2006 March | Tibet Will Be Free

The Bigger They Come, The Harder They Fall

Posted by philo on Mar 29, 2006 in China Watch | 2 comments

Via Phayul, a Reuters article on China oh-so benevolently giving the people of Tibet a 40+ foot tall statue of Mao.

Late Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong is set to cast a huge shadow over Tibet once again with a giant stone statue of the Great Helmsman on its way to the Himalayan region, a newspaper said on Wednesday.

China’s biggest statue of Mao — rising 7.1 metres from a 5.16-metre pedestal — is due to arrive by truck in Gongga county under police escort in just over a week, the Beijing News said.

Changsha, capital of the southern province of Hunan, Mao’s birthplace, donated the statue to Gongga as part of aid for Tibet, the newspaper said. The statue will be a landmark in the county’s Changsha Square, which will be completed in July.

The Reuters article goes on to gloss over the murderous effects of Mao’s Cultural Revolution, particularly in Tibet, so I won’t give it light of day here.

Leaving aside the ridiculous idea of planting a forty-foot tall statue of Mao inside a nation that he violently invaded and occupied, how in the name of all that is sacred and holy does forty feet of solid stone Mao constitute “aid for Tibet?” What part of this undoubtedly expensive icon to a dictator will help the Tibetan people? Will the massive shadow it both physically and metaphorically casts provide shelter for homeless Tibetan children in Lhasa? Will Mao’s four pocket jacket contain bountiful medical supplies to treat tuberculosis and cataracts? Will the introduction of this stone idol bring new jobs to Tibetans or provide an institution to preserve Tibetan culture from the homogenizing forces of the Chinese Communist Party?

No, I don’t believe forty feet of Mao will accomplish any of these things. At most Mao’s statue will provide a vivid image for CNN and the BBC when it is toppled to its demise in a free Tibet.

Tibetan Flag Flies Over France

Posted by philo on Mar 27, 2006 in General | 6 comments

Via Phayul:

Tibetan national flag flies high amidst national flags of other countries including China at the main entrance of the ‘Foire de Lyon’, one of the largest international trade fairs in France. ‘Peoples of Himalaya’, an exhibition of Tibetan culture and religion, was one of the themes of the ten-day fair that concludes today.

I’m sure the Chinese government is ecstatic about seeing the Tibetan flag fly alongside flags from all the other nations of the world. Great work France!

Sonam Wangdu’s Congressional Testimony

Posted by philo on Mar 23, 2006 in General | 2 comments

Our friend Sonam Wangdu, chair of the U.S. Tibet Committee, recently spoke on a panel discussion on the Congressional-Executive China Committee. Here is his testimony on the progress of dialogues between the Tibetan Government-in-Exile and the Chinese government.

“The China-Dalai Lama Dialogue: Prospects for Progress�?

Statement by Sonam Wangdu
I am grateful to the Congressional-Executive Commission on China for the opportunity to appear before you. I have been involved in the Tibet issue first as an employee of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile from 1960 to 1973 and as an advocate, volunteering my time, in the free Tibet movement since then. I am currently the chair of the U.S. Tibet Committee in New York City, the oldest Tibet support group in North America.

I was born in Kham, Tibet in 1942. My mother was forced to send me away to my uncles in central Tibet, in fear for my safety because it was rumored that young Tibetans boys were being shipped off to China for indoctrination. I was a child of 8 years old when I left my home. My eldest sister accompanied me across the country. My sister returned to Kham, and the next time we met again was after 36 years in Nepal. In 1954, my uncles brought me to India where I was enrolled in English-medium schools. I never returned home nor saw my Mother again.

(more…)

Statement by Phuntsog Nyidron

Posted by philo on Mar 23, 2006 in Human Rights/Political Prisoner | 2 comments

Translated from original Tibetan.

Respected Everyone,

I would like to offer my Tashi Delek and greetings to everyone and to express my pleasure at being able to communicate to you all after I arrived in this land of freedom.

Following my participation in a peaceful rally for Tibetan independence in October 1989 (when I was 19 years old) in the Tibetan capital Lhasa, along with five other nuns from my nunnery, the Chinese Government detained me and sentenced me to nine years of imprisonment. In 1993, along with 13 other political prisoners I secretly recorded songs in prison that were in praise of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and about the situation of the political prisoners. On account of this, my sentence was extended by eight years, making my total sentence 17 years. However, in February of 2004, I was suddenly released from prison but nevertheless continued to undergo difficulties. I was under constant supervision of officials from the county.

What is most important is that during my time in prison although the Chinese Government made it difficult for me both physically and mentally, I did not waver at all in my initial motivation. At times when I underwent unimaginable torture my determination to struggle for Tibetan independence became stronger.

I am an ordinary Tibetan and like the other political prisoners in the Chinese prisons in Tibet I have undergone hardship. However, after 15 years in prison I owe my freedom firstly to the grace of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and also to those countries who have shown their concern for the Tibetan political prisoners by putting pressure on the Chinese Government. I am also grateful to my fellow Tibetans and to the supporters of the Tibetan people, both organizations and individuals, for bringing awareness to the situation of the political prisoners in the
international community. I want to express my heartfelt thank you to all of you.

My foremost desire at this point of time is to seek an audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and to hear his advice. This is something that I, like all other Tibetans in Tibet, have been praying for on a daily
basis.

During my time in prison I have had medical problems. Since I did not have the facilities or the freedom to undergo proper medical treatment upon my release from prison, I would like to do that now. Thereafter, I want to commit myself to continuing my work for the just cause of the Tibetan people. Education is something that is very important in a society. I had to spent my young life in prison and therefore I would now like to seize the opportunity and plan to get some education.

I would like to repeat my gratitude to all those countries and individuals who have been concerned about the Tibetan political prisoners. I would urge you to continue helping other helpless Tibetan political prisoners, including those who may have been released but who continue to be denied of their freedom in their homes.

I would like to specially appeal to all concerned to help protect the rights of the Tibetan people in Tibet and to enable the Tibetan people to secure freedom at the earliest.

Phuntsog Nyidron
Washington, D.C.
March 22, 2006

Phuntsog Nyidron is Free!

Posted by philo on Mar 16, 2006 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

Phuntsog Nyidron, the last of the Drapchi 14 nuns to be released from prison, just arrived in San Francisco on a plane from Beijing. Only two months ago, many of you participated in an action alert, calling on the Chinese authorities to allow her to travel abroad to receive proper medical treatment. Although Phuntsog Nyidron was officially released from the notorious Drapchi prison in 2004, she has been under house arrest and suffering from debilitating health problems caused from torture she received during her 15 years in prison. She has been released into the custody of the International Campaign for Tibet, and was greeted at the airport by her former cell-mate Ngawang Sangdrol.

Thank you to each of you who took action on Phuntsog Nyidron’s behalf. Her arrival in the United States, once again, demonstrates that our efforts are being heard by the Chinese authorities and are having an impact on the ground inside Tibet!