Stand-off in Ngaba: Tibetan monks need your help

Tibetan monks at Kirti monastery in eastern Tibet are in danger – and need your help.

As Beijing intensifies its sweeping crackdown on dissent, Chinese troops in Tibet are on the verge of “disappearing” hundreds of monks.

Tibetan monks in Dharamsala, India have received an urgent call for help from Ngaba County (Chinese: Aba County). They are reporting that Chinese troops attempted to storm Kirti monastery this morning. According to reliable sources, residents fear Chinese authorities are planning to forcibly remove all monks between the ages 18 and 40.

Local Tibetans, being alerted to the troops’ arrival, rushed to block the monastery entrance. The armed police and soldiers tried to break through the crowd by beating the Tibetans and setting police dogs on them. In spite of the violent attacks, the Tibetans stood their ground and the troops failed to enter the monastery’s inner gates. As of now, the standoff continues.

TAKE ACTION: Sign the petition to demand Chinese troops immediately stop the siege at Kirti Monastery.

Tibetans fear Chinese authorities are planning to transfer the monks from the monastery into local prisons where they will be subjected to China’s repressive political “reeducation”.

Tension in Ngaba has been high since the self-immolation of Phuntsok Jarutsang (pictured right), a 20-year monk from Kirti Monastery, on March 16, 2011. Chinese forces have been stationed around Kirti Monastery for weeks and more than a dozen monks have been arbitrarily arrested.

According to the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights & Democracy as of yesterday, troops had completely sealed off the monastery. The monks’ dwindling food supplies are prompting fears of starvation in the monastery. The lives of many Tibetans are at stake.

Take Action: Let the Chinese authorities know the world is watching

1. Sign the petition and demand an end to the siege.
2. Organize a solidarity rally at the Chinese consulate nearest you or at a public landmark in your community. Find details of protests here. Send information about your protest to grassroots@studentsforafreetibet.org so we can alert others.
3. Spread the word. Forward this email to friends & family. Update your Facebook and Twitter status to “I stand with Tibetans in Ngaba”.

For more ways to take action, visit: http://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/ngaba

Let’s work together to end the siege at Kirti monastery, and to protect the monks and local Tibetans who are defending the monastery.

For more information, read the reports & articles below:

Chinese armed police cordon Ngaba Kirti Monastery, 2500 monks face food shortage (TCHRD)
http://www.tchrd.org/press/2011/pr20110411.html

Security step-up in Kirti monastery likely to starve monks (Phayul News):
http://is.gd/iaQ7tN

Ngaba Kirti Monastery Under Lockdown (Voice of America):
http://www.voanews.com/tibetan-english/news/Ngaba-Kirti-Monastery-under-Lockdown-119696874.html

More information about the incident on March 16th self-immolation:
http://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/article.php?id=2306

Coalition Urges President Obama to Raise Tibet During US-China Summit

STUDENTS FOR A FREE TIBET

January 13, 2011
For Immediate Release

Contacts: Tenzin Dorjee, Executive Director, +1 646-724-0748

Kate Woznow, Deputy Director, +1 917-601-0069

Coalition Urges President Obama to Raise Tibet During US-China Summit

New York – A coalition of 39 Tibetan organizations and Tibet support groups across the United States sent a letter today to President Barack Obama asking that Tibet be a substantive part of the agenda during his meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao on January 19th.

“President Obama and his administration must publicly and vigorously raise Tibet and human rights when he meets Chinese President Hu Jintao,” said Tenzin Dorjee, Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet.  “Human rights and freedom for Tibetans – and indeed all people – are universal values that Americans hold dear and want championed when our leaders talk to China.”

The letter states that the United States’ “long-standing history of supporting the Tibetan people creates an incumbent duty on this Administration to continue to raise the issue with Chinese leaders at the highest levels.” The visit comes at a time when Chinese leaders are escalating their violent and repressive policies in Tibet, including a full-scale attack against Tibetan writers, artists and intellectuals.

The letter argues that China’s failed policies in Tibet have consequences far beyond Tibet’s borders. China’s wide-scale construction of dams on the upper-reaches of Asia’s largest rivers originating on the Tibetan plateau that flow into India, Cambodia and other neighboring countries, are fast becoming a potential source of regional instability.

Students for a Free Tibet, along with the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress of New York/New Jersey and Washington D.C. and the Capital Area Tibetan Association, is planning a series of protests from January 18th-20th in Washington, D.C. to coincide with Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit. A full schedule of the protests is available at: http://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/hujintao

The text of the letter and list of signatory groups are as follows:

January 13, 2011

The President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

We, the undersigned Tibetan Associations, organizations and Tibet support groups, are writing to ask that you make Tibet a substantive part of the agenda when President Hu Jintao visits Washington on January 19.

You have spoken often of the universality of fundamental human rights, most recently to mark the awarding of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize to imprisoned Chinese writer and democracy activist Liu Xiaobo.

As you are aware, for the past six decades, the Tibetan people have been denied their fundamental human rights.  President Hu Jintao’s visit to Washington is a unique opportunity to engage him meaningfully on the Tibet issue and showcase the ideals and values cherished by Americans, including openness, democracy and individual liberty.  These principles underlie your remarks about rights that are universal to all human beings.

The United States has a long-standing history of supporting the Tibetan people and their peaceful struggle for human rights and freedom.  This support has become institutionalized within the U.S. government through the development of policies and programs designed to help Tibetans preserve and promote their culture, identity and dignity.  You have commended His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s tireless efforts to negotiate a resolution for Tibet with the Chinese government, a position consistent with long-standing U.S. policy.

Tibet is an integral part of the U.S.-China relationship for moral, historical and strategic reasons.  The position the United States has adopted on Tibet creates an incumbent duty on this Administration to continue to raise the issue with Chinese leaders at the highest levels. Tibet must be on the agenda of your summit with President Hu.

The recent protests by Tibetan students objecting to the central government’s plans to subordinate the Tibetan language to Mandarin as the language of instruction are emblematic of China’s policy failures in Tibet.

Moreover, there is a growing recognition of the potential impact China’s infrastructure projects on the Tibetan plateau will have on access to water in downstream countries, as Secretary Clinton noted during her visit to Cambodia.  The role of Tibet, also known by scientists as the “Third Pole,” in global climate change is further evidence that developments in Tibet are anything but the exclusive internal affairs of the People’s Republic of China.  Without a multilateral framework to address these issues, Chinese policies in Tibet could exacerbate regional instability.  A just and lasting solution for Tibet that includes Tibetans as integral stakeholders will bring greater stability for China, its regional neighbors and indeed the world.

These points underlie the central message that we ask you to convey to President Hu – that the United States has, and will continue to have, a strong interest in Tibet and will remain committed to facilitating a just and lasting resolution for Tibet.  This commitment comes with an expectation that Tibetans must be freely able to exercise their basic human rights and freedoms, preserve their distinctive culture, and address the ecological, educational, political and economic consequences of the Chinese government’s failed policies in Tibet.

The U.S. government should continue to press China’s leadership for results-oriented negotiations to achieve a political solution for Tibet and engage China in topical areas, including education policies pertaining to Tibetans and regional discussions on water security.

Your proactive approach will demonstrate to the Chinese government that Tibet is an integral part of the U.S.-China relationship as are basic universal values of human rights and dignity.  Again, we thank you for your public expressions of support for the Tibet issue and for your leadership in raising it with Chinese leaders, and look forward to your continuing to exert this leadership when you meet with President Hu.

Sincerely,

Association Cognizance Tibet, North Carolina
Capital Area Tibetan Association
Indiana Tibetan Association
Northwest Tibetan Cultural Association
Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota
Tibetan Association of Boston
Tibetan Association of Charlottesville
Tibetan Association of Colorado
Tibetan Association of Connecticut
Tibetan Association of Idaho
Tibetan Association of Ithaca
Tibetan Association of New York and New Jersey
Tibetan Association of North Carolina
Tibetan Association of Northern California
Tibetan Association of Ohio and Michigan
Tibetan Association of Santa Fe
Tibetan Association of Philadelphia
Tibetan Association of Southern California
Tibetan Association of Washington
Utah Tibetan Association
Wisconsin Tibetan Association
Bay Area Friends of Tibet
Boston Tibet Network
Committee of 100 for Tibet
International Campaign for Tibet
International Tibet Independence Movement
Los Angeles Friends of Tibet
Regional Tibetan Youth Congress of New York and New Jersey
San Diego Friends of Tibet
Santa Barbara Friends of Tibet
Seattle Friends of Tibet
Sierra Friends of Tibet
Students for a Free Tibet
Tibet Committee of Fairbanks
The Tibet Connection
Tibet Justice Center
Tibet Online
U.S. Tibet Committee
Western Colorado Friends of Tibet

-30-

Help Defend the Tibetan Language

Last month Tibetan students in Rebkong, Amdo boldly protested the Chinese government’s decision to replace Tibetan with Chinese as the language of instruction in Tibetan schools by 2015. In the following days, the protests spread as more than 8,000 students – some as young as 13 – took to the streets to defend their fundamental right to study in their mother tongue. Watch a compilation of Radio Free Asia’s footage of the protests.

Language forms the foundation of Tibet’s unique and vibrant culture; to deny Tibetans their language is an attack on their fundamental human rights. Overnight, language became a flashpoint of cultural resistance inside Tibet, and has sparked a solidarity movement worldwide.

Support SFT’s global grassroots effort to pressure China to respect Tibetans’ fundamental right to language by clicking here.

SFT’s Tendor and Ven.    Lobsang Monlam

This Wednesday, we hosted the fourth episode of the Renaissance Series, In My Mother Tongue: Freedom Through Language. Ven. Lobsang Monlam, the creator of the Monlam Tibetan Unicode, gave an inspiring presentation about new digital tools he has helped develop – including the newly released Tibetan keyboard for iPhone 4.2 – that are helping to elevate the global status of the Tibetan language.

SFT’s Renaissance Series was launched this summer to promote the writings, poetry, music, and other works of art and literature banned in Chinese-occupied Tibet.

 In spite of China’s escalated repression following the widespread protests in 2008, there is a cultural renaissance underway in Tibet. Writers, musicians, and intellectuals are boldly asserting their views as a form of resistance to China’s colonial occupation. Tibetans in Tibet and in exile are reclaiming their language as part of this renaissance. Through grassroots action and digital innovation, we can help ensure the Tibetan language flourishes, withstanding attacks from the Chinese government. Please help us to support this cultural renaissance, and amplify the voices of Tibetans inside Tibet that are calling for the protection of their language by donating today.

Worldwide Solidarity Actions for Tibetan Students in Tibet

Beginning on October 19th, thousands of Tibetan students in Tibet and China took to the streets to demand “Equality of Races and Freedom of Language.” The students were protesting the Chinese government’s plan to replace Tibetan by Chinese as the medium of instruction.

Below are photos and videos from solidarity actions and lobbying initiatives held around the world. More actions have taken place and are being organized in Dharamsala, Mundgod, Bylakuppe, Belgium, Holland, Poland, Germany, Switzerland, New York, San Francisco, Portland, Utah, Wisconsin, Vermont, and many more.

Please email us with photos and videos of your solidarity actions or to request resources.

Madison, WI: Solidarity Video
The members of Madison SFT and RTYC Wisconsin compiled this video with the help of local children to show their support for the students in Tibet.

Chicago, IL: Protest & Solidarity Rally
December 2, 2010: About 50 Tibetans protested in front of the Chinese Embassy in Chicago against China’s recent educational reform. This protest was organized by the Wisconsin Tibetan Association of Madison. The RTYC (Regional Tibetan Youth Congress) and SFT (Students for Free Tibet) of Madison participated in the protest as well. Members of the Chicago Tibetan Community joined the protest.

Dharamsala, India: Tibetan Language Rights Solidarity Protest
On October 31st, Students for a Free Tibet India held a candlelight march and rally in solidarity with Tibetan students in Tibet.

New York City: Solidarity Rally
On October 20th, around 60 students and Tibetan community members gathered in NYC’s busy Union Square park to send a message of solidarity to the thousands of Tibetan students who have protested for “Equality of Race and Freedom of Language.” More from Young Tibet News.

Bard College, New York: Photo campaign and discussion

St. Paul Minnesota: “Rebkong Lobby Day”
On October 25th, members of the Tibetan community, the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress, and SFT delivered 28 letters to both the House and Senate – the Governor and Attorney General. Local Minnesotans ages 7 to 70 yrs stood in solidarity with the students in Tibet. More from the Tibet Express.

Portland, Oregon: Protest and Solidarity Rally
On October 29th, dozens of Tibetans and Tibet supporters, joined by SFT Portland State, came together in Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square to show their solidarity with Tibetan students in Tibet. Participants carried the letters of the Tibetan alphabet, passed out flyers, and held signs and banners.

Middlebury College, Vermont: Photo campaign

San Francisco, California: Protest at Chinese Consulate.
On October 29th, members of the Tibetan community of San Francisco protested in front of the Chinese consulate to show their solidarity with Tibetan students in Tibet.

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Don’t Imprison Our Language!

Three days back, as we began SFT’s nonviolent activist training for Tibetan and Indian students gathered at a serene farmland in lower Dharamsala, we received the electrifying news that thousands of students were protesting in Rebkong, Amdo in eastern Tibet. Around 2,000 students were staging a protest march to the Mahlo prefecture office, opposing Chinese government plans to replace Tibetan language with Chinese as the medium of instruction in their schools. Yesterday, we received further reports from Tibet that the protests have spread to Tsolho, another part of Amdo. This time the number of demonstrators has swelled to 8,000!

Surprisingly, photos and video of the protests were sent out immediately and published by RFA. The students carried signs that read: “Equality of Races, Freedom of Language.”

We cannot help but marvel at the serendipity of the event, which occurred on the same day that students and trainers from all over India, Nepal, UK, US and Canada have gathered here to study the art of nonviolent resistance. The Tibetan students in Rebkong, though not formally schooled in nonviolent resistance, were brilliantly practicing a powerful tactic of nonviolent force: staging a peaceful protest march to highlight and deter an impending injustice! Watch or read more at http://rfa.org.

These protests are without a doubt the largest in Tibet since the 2008 uprising, also known as the Maroon Revolution. In fact, these protests are nearly as big as the Chinese demonstrations in August against Beijing’s attempts to replace Cantonese broadcasts with Mandarin broadcasts in Guangzhou. While the Chinese authorities’ response to the Cantonese protests in Guangzhou was a mild detention of one person for five days, it remains to be seen how they will respond to the Tibetan protests.

We urge Tibetans and supporters around the world to phone or email their political representatives and ask them to press the Chinese government to allow Tibetans to study in their mother tongue, a plain and simple universal right. We encourage Tibetan speakers to take simple and creative actions to promote the Tibetan language by installing Tibetan typing software on their computers, or by downloading Tibetan ringtones on their phones, or by displaying Tibetan alphabets in prominent places, etc.

While information seeps out of Tibet on this ongoing movement to protect our language, let us pray and take action for the safety of the Tibetan students participating in these protests. In spirit and in action, we are with you.

This is What 1,000 Tibetan Students Protesting for Equality Looks Like!

In the early morning hours of October 19th, thousands of brave students — as well as many teachers — in Rebkong, Amdo in eastern Tibet marched to the Mahlo Prefecture government office to demand “Equality of Race and Freedom of Language.” The students are protesting the Chinese government’s plan to replace Tibetan language textbooks with books in Mandarin, changing the medium of instruction to Chinese.
As of 2pm today, there were 20-30 police cars that arrived on site but no one had been arrested yet. No news has yet surfaced about how the protest ended or whether it’s still going on.

Radio Free Asia’s coverage of the protest.

Sydney Morning Herald’s coverage of the protest.

BBC’s coverage of the protest.

Take Action: Help Stop Mining in Tibet: Call China Gold Today!

Should Canadians be investing in a mining project in Tibet that Tibetans oppose? We don’t think so either.
Join us in turning up the heat on Canadian-based China Gold International Resources. Call them today!

China Gold International Resources is set to finalize their acquisition of a copper mine in Gyama (Ch: Jiama), near Lhasa, Tibet with a special shareholders meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia today. Tibetans and their supporters are protesting outside the meeting right now to intensify pressure on the company.

YOU can help us flood China Gold with phone calls TODAY and ensure the company hears from Tibetans and supporters worldwide.

Call the company’s head office at +1-604-609-0598 to voice your opposition to China Gold’s Tibet operations. It will only take a few minutes.

When you call, please leave a message for China Gold CEO, Mr. Xin Song like the one below:

Hi, this is and I’m calling from United States to voice my opposition to China Gold International Resources’ mining operation in Gyama, Tibet. Please pass on my message to Mr. Xin Song and tell him to do the right thing now by leaving Tibet.

Most calls end here, but if you have the opportunity to say more, please see helpful talking points below. After you call:

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TAKE ACTION: 4 Tibetans Shot Dead by Chinese Police over Mining Protest

On August 17th, Chinese police opened fire on a group of Tibetans protesting the expansion of a Chinese-owned gold mining operation in Palyul County, Kardze Prefecture in eastern Tibet (Ch: Baiyu County, Ganzi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province). Voice of Tibet Radio (in Tibetan) and Radio Free Asia (in English) have reported that four Tibetans were shot dead and thirty more were injured in this violent attack on unarmed protesters.

The group had been picketing the county government office to stop the mine expansion, which is destroying farmland and harming the local environment. Chinese police reportedly used ‘incapacitating gas’ to try and disburse the Tibetans, but when the group resisted, police opened fire. Join people worldwide in condemning the killing of innocent Tibetans.

TAKE ACTION: Send a letter to the Party Secretary of Sichuan Province, Liu Qibao, and to the Kardze (Ch: Ganzi) Prefecture Government.
(We will also fax your letter to their offices.)

Tibetans detained near Shigatse for protesting gold mining operations (May 2010

The fatal shootings in Palyul County mark an escalation in the Chinese government’s response to the growing opposition by Tibetans towards Chinese and other foreign mining companies operating on their land. Please take action now to shine a global spotlight on the Chinese government’s actions. International pressure does make a difference and will help to protect Tibetans inside Tibet who continue to risk everything to stop China’s rampant environmental degradation and to preserve their beautiful and fragile homeland.

Please call the Chinese authorities to condemn the shootings and to call for the immediate release of those detained in Palyul County.

In Sichuan:
+86-28-84356776 – Foreign Affairs Department
+86-28-86747716 – Justice Department
+86-28-86604437 – General Government Office
(Please note: China is 12 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.)

In Your Country:
Call the Chinese consulate or Chinese embassy nearest you.

To join the campaign to Stop Mining Tibet, please visit: http://www.StopMiningTibet.org

Thank you for all that you do for Tibet,

Tendor, Kate, Stefanie, TenDolkar, Mary-Kate and all of us here at SFT HQ

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