Losar 2139: Victory for Tibet

Today is Losar, the first day of the Tibetan Lunar Year 2139.

Many people describe Losar, somewhat inadequately, as the Tibetan equivalent of the western New Year. But Losar is much more than just a marker between two separate years; it is a day steeped in religious rituals and spiritual symbolism. Losar for Tibetans is like several holidays wrapped into one; it delights children and adults alike, reunites families and renews friendships, reminding us of who we are as a people, and as a nation.

This Losar, however, will be a quiet one. From Lhasa to Lithang, Golok to Dharamsala, and Ngaba to New York, there will be no fireworks, no merrymaking, no exchange of gifts. For this is no ordinary time. In the past year, 22 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in the most pure and powerful expression of defiance to Chinese rule. The self-immolations in Tibet have shocked the world and galvanized the Tibet movement. Just last week, Dhamchoe Sangpo and Nangdrol self-immolated. Their demands were clear: freedom for Tibet and the return of the Dalai Lama.

In an expression of national grief, Tibetans everywhere are foregoing festivities today to salute those who have given their lives for freedom this past year. Though we are aware that grief alone does not bring about revolutionary change, there is something undeniably powerful about this collective mourning because it is an act that we Tibetans control, a phenomenon that the Chinese government cannot stop.

In many parts of Tibet, Chinese authorities have been paying Tibetan families to celebrate Losar. In a perverse attempt to create a picture of normalcy, the authorities have been almost begging Tibetans to “have a good time” on Losar. Tibetans, by canceling the festivities and taking control over their own lives, are seizing power away from the state through this widespread act of civil disobedience.

Deciding how to mark Losar is perhaps the most poignant expression of the Tibetan people’s growing cultural and social sovereignty, the foundation upon which political freedom can be built. Our collective grief and spiritual reflection this Losar is an act of resilience, of defiance, and ultimately, of hope. As we pay tribute to those who have selflessly offered their lives to advance our cause, let us remember what they died for, and recommit ourselves to the goal of a free Tibet.

This Losar, we urge you to honor the Tibetan heroes of 2138 by taking a pledge of resistance for Tibet. Here are some examples of the pledges Tibetans and our supporters are making today:

• I pledge to update my MP or Congressperson every week about Tibet.
• I pledge to boycott Made-in-China products.
• I pledge to recruit a new member to the Tibetan Freedom Movement every month.
• I pledge to join a Tibet rally or vigil at least once a month.
• I pledge to join Rangzen Circle to sustain SFT’s work for Tibetan freedom.

To make your pledge, please visit: www.Lhakar.org/pledge. Here you can read more about how Tibetans are exercising control over their social and cultural lives and building a vibrant self-reliance, non-cooperation movement that is starting to shake the very foundations of China’s colonial rule in Tibet.

May the Tibetan Water Dragon Year 2139 bring us closer to a free and independent Tibet.

Bho Gyalo. Victory to Tibet.

Tendor

P.S. Please make your pledge of resistance on Losar at: www.Lhakar.org

Dharmashop Fundraiser for SFT

Shop Not Made in China this holiday season, and support the Tibetan Freedom Movement while you’re at it!

From now until Sunday, Dharmashop.com will donate 15% of all proceeds to Students for a Free Tibet. Likewise, 100% of proceeds from this exclusive Students for a Free Tibet logo pendant will benefit SFT, specially designed by a Tibetan jeweler in Nepal. 

Started in 1999, Dharmashop’s mission has been to build an online community that supports Tibetan and Nepali artisans in their traditional crafts.  Founder Sander Cohen was inspired to support Tibetan artists living in exile after a trip to Nepal. He now travels to Nepal and Thailand each year to visit Buddhist holy sites and oversee products and designs, and he and his wife, Christy, ensure that third and fourth generation Tibetan and Nepali artisans are paid fair wages for their crafts. Read more about Dharmashop’s history

Art for Tibet III: Online Auction Extended

On October 14th, more than 50 acclaimed artists exhibited their work together in support of the Tibetan freedom struggle. The 3rd annual Art for Tibet show featured top contemporary Tibetan and international artists, including Shepard Fairey, Pema Rinzin, Richard Gere, Ryan McGinness, Tenzing Rigdol, Swoon, Gonkar Gyatso, The Sucklord (star of Bravo Network’s “Work of Art” Season 2) and many more.

While we’re sad that it’s over, we are happy to announce that the online auction has been extended until October 24th, where new lots are now listed with remaining art works, whose reserves have been lowered. To browse and bid online, visit: http://benefitevents.com/auctions/sft2010/

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend the incredible evening, and to the organizing committee who worked tirelessly to make it all happen. We look forward to seeing everyone again next year at Art for Tibet IV.

SFT DC’s Lhakar Protest & Chinese Minister of Cultural Repression

On Wednesday, September 21, 2011, Cai Wu, Minister of Culture of People’s Republic of China gave a talk in Washington D.C. titled “Chinese Culture and China’s Peaceful Development.” The event was closed to public and entrance was on invitation only. Following a very short notice about the information regarding the talk, DC SFT crew gathered to hold a protest outside the building’s premises.

Holding posters that said “Cai Wu – Chinese Minister of Cultural Repression,” we stood by the main entrances to the Woodrow Wilson Center where the talk was being held as we tried to catch the attention of the minister and his envoy going into the building. Unfortunately, we could not say for certain that his envoy did cross paths with us but the protestors accomplished a lot more: we engaged with the people who were guests at the event and told them about the realities of the cultural, religious and political repression of the Tibetan people, which was probably going to be contradicted by the presentation that they were just about to witness. We also engaged with a  number of people within the premises who were drawn to our colorful posters and the unmistakable Tibetan flag that is seldom seen in Washington.

One of the event attendees stopped to introduce himself and expressed his support for the Tibetan people around the world. Biking down the road and recently unemployed, as he informed me, he couldn’t figure out why he had an invitation to this event in the first place. He offered to give it to one of us, so we could ask Minister Wu to answer questions about the true realities on the ground, but on grounds of identification checks we decided against it.

I realized in those hours that there are people who are becoming increasingly aware of China’s gross mistreatment of Tibetans are willing to show solidarity with the cause of freedom of Tibet. Unfortunately, the decisions-makers in Washington, situated not very far from our protest, hesitate to do so.

Shalini
SFT Regional Coordinator for Mid-Atlantic Region

Victory: 23 Tibetans Released in Nepal

Two weeks ago, two groups of Tibetans were nearing the end of their harrowing journey to escape from one of the most ruthless governments in the world.

Having crossed the notorious Himalayan mountains on foot, hiding by day and walking by night, one group reached Nepalese territory on September 11, followed by the second group two days later.

They had barely had a moment to celebrate their freedom when they were arrested by Nepalese border police.

The Chinese government demanded that Nepal repatriate the escaping Tibetans, making the outlandish claim that the 8 children among the 23 escapees were “victims of human trafficking.” In the many decades that Tibetans have been entering Nepal from Tibet, there has not been one known case of human trafficking.

In this case, the 23 Tibetans in detention were interviewed by Nepal’s Department of Immigration and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The reasons the group gave for leaving Tibet are: to visit the Dalai Lama, to become a monk, to learn the English language, and to attend an important religious teaching in Bodh Gaya, India in late December. These statements are consistent with traditional reasons Tibetans flee Tibet, compiled over decades.

Given this escalation in Beijing’s pressure on Kathmandu, fear spread amongst Tibetans and Tibet support groups: there was a real risk of repatriation. We could not let this happen.

Following an intense week-long campaign that combined behind-the-scenes diplomacy with grassroots public pressure and direct intervention tactics by Tibetans and their supporters around the world, we won.

Yesterday, at 1pm Kathmandu time, the Nepalese authorities released the 23 Tibetans to the UNHCR. It was an electrifying victory for the Tibet movement, and a life-changing moment for the 23 Tibetans, who are now at the Tibetan transit center receiving medical treatment and awaiting safe passage to India.

I would like to personally thank everyone involved in this rescue effort, especially those who called, emailed, or faxed the Nepalese embassies and leaders.

In light of China’s escalating attempts to influence and control the Nepalese government, this was a poignant reaffirmation of our ability to mobilize a diverse network of global activists.

It reminded me that we should never underestimate the power of our collective advocacy for Tibet.

As we celebrate this victory, it’s sobering to recall that exactly five years ago this month, the journey of another group of Tibetans traveling the same path came to a tragic end. While crossing the snow-covered Nangpa pass, they were spotted by Chinese border police who took aim and opened fire on the group.

Climbers at nearby Cho Oyu Advance Base Camp witnessed the attack and were able to record the Tibetans rushing for cover, but there was little room to hide in the bright snow. They were left exposed to repeated rounds of fire from behind and Kelsang Namtso, a 17-year-old nun, died that day. Over 40 others were captured and detained by Chinese authorities. Thanks to the moral courage of a Romanian climber who filmed the assault, combined with an international outcry and sustained campaign that followed, the surviving members of the group were eventually released.

Those of us who have never crossed the Himalayas on foot, never risked frostbite and snow blindness, never slept in subzero temperatures, can hardly imagine the horror of the journey that most Tibetan refugees see as a fact of life.

As we observe the fifth anniversary of the Nangpa la atrocity and reflect on the positive outcomes of our collective efforts just these past few days, let us recommit and rededicate ourselves to the struggle for a free Tibet. Ultimately, only a free and democratic Tibet ruled by Tibetans can ensure that no Tibetan will ever have to risk their life to find freedom on the other side of the Himalayas.

Tibet will be free.

Tendor
Executive Director

Support SFT’s continued advocacy for the Tibetan cause:
http://studentsforafreetibet.org/donate

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Learn more:

China Fails to Get Tibetan Refugees Deported from Nepal (Times of India):
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/China-fails-to-get-Tibetan-refugees-deported-from-Nepal/articleshow/10091107.cms

Nepal Hands over Detained Tibetans to UNHCR:
http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=30046

Read SFT’s letter to the Nepalese Prime Minister, delivered to him on Tuesday: http://studentsforafreetibet.org/article.php?id=2348

Read more about the Nangpa Pass shootings in Jonathan Green’s Murder in the High Himalaya:
http://www.jonathangreenonline.com/

ALERT: Tendor, SFT’s Executive Director, live on Al Jazeera English’s show ‘The Stream’ today!

DAY OF ACTION | REFUTING THE “PEACEFUL LIBERATION”

On July 13^th,  while Washington D.C. is abuzz with Kalachakra fever, over 50 Tibetans and Tibet supporters staged a protest in front of the Chinese consulate. 

Daily protests continue in Kardze—Eastern Tibet—while the Chinese government is commemorating 60 years since the “peaceful liberation” of Tibet.  Students for a Free Tibet called for a Global Day of Action to highlight the true reality of 60 years of failed Chinese policies in Tibet.

Watch AFP’s video coverage of the protest here: http://youtu.be/9wblX_aN3Es

The protest included speeches by former political prisoners Ngawang Sandrol and Phuntsok Nyidron, Amnesty International’s T. Kumar, Dorjee of RTYC, Ngawang Tashi, and Alim Seytoff of the Uyghur American Association.

The International Tibet Network’s “17 Points of Disagreement: 60 Years of China’s Failed Policies in Tibet” pamphlets were distributed.

View, download, and share the pamphlet here: http://www.chinasfailedtibetpolicies.org/

The protest was covered by AFP, and included quotes from SFT’s Executive Director Tenzin Dorjee.

Click here to read the article: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j8JeRJKXvv23NDgu6i6W0RuZH0KA?docId=CNG.561caa8da42ba25c5ee1f3158a926c28.da1

Did you stage a Day of Action for Tibet on July 13th? Send us your stories, photos, and videos for us to post on our blog or website! info[at]studentsforafreetibet.org

TOURISM IN TIBET | OCCUPATION IS NO VACATION

St. Regis Lhasa opened in November near Lhasa's Barkor.

In November 2010, the St. Regis Lhasa Resort opened its doors to guests, boasting 200 luxury rooms, an on-site butler, a spa, numerous restaurants, and countless amenities. This would be considered luxurious in anyplace but in Tibet, a formally independent country occupied by China in 1949. Occupation is no vacation and tourist operators need to understand that business in Tibet is not business as usual.

Under Chinese occupation, Tibetans’ basic human rights are regularly violated, including their internationally recognized right to control their own land and resources. Since 1999, the Chinese government has pursued its “Western Development Plan,” encouraging large-scale migration of Chinese settlers into Tibet and extending business opportunities to foreign companies. This plan is intended to help China consolidate control over Tibet and attract foreign direct investment to finance its occupation.

The operation of the St. Regis Lhasa could exacerbate the abuses that Tibetans face unless immediate measures are taken to ensure business is conducted in compliance with their needs and interests.

Students for a Free Tibet has contacted the CEO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Fritz van Paasschen, and the owners of  the St. Regis property with our concerns. We requested more information on the St. Regis Lhasa’s operation to determine if this luxury hotel could truly be part of the solution in empowering Tibetans in Tibet, rather than part of the problem in contributing to their further marginalization under Chinese rule.

Discrimination and intimidation tactics on the part of Chinese officials has made it increasingly difficult for Tibetan guides and tour operators to compete with Chinese businesses. In 2010, Dorje Tashi, a successful Tibetan hotelier, was sentenced to life imprisonment following a closed-door trial. Chinese authorities have yet to publicly release the details of his alleged crimes. No tourist operator should collaborate with the Chinese government in repressing the basic rights of Tibetans – or others – and Starwood’s executives need to think carefully about the implications operating in a conflict zone could have on their brand name and corporate reputation – especially in the event of another popular uprising in Tibet.

Economic development that brings an end to the decades of marginalization and repression suffered at the hands of the Chinese government and respects their right to control this development is welcomed by Tibetans. However, businesses that fail to both address the deep-seated inequalities Tibetans face under Chinese occupation and respect Tibetans’ political, cultural, and religious rights, will only intensify the injustices that Tibetans suffer. The Holiday Inn, British Petroleum, and KFC are amongst the corporations that have canceled their business plans or withdrawn from Tibet after facing intense public campaigns from Tibetan rights organizations.

We hope Starwood and the St. Regis owners’ will do the right thing.

Read More:

Tibetans Target Starwoods AGM Over New St. Regis in Lhasa

http://blog.studentsforafreetibet.org/2011/05/tibetans-target-starwoods-agm-over-new-st-regis-in-lhasa/

A Joint Open Letter to Investors of IHG from Free Tibet Campaign and Students for a Free Tibet:
http://www.freetibet.org/campaigns/letter

Tibetans and Tibet Supporters Target InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG)’s AGM

Read more about this effort led by Free Tibet Campaign:

http://freetibet.org/campaigns/no-intercontinental-tibet
http://www.freetibet.org/campaigns/occupation
http://www.freetibet.org/campaigns/resources
http://www.freetibet.org/campaigns/social-responsibility