A Colorful Day in Union Square
Hey readers! My name is Elyna. I’m interning at the SFT headquarters this summer. Just bringing you all up to speed with what we’ve been up to.
If you haven’t already heard of Lhakar (“White Wednesday”), it is a Tibetan-born, non-violent form of protest that promotes Tibetan culture. Every Wednesday – in honor of the Dalai Lama’s soul day – Tibetans make a special effort to, essentially, be Tibetan. This summer, Tenzin and I plan to do celebrate Lhakar by spreading awareness regarding the Chinese occupation of Tibet.
Last Wednesday afternoon, I was standing in the middle of Union Square wearing the Tibetan flag as a cape, and a sign around my neck, reading, “CHINA: STOP FORCING TIBETAN NOMADS OFF THEIR LAND”. It was most certainly not a familiar feeling for me. In fact, I don’t think it was for anyone who passed by me, either, considering how many funny looks I received from the countless New Yorkers passing by. Zaeda and Tenzin wore paper-constructed yak masks along with their flag-cloaks.
I wasn’t even aware of the nomad rights violations taking place in Tibet until the four of us starting researching about it. In 1998, Qi Jingfa, China’s Agriculture Vice Minister, announced “all herdsmen are expected to end the nomadic life by the end of the century”. That goal was not met, but the Chinese government is still doing what they can to force Tibetan nomads – who have lived nomadically for approximately 9,000 years – to settle.
We were able to collect 80 signatures in Union Square supporting Tibetan nomadic rights. Those signatures were signed on postcards, all of which are addressed to Ban Ki-moon, the current secretary general of the United Nations.
We’re planning on doing something a little more creative with the postcards than just simply mailing them, but that’s something we’ll keep you updated on. As far as our Lhakar Wednesday goes, I’d say it was pretty successful. After all, it’s always fun making friends with perfect strangers!
If you’re at all interested in learning more about what’s happening in the world of Tibetan nomads, visit http://nomadrights.org/ for more information.
For more information on Lhakar, visit http://lhakar.org/.
Preparing for take off!
10 Android & iPhone Apps for Tibet Activists
Mobile phones are playing an increasing role in movements for social change. Since the birth of smart phones, documentation of rights abuses, mobilization, and mass communication have been revolutionized. As smart phones get smarter, we have an ever-expanding market of apps to make our work for Tibet more effective.
Apps for Android:
BhoView: Tibetan Text Viewer
BhodView lets you view any Tibetan webpage by using the “Share Via” feature of other apps like Browser, Email or Messaging. Just open a Tibetan website, email, or message and click “share,” then select BhodView. A great app for anyone who wants to view Tibetan on their phone. Free.
Congress
Congress is an amazing app. It’s a pocket directory that allows you to quickly get detailed information (including photos and bios) on your members of Congress, and what they’re up to. With Congress you can follow the latest bills and laws, and see floor activity and votes as they happen.
This is the perfect app for Tibet Lobby Day or for becoming more fluent and up-to-date in US congress happenings and info. A must have. Free.
Tibetan News & Music
A great new app which brings Tibetan video newscasts from Voice of America and Radio Free Asia as well as the latest headlines from Phayul.com to your Droid. As an added bonus, Tibetan News & Music also brings you the best new Tibetan music videos. A big shout out to Digital Vajra for developing this. Free.
uTalk Tibetan
uTalk is a good app for learning basic Tibetan phrases, numbers, and vocabulary. uTalk has an interesting recording and playback function, although it didn’t prove to be too useful. The word games and quizzes are perfect for a long subway ride. Even without Tibetan font support, uTalk displays Tibetan letters. This is a great app for anyone who wants to learn Tibetan or expand their vocabulary. Price $9.71. Also available for iPhone for $9.99
Beiks Tibetan English Dictionary
The Tibetan-English Dictionary is for both Tibetan speakers who need to look up words in English and English speakers who need to look up words in Tibetan. This was my personal favorite of the Tibetan dictionary apps. This app is not in the Android market. Price $12.95.
English Tibetan Dictionary
English Tibetan Dictionary (Romanized) is travel dictionary to translate English to Tibetan displaying a list of words in Romanized Tibetan. The dictionary also translates from phonetic Tibetan to English. The dictionary has an impressive collection of words but also lacks some basic ones. Price $4.02. Also available for the iPhone for $2.99
Free2Work
Free2Work is an awesome app. Free2Work promotes transparency by rating major brands based on their policies to address this human rights issue. With Free2Work, you can easily find specific Companies, get updates from other activists, see the latest video and photos from the field, and share information. Learn how companies like Nike, Adidas, and Patagonia are rated and how they are improving. Also available for iPhone. Free.
Obscura Cam
A “Visual Privacy” photo app developed by The Guardian Project with Witness. Obscura Cam detects faces in photos, then protects the identity of the subjects by obstructing their faces. It also removes EXIF metadata from photos. This is a fantastic app and it’s inspiring to see apps head in this direction. A great app for human rights defenders an d activists living under repressive regimes. Free
Orweb: Privacy Browser + Tor
Enhance your privacy, break through firewalls and communicate more safely. Orbot is the official port of Tor to Android. Tor is a network of virtual tunnels that allows people and groups to improve their privacy and security on the Internet. Devoloped by the Guardian Project and the great folks at Tor. Find more about Tor for the iPhone here. Free.
Gibberbot
Another great app by the Guardian Project. Gibberbot is a secured chat client capable of firewall and filter circumvention, surveillance blocking and end-to-end encryption. Free.
Twitter
Share instant updates with your friends, favorite organizations, and the world. Twitter has been successfully used for organizing protests, and keeping the world updated as events are happening. It has played a key role in revolutions and freedom struggles. As citizen journalism becomes increasingly important, Twitter is an essential app for any activist. TweetDeck makes it easy to link and post to all your social networks. Twitter and TweetDeck are also available for iPhones. Free
Qik
Qik Video makes it easy to shoot video and have it stream live to the web. Many Androids come with Qik built in. For long live-casts, use apps like Ustream. Also available for iPhone. Free.
Apps for iPhones
PhayulNews
Phayul News’s iphone app is a great way to read headlines from the Tibetan world. News is updated hourly Free.
AiCandle
AiCandle is Amnesty International’s iPhone application. Read the latest international human rights news and share news and actions and with your friends, colleagues and fellow activists via Facebook and email. A true activist app. Highly recommended. Free.
Human Rights Watch
This app brings you the week’s foremost human rights news from around the world as well as Human Rights Watch’s in-depth reports, allowing you to learn more about current challenges and opportunities to create change. Highly recommended. Free.
NEW PHOTOS, NEW PROTESTS, AND A NEW GENERATION
Last week photos of a brave protest in Ngagrong County in Kham from April 2010 were released by the Central Tibetan Administration.
Especially for those of us who have walked the streets of Tibet, the images of the 3 monks throwing handfuls of pamphlets in the air and waving homemade Tibetan national flags, are both inspiring and chilling.
What’s probably most inspiring about the photos and video is the age of the young monks. All under 23, they risked everything to send a message to the Chinese government that Tibetans are not happy under Chinese rule, that Tibetans want the return of the Dalai Lama, and that Tibet’s new generation will take action.
The fate of the four monks, Khu Tashi 22, Tsering Gyaltsen 19, Tsering Wangchuk 22, and Ringzin Dorjee is unknown. The prison where they are being held, their condition, and their harrowing story may never be heard. But their courage, sacrifice, and message was. To Khu, Tsering, Rinzin, and Tsering, we heard your brave cries.
Similarly last week in Kardze, Eastern Tibet, up to 20 monks and nuns staged protests. Like the 4 monks from Ngagrong, their brave sacrifice was heard.
All 17 monks and nuns from Kardze, like the monks from Ngagrong, are part of Tibet’s new generation, a generation of brave, brilliant, and restless youth who feel the “temptation of freedom.”
No Foreigners Allowed…Again?
In March I wrote about how foreigners were banned from traveling to Lhasa, and it seems the authorities are denying entry permits to the Tibet Autonomous Region yet again.
Urban Sprawl in Lhasa, April 2011
In March, the official (read: Chinese government) reason for the ban was the over-crowding of tourists and extreme weather. These were blatant lies, as there were few tourists in Lhasa at the time—only domestic tourists were allowed permits—and the weather was sunny, occasionally cloudy and windy. The real reason was that the government did not want foreign tourists to view firsthand the current crackdown and the heightened military presence in March, due to fears of potential unrest on the anniversary of the Uprisings of 1959 and 2008
The Potala square in April, 2011, devoid of tourists.
In April, permits were re-issued, and fair-skinned foreign tourists toting heavy cameras began trickling in, trailing their tour guides around the city. It had been one month since I had seen any foreigners save the few that I knew lived in Lhasa, and I stared and studied them with the same fascination as the Tibetans, not used to the sight of them. A recent news article stated that areas of Sichuan, most likely Ngaba, were closed to tourists in April, following the self-immolation of a monk and the subsequent protests and crackdown in the region.
In May, another politically sensitive anniversary occurred on the 23rd—the 60th anniversary of the signing of the 17-Point Agreement, which China dubs the official day of Tibet’s “peaceful liberation.” (read the “17 Points of Disagreement”: 60 Years of China’s Failed Policies in Tibet)
It is now June, and the two anniversaries have passed, so why is Tibet yet again closed to foreign tourists? Documents cited the May 23rd anniversary, but it seems more likely that the ban is in response to the upcoming July 1st anniversary of the Communist Party’s founding. Likewise, the recent protests in Inner Mongolia may also have something to do with it:
In May, Beijing told foreigners not to sow unrest in its vast northern region of Inner Mongolia, after rare protests by ethnic Mongolians sparked by the hit-and-run death of a herder garnered international attention.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu has said people overseas had an ‘ulterior motive’ and were trying to use the incident ‘to cause trouble’. (Reuters)
While blaming foreigners for unrest in Inner Mongolia is flattering, credit must be given where credit is due, and the people of Inner Mongolia, Tibet, and East Turkestan need to be recognized for their brave efforts.
The fact that Tibet is so frequently closed due to fears of potential unrest and heightened military crackdowns is absurd and horrifying. March through October is the tourist high season, yet three out of the past four months saw bans on foreign tourists in numerous areas in Tibet. Tour guides who have no work in the winter must toil grueling hours in the high season, making most, if not all of their income in that half of the year. A ban on foreign tourists means that hundreds, potentially thousands of tour guides will be making next to nothing this year.
Right now, Lhasa is being built up into a tourist hot spot, with new luxury hotels like the St. Regis Lhasa Resort and the Intercontinental popping up, along with malls, movie theaters, department stores, and restaurants emerging and vying for tourist dollars. The St. Regis Lhasa Resort opened its doors in November, boasting that they are offering training and employment opportunities for local Tibetans, but how can a hotel thrive when there are no tourists? They have built it, but no one can come.
How can tourism successfully function in Tibet today? It cannot and it will not until Tibet is a free and independent nation, free of military oppression, economic marginalization, and religious and cultural repression.
China closes Tibet to foreigners until July 26 (AP)
UPDATE 1-China closes Tibet to foreigners ahead of anniversary (Reuters)
Tibetans speak out against mining in Gyama: Add your voice!
A Petition from Gyama, Tibet
Today Meldro Gongkar valley, especially Gyama township, has been ravaged by mining operations that are now owned by China Gold International Resources, a Vancouver-based company partly owned by the Chinese state. The company’s executives are using Canada’s name, reputation, and money to steal copper and gold from Tibetans in Gyama (Ch: Jiama), near Lhasa, Tibet’s capital. Tibetans in Gyama are telling us that China Gold is polluting their rivers and ripping apart their ancestral grasslands.
Tibetans in Gyama sent a petition to Chinese authorities in 2009, a copy of which can be viewed on this page. Scroll down to read a summarized translation of the petition’s contents.
Students for a Free Tibet is calling for divestment from China Gold International Resources and their unconscionable mining project in Tibet. Join the protest and help deter shareholders as well as other Canadian corporations from doing unethical business in Tibet.
TAKE ACTION: We can help by showing global support for this divestment campaign.
1) Send a letter to the President and CEO of China Gold International Resources, Mr. Xin Song.
2) After you send a letter to the CEO, please pick up the phone and call China Gold’s headquarters at +1-604-609-0598 to convey your opposition to mining in Tibet. Helpful talking points are included below.
3) You can also take action by posting a comment on the company’s website here: http://www.chinagoldintl.com/s/SendMessage.asp
GYAMA’S SURVIVAL AT STAKE
As we petitioned many years ago, I would like to state again that in Meldro Gongkar county’s Gyama township, mining operations have shown utter disregard to the grasslands, forests, mountains, rivers, wildlife, environment, local people’s life and livelihood. The mining operations have caused great destruction to our farmlands, mountains and rivers. With factories that contaminated the water, killed many cattle and continues to cause severe damage, causing severe disputes between local Tibetans and Chinese factory workers.
In 2009, June 19th, Nyima Tsering, Passang, Phuntsok, Kalsang Dhondup and other local villagers went to the village and township authorities to appeal that the mining facilities are harming the farmers and damaging the farmland. They were told to go to the facility’s authorities, but they could not find the authorities. In the end the local villagers were so desperate that they blockaded the facility’s trucks to find the company authorities.
A company leader of work unit 18 shouted, “Kill some of the farmers, the price of their life is cheap, so I will pay for it.” Immediately some Chinese factory workers brought sticks and metal beams and started severely beating Nyima Tsering, Passang, Phuntsok and Kalsang Dhondup. The local villagers and Meldro Gongkar county’s policeman Jampa witnessed that Passang and Lobsang were most critically injured. The local people understand that some leaders in the Gyama township’s government are guilty of corruption and embezzlement, receiving bribes from the company.
The mining company’s leaders made some people collaborate with them in their sinister plot to deceive the nation and terrorize the public to achieve their own selfish interests. Following this incident, instead of helping 20 of the beating victims including Phudup, Penchung, Tenzin Dawa, the authorities detained and jailed them for up to a month. Further due to the mining operations, the local population of 4,000 Tibetans in Gyama have been turned into an insignificant and voiceless minority by the nearly 10,000 Chinese miners who have arrived in Gyama only because of the mining operations.
Due to all the problems created for us through the mining operation’s devastation of the rivers and the land and the communal disputes, the villagers finally gathered in front of the facility and protested against the mining authorities. This is how desperate we became.
- Language Awards, Lhakar, and Tibetan Education « Lhakar on Language Awards, Lhakar, and Tibetan Education
- polo shirts
on NEW PHOTOS, NEW PROTESTS, AND A NEW GENERATION
- NYC Summer Lhakar Actions « Lhakar Diaries on SFT in DC
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