Devastating earthquake hits eastern Tibet – Please Help

Early this morning local time, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake followed by a number of powerful aftershocks struck in Kyegundo སྐྱེ་རྒུ་མདོ།  (spoken as Jyekundo) in Kham, eastern Tibet (Ch: Jieguduo or Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province). At least 600 people are reported dead and more than 10,000 injured by Chinese & Western media, but Tibetans with contacts in the area have heard the death toll may be as high as 4,000. We will continue to post updates on SFT’s facebook page and twitter feed.

All of us at SFT send our heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost loved ones in the earthquake. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Kyegundo and the surrounding area.

How you can help:

1) Donate to organizations working in the region and help support emergency relief efforts:

Tibetan Village Project:  http://www.tibetanvillageproject.org/ (Note: you can also donate via Causes at:
http://www.causes.com/causes/472609)

Tibetan Relief Fund: http://www.tibetrelieffund.co.uk/

Machik: http://www.machik.org/index.ph

Tibet Foundation: http://www.tibet-foundation.org/news/urgent_emergency_appeal_-_kyekudo_yushu_earthquake/

Thrangu Rinpoche Trust: http://www.thranguemergency.org/

2) Help spread the word that this awful tragedy occurred in Tibet not in Western China as the media is reporting:

• Change your Facebook status and tweet: Quake in Tibet. Please help. Donate here: http://www.causes.com/causes/472609(Please RT)

• Read and share a moving blog post about the earthquake with reactions from Tibetans in Tibet on High Peaks Pure Earth
  
• Read and share the statement issued by the five leading Tibetans exile organizations in Dharamsala (including SFT India).
  

• Write to the editor of your local newspaper to educate him/her that the earthquake struck Chinese occupied Tibet, which is at a minimum disputed territory. Kyegundo is in the Tibetan province of Kham, annexed into China’s present day Qinghai Province..

From High Peaks Pure Earth: Chinese media refers to the affected area as the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu (玉树) in Qinghai province, Western media has been calling it Western or South Western China inhabited by “ethnic Tibetans” or part of the “Tibetan plateau”.

Although spelled Kyegundo, when spoken it sounds more like Jyekundo. This Google map shows the position of Kyegundo in relation both to Lhasa and also to the provincial capitals of Qinghai and Gansu, Xining and Lanzhou, to the north east.  Here is the link to the map on the website of Tibetan and Himalayan Library, an excellent resource site.

Fears over potential dam burst:

The BBC has  reported that a massive dam at the headwaters of three rivers in the area has been damaged and that people have fled for higher ground in fear that the dam might burst.  A crack in the dam wall has prompted Chinese officials to drain the reservoir.  The Chinese government has plans to build several more dams in this earthquake prone area.  View a map posted on the Tibetan Plateau blog: http://tibetanplateau.blogspot.com/2010/02/dams-on-upper-reaches-of-yangtze-mekong.html

Also, according to an NPR report 85% of the buildings in the town have collapsed and the Red Cross is reporting that 70% of schools have been destroyed. The area is home to Tibetan nomads and farmers who traditionally live on the grasslands of the plateau.  A Newsweek blog post from April 14th documents the Chinese government’s massive push to forcibly settle Tibetan nomads into concrete housing projects like the kind we see lining the streets of Kyegundo. China plans to settle all of the nomads in Qinghai Province within 5 years.

The media is reporting that relief efforts by the Chinese army are underway, but we’re also hearing that many people in the surrounding areas are without food and water. A Tibetan was able to send word out that:  people as far away as Denma (5-6 hrs drive from jyeku) sleeping outside right now. People don’t have food and troops are apparently only going in by road, so it could take 2-3 days for relief to get here.

Please check back for updates and more ways that you can help the people of Kyegundo.

Read more:

His Holiness the Dalai Lama sends his condolences to the earthquake victims: http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/520-his-holiness-offers-his-condolences-to-the-victims-of-the-earthquake-in-kyigudo

Statement by U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi: http://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/pressreleases?id=1629

Free Tibet (UK based Tibet Support Group): http://www.freetibet.org/newsmedia/earthquake-eastern-tibet

International Campaign for Tibet (Washington, D.C. based Tibet Support Group): http://savetibet.org/

World News Blog (The sensitivity behind the latest Chinese earthquake): http://blogs.channel4.com/snowblog/2010/04/14/the-sensitivity-behind-the-latest-chinese-earthquake/

BBC (China earthquake kills hundreds in Qinghai): http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8619593.stm

NPR (Earthquake In China Kills 400; Thousands Injured): http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125930694

Free Tibet (UK based Tibet Support Group): http://www.freetibet.org/newsmedia/earthquake-eastern-tibet

New York Times (Strong Quake Kills Hundreds in Western China): http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/world/asia/15quake.html

SFT: Tibetans, Supporters Protest Chinese President at Nuclear Security Summit

STUDENTS FOR A FREE TIBET

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 12th, 2010

Contact:    Kate Woznow (in Washington, D.C.), +1 917 601 0069
Tenzin Dolkar (in Washington, D.C.), +1 917 664 5530

TIBETANS, SUPPORTERS PROTEST CHINESE PRESIDENT AT NUCLEAR SECURITY SUMMIT
Call on President Obama to press President Hu on Tibet resolution as part of global security agenda

Washington, D.C. ­– Tibetans and their supporters are protesting Chinese President Hu Jintao’s arrival to the United States today, starting at 10:00am at Samuel Gompers Memorial Park (11th St. NW and L St. NW) near the Walter E. Washington Convention centre. President Hu will join more than 40 heads of states for the Nuclear Security Summit and will also meet with President Obama today, the first meeting between the two leaders since the U.S. President met with the Dalai Lama in February. Demonstrators are calling on President Obama to press the Chinese leader on a resolution for Tibet amidst reports of new protests by Tibetan students in eastern Tibet.

“We urge President Obama to go beyond the rhetoric and to press President Hu for measurable progress in negotiating a just and lasting resolution for the Tibetan people,” said Tenzin Dolkar, U.S. Grassroots Director for Students for a Free Tibet. “An end to China’s military occupation of Tibet will not just give the Tibetan people the freedom that is their birthright, but would greatly contribute to the goals of peace and security being pursued by President Obama at the nuclear summit. An independent Tibet would create a buffer zone between Asia’s nuclear powers of Pakistan, India and China, and would help ease tensions in the region.”

President Obama angered China when he met the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual and political leader and fellow Nobel laureate, at the White House in February. Tibet activists have launched a global campaign calling on the President and leaders of free countries to take bold and coordinated approaches to resolving the Tibetan issue, including heads of state publicly offering to personally facilitate a meeting between the Dalai Lama and China’s leaders. Tibet is situated at the roof of the world, surrounded by Asia’s great nuclear powers of China, India, Pakistan, and Russia. Since the early 1980s the Dalai Lama has been advocating for Tibet to be a nuclear free zone in order to achieve regional and global security.

“The recent series of student-led protests in Tibet shows that a new generation of Tibetans is uncowed by China’s violent military repression,” added Dolkar. “Tibetans from every corner of Tibet are calling for freedom and by demonstrating here today we will ensure President Hu hears their voices.”

Tibetans and Tibet supporters will protest today, April 12th at Samuel Gompers Memorial Park on the northwest side of the Walter E. Washington Convention Centre (11th St. NW and L St. NW) starting at 10am. President Obama is scheduled to meet President Hu Jintao at 2:30pm. Protests are also scheduled at the same location tomorrow, Tuesday, April 13th.
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Protest Hu Jintao in Washington, D.C. – April 12 & 13

TAKE ACTION: Chinese President Hu Jintao at Nuclear Security Summit
Washington, D.C. * April 12-13

PROTEST DETAILS:
MONDAY, APRIL 12TH
Meeting Spot: Samuel Gompers Memorial Park [11th St NW, between L St NW & Mass Ave NW]
Time: 8:30am at meeting spot
9:00am – 3:00pm [protest location to be confirmed]
Summit venue: Walter E. Washington Convention Centre
Address: 1207 9th Street NW
Other tentative protest locations: Chinese Embassy & Mandarin Oriental Hotel where we expect Hu Jintao will be staying  (to be confirmed- check back for updates)

Note: President Hu is scheduled to meet with President Obama on Monday morning.

TUESDAY, APRIL 13TH
Same details as above. Check back for updates!

TRANSPORTATION FROM NYC: Buses will depart from NYC on Monday, April 12th at 3:00am (there may also be bus transports from NYC to DC on Tues, April 13th). If you’d like to reserve a seat, please contact 646-270-4495 or 646-409-6444 or email tdolkar@studentsforafreetibet.org

SPEAK OUT FOR TIBET – PROTEST HU JINTAO!
Please join us to make sure Hu Jintao hears loud & clear from Tibetans and Tibet supporters during his visit to D.C.

President Hu Jintao’s visit to Washington, D.C. comes at a time of escalating tension between the US and China. In a phone conversation last week between President Obama and Hu Jintao, the Chinese leader stressed the importance of a healthier relationship between the US and China, and once again emphasized Beijing’s position on Tibet and Taiwan. Clearly, international support for Tibet continues to be a thorn in the side of China’s leadership.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/03/world/asia/03briefs-Phonecall.html

By mobilizing Tibetans and Tibet supporters to Washington, D.C. next week, we can ensure the Tibet issue is front & center during Hu’s visit. Please help spread the word! Forward this message to your friends and family in the NY & DC area!

Please continue to check this page for final protest schedule.

Organized by Regional Tibetan Youth Congress of NY&NJ, Tibetan Association of NY&NJ, Tibetan Women’s Association of NY&NJ, Students for a Free Tibet, Capital Area Tibetan Association

Get updates on your phone:

BBC World Interviews Tenzin Sonam & Ritu about The Sun Behind the Clouds

Watch this fantastic interview with Tenzin Sonam & Ritu on BBC World about the making of The Sun Behind the Clouds and the future of the Tibet movement. The interview also includes a clip from the film of Lhadon speaking.

The film premieres in the N.Y. tomorrow, Wednesday, March 31st. Tix are still available but going fast – buy yours now!

Firings Over School Protests (RFA)

Teachers lose their jobs following Tibetan student demonstrations against Chinese rule.

KATHMANDU—The Tibetan headmaster of a middle school in China’s Gansu province has been fired, together with his assistants and the head of the county Public Security Bureau, following student protests at the school, according to Tibetan sources.

Students at the school remain confined to school grounds, sources said.

“The school is surrounded by armed security forces, and all the students are locked inside the campus,” a Tibetan resident of the area said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“They are not allowed to move in and out.  Tension is extremely high in the Machu county area,” the man said.

The man’s account could not be independently confirmed, and a Machu [in Chinese, Maqu] county government official, reached for comment, denied knowledge of the events before hanging up.

Dozens of students at the Tibetan Middle School in Machu staged a protest March 14 on the second anniversary of a region-wide uprising against Chinese rule in Tibetan-populated areas of western China.

“[They] were joined by 500 to 600 other Tibetans,” a local resident said.

“They were shouting against their lack of freedom, and were calling for Tibetan independence,” the source said.

(more…)