate the three Tibetans distributing the flyers. But eventually it all turned out amicable and friendly. Moreover, Jenny Knott, one of the board members, was kind enough to meet the Tibetans to hear their concerns and accept the letter of concern to the Standard Bank Chief executive Officer Mr. Rob Leith.

Last year in March, Tibetans across Tibet rose up in a popular uprising against Chinese rule with more than 130 protests recorded. Chinese authorities responded by flooding Tibet with troops and used extreme violence to quell the unrest. More than 220 people were killed, thousands were detained, and more than 1,000 Tibetans remain missing. Despite the crackdown, protests continue today in Tibet and the situation on the ground remains incredibly tense and unstable. Further unrest and bloodshed is likely.

Mining in Tibet ­– like in any conflict zone – threatens the reputation of investors. The Dalai Lama recently described Tibet under Chinese rule as a “hell on earth.” Tibetans are in no position to exercise their free, prior, and informed consent for the exploitation of their natural resources. Minerals obtained from mining in Tibet are shipped to the east coast of China to feed the growing Chinese economy, offering few, if any, financial benefits to local Tibetans. Virtually all jobs in Tibetan mines go to Chinese migrants, even unskilled manual labour positions, excluding the high number of unemployed local Tibetans. China Labour Bulletin, Human Rights Watch and various other NGOs have repeatedly highlighted the use of forced-labour prisoners as miners.

There are serious concerns about the environmental impacts of mining in Tibet, such as the contamination of soil and water by arsenic or cyanide, which could seriously affect local farmers and communities further down stream in Asia. Tibet is the source of all of Asia’s major rivers. Under the Chinese occupation, Tibetans are denied the right to decide how their resources are used and may be forcibly removed from their land, without compensation, to make way for mines.

STUDENTS FOR A FREE TIBET UK ARE ASKING STANDARD BANK TO ACT.

Photos by: Luke Ward

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LONDON - A military delegation comprised of People's Liberation Army (PLA) generals is visiting the UK this week with their schedule centred around parliamentary engagements. The delegation, headed by Lt General Zhao Gang who is Vice President of Beijing's National Defence University, met with the Defence Committee and part of their agenda is to discuss 'military reform', Students for a Free Tibet UK has learned. The visit comes at a time when areas of Tibet remain under tight military control and a year on from well documented instances of mass demonstrations by Tibetans being dispersed by indiscriminate gunfire by PLA soldiers. During the visit, news has emerged from Tibet of another instance of gunfire being used to suppress protest, as a violent crackdown against a Tibetan farming boycott in the Chamdo area led to a demonstrator named Tsering being shot. The severity of Tsering's injuries are unknown at the time of writing.

In May 2009 Tsewang Dhondup and his brother escaped into exile having been involved in last year's demonstrations. Tsewang, himself shot and seriously injured by the Chinese military whilst helping a wounded monk, has given testimony detailing the lethal force used by the PLA against demonstrators in Dragko County on 24 March 2008. Tsewang stated: “Around 4:30 pm on March 24, a massive protest demonstration led by around 150 nuns from Ngangong Nunnery broke out in Dragko. Several more monks from Palden Chokri and hundreds of lay people, mainly farmers later joined the march." Tsewang spoke of how Chinese forces "indiscriminately opened fire on the demonstrators, shelled tear gas and used electric prods and iron batons to quell the protest.”

"This delegation is visiting shortly after the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, and it is important to emphasise that two decades later PLA generals are just as willing to order the shooting of unarmed peaceful protesters," said Terry Bettger, spokesperson for Students for a Free Tibet UK, "Over the past 15 months excessive and lethal force has been meted out against Tibetans by PLA forces simply because they called out for their fundamental human rights and freedoms. Students for a Free Tibet UK call upon British parliamentarians to make strong representations to the PLA delegation condemning such actions and demanding serious military reform to prevent such atrocities occurring in the future."