Newsletter on the campaigns of the Radical Party for the freedom of Tibet.

"I truly believe that individuals can make a difference in society. Since periods of great change such as the present one come so rarely in human history, it is up to each of us to make the best use of our time to help create a happier world".

His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, 1992

#15 of March 14, 1996

Editor: Massimo Lensi, Dorottya u. 3.III.em6. - 1051 Budapest (H) - Tel. 36-1-266.34.86 - 266.09.35 - Fax. 11.87.937 - e-mail M.Lensi@agora.stm.it - WWW-Url: htt//:www.agora.stm.it/pr - Telnet: Agora.stm.it

Distribution: Alberto Novi - rue Belliard 89 - Rem 508, 1047 Bruxelles (B); tel. 32-2-2304121, fax 32-2-2303670.

Published in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Hungarian, Croatian and Rumanian.

"WE ARE THE HOPE".

MARCH 10, 1996. FIRST EUROPEAN DEMONSTRATION FOR THE FREEDOM OF TIBET.

ALMOST 600 MAYORS HAVE JOINED THE "A FLAG FOR TIBET" CAMPAIGN, INCLUDING THE EIGHT CAPITAL: WARSAW.

Over six thousand gathering in Brussels, several other demonstrations throughout Europe, almost 600 mayors adhering to the campaign "A flag for Tibet", hundreds and hundreds citizens who displayed the Tibetan flag on their windows are but few of the results of the great mobilization that saw the Tibetan Communities in Europe, the Tibet Support Groups and the Transnational Radical Party work together.

This common success, reached even in spite of the sabotage be some Interior and Foreign Ministries and in spite of the silence of many information organs, is the result of all that were able to build. However, this success will depend also from our ability not to lose the momentum that we ave just achieved and to continue with a greater effort towards the other difficult battles that await us. Also because, as Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, President of the Tibetan Parliament in exile, never tires to repeat "the time is running out". With more strength and with the strength of nonviolence all is left is to relaunch immediately!

We can do it starting from now, without waiting for the definition, however necessary, of other initiatives, with:

- the collection of signatures on the text of the appeal to the Secretary General of the United Nations, Boutros Ghali, to receive the Dalai Lama as soon as possible. The objective is of 2,000 signatures of Parliamentarians from now until May 15;

- an international campaign for the release of the Panchen Lama, the youngest political prisoner in the world. With - as a first initiative - the mailing of thousands of postcards to the President of the Chinese People's Republic;

- the launching of a new campaign in favor of the candidacy of the Chinese dissident Wej Jingsheng to the Nobel Peace Prize.

Freedom for Tibet!

Tashi Delek

(symbols of the 4 organizations)

NEWS ON THE DEMONSTRATION IN BRUSSEL: "NEXT YEAR IN LHASA"

Over six thousand people participated to the first European demonstration "Freedom for Tibet", coming from all over Europe. The march, originated in front of the Chinese Embassy in Brussel, unfolded for three hours, under a splendid spring sky, through the roads of the Belgian capital colored by hundreds and hundreds of Tibetan flags and dozens of banners, accompanied by choruses of Tibetans trumpets and drums. From Prague, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Monaco, Vienna, Dusseldorf, Budapest, Rome, Paris, Florence, Marseille, Milan, Madrid, Barcelona, Stockholm, Tolouse, Strasbourg and dozens of other European cities, thousands of demonstrators gathered in front of the Chinese Embassy where for half an hour, led by the members of the Tibetan Community in Switzerland, shouted slogans for the freedom of Tibet and the freedom of the Panchen Lama.

After reading the message of the Dalai Lama and the greetings from Jacques Vandenhaute, Mayor of the Woluwe Saint-Lambert district of Brussel, the demonstrators moved on led by Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, President of the Tibetan Parliament in exile, the Tibetan Deputy Tsering Dorjee, the President of the Basque Parliament Joseba Leizaola, the European Deputies James Moorhouse, Anne Andre-Leonard, Marco Pannella, Paul Lannoye, Gianfranco Dell'Alba, Jessica Larive, the Belgian Parliamentarians Pierrette Cahay, Olivier Maingain, Alain Desthexe, Paul Staes, dozens of Lamas, Tibetans in their traditional clothes and by hundreds of Tibetan flags. In front of the European Commission, the demonstrators met with the European Commissioner Emma Bonino who joined the march up to its final destination in Rue Belliard, in front of the European Parliament. In the square facing the Parliament building, on a stage with the slogan "Freedom for Tibet", there were speeches by the personalities just mentioned and also by Piero Ve

rni and Thomas Nagant on behalf of the Tibet Support Group, Tenzin Emchi on behalf of the Tibetan communities and by Olivier Dupuis, secretary of the Transnational Radical Party. The artists Julos Beaucarne and Ivana Spagna sung a song for the freedom of Tibet. Around 17 o' clock the demonstration ended with the promise to meet again "next year in Lhasa".

OTHER DEMONSTRATIONS IN EUROPE

We give you here a brief summary on the other demonstrations that took place in Europe for the 10 of March organized by the National Committees and the European Committee in Brussels. In the next number we'll publish also the summary of the "3 days" of Washington where took place an important pan-American conference on the freedom for Tibet and where the long march to New York initiated.

BUDAPEST

About 300 people with the Tibetan flag assembled at 16 in Benczur utca in Budapest, in front of the Chinese Embassy where the demonstration "Freedom for Tibet" initiated.

Participants to the demonstration organized by the Hungarian "Tibetet Segito Tarsasag" were: Chope Paljor Tsering, representative of the Dalai Lama in Budapest who read a message from the Dalai Lama, Tibor Jankovich of the TSG of Budapest and Marina Sikora of the TRP and some members of the Fidesz-Mpp (League of Young Democrats - Civic Party). At 18,30 in Almassy Ter, took place the "Concert for Tibet" with a dozen among the most famous Hungarian musical groups, and it ended around midnight. The Mayor of Budapest, who was denied permission to display the Tibetan flag by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, displayed the flag at his own residence. A flag was displayed all day long on the Bridge of Chains, on the Danube, one of the symbols of the Hungarian capital.

VIENNA

About a hundred people demonstrated in front of the Chinese Embassy in Vienna after a march started in Stephanplatz. The demonstration organized by "Save Tibet" lasted about two hours. In addition to member of the Austrian Tibet Support Group and the militants "Gruenen", Tseten Zoechbauer of "Save Tibet", Madaleine Petrovic, President of the Green Group to Austrian Parliament, Hubert Von Goisern, singer and the Tibetan artistic group TIPA, participated to the event.

PRAGUE

The demonstration in Prague took place in front of the Chinese Embassy with about 300 people. The demonstration organized by the "Human in Troubles Foundation", saw the participation of numerous activists of the Transnational Radical Party, of the PENCLUB, of HOST, SOS Tibet and of the "Tolerance" Foundation.There were brief speeches by Simon Panek of the "Human in Troubles Foundation", Olga Chechurova of the TRP and of Stanislav Penc of HOST. The demonstration lasted about an hour.

MOSCOW

The demonstration organized by the Radical Party begun at 14, in front of the Chinese Embassy of MOSCOW. About a hundred people participated shouting the slogan "free Tibet" and "freedom for the Panchen Lama". Navang Rabghial, representative of the Dalai Lama in MOSCOW, militants of the Antifascist Youth Group, of the Democratic Union, of Amnesty International, of the Buddhist community and the Transnational Radical Party participated.

ST. PETERSBURG

Also in St. PETERSBURG there was a demonstration organized by the Transnational Radical Party for the freedom of Tibet on which we will give you more informations in the next number of "Freedom for Tibet".

KIEV

At 12 a few dozens demonstrators gathered in front of the Chinese Embassy of Kiev. The demonstration organized, by the Transnational Radical Party, was subject to an attempt to be interrupted by the Ukraine police. The Radical militants were shouting slogans for a free Tibet and for the immediate halt of the human rights violations in Tibet.

Warsaw

In Warsaw, around 11,30 a group of demonstrators of the Polish Tibet Support Group and of the Transnational Radical Party gathered in front of the Chinese Embassy. At 12 the demonstration begun with the reading of a message of the Dalai Lama and the distribution of information flyers. About an hour later, a Polish musical group concluded the day of political initiative for the freedom in Tibet by playing a medley of popular Tibetan music.

TIBET TELEX

SUPPORT TO THE BRUSSEL DEMONSTRATION FROM THE ENGLISH PARLIAMENT

In a letter addressed to Olivier Dupuis, the President of "All Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet" of the British House of Commons, the Deputy George Stevenson expressed his full support for the demonstration of Brussel and wished for a common effort for the freedom of the Panche Lama. Stevenson concluded his letter declaring that "by working together in Europe and in the world, we will be able to achieve real changes in Tibet".

FREEDOM FOR TIBET IN STRASBOURG

The President of the Tibetan Parliament in exile, Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, the day after the demonstration in Brussel, was received in Strasbourg by the President of the European Parliament Klaus Hansch who was giving also in this way a concrete application of the Resolution approved in July 1995 by the European Parliament which was asking for the establishment of permanent relations with the Tibetan Parliament.

Afterwards, Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, received by the Commission of Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament, delineated the situation in Tibet under the Chinese occupation and answered the numerous questions by Parliamentarians. The meetings were organized by the Tibet Intergroup to the European Parliament.

A FLAG FOR TIBET: ACHIEVEMENT OF ALMOST 600 PARTICIPANTS. THE ADHESION OF THE MAYOR OF WARSAW

The campaign "A flag for Tibet" is approaching its end. The final object of "500 mayors" that has been defined on the Strasbourg Conference has been largely exceeded. Among the last adhesions that we received, there is the one from Marcin SWIECICKI, mayor of Warsaw, who, although he announced his decision to us beforehand, preferred to reveal it only on March 10th in order to avoid eventual pressure from the government. Pressure that has been executed on the contrary on Italian, Austrian Hungarian Albanian and Belgian mayors. The total number of adhesions to the "A flag for Tibet" campaign, hoisting the Tibetan national flag on the 37th anniversary of the nonviolent uprising in Lhasa, reached 593 mayors from 25 European and 2 American countries. Here follows the list of the most recent adhesions: from Poland, Marcin SWIECICKI mayor of WARSAW; from Canada the mayor of MONTREAL and the mayor of VANCOUVER; from France Louis ABRARD mayor of GUILLESTRE, Jacques LERAY, mayor of BEURVILLE, Michel PAJON mayor of NOI

SY-LE-GRAND, Georges BLUM mayor of MAZAN, Jean-Jacques BILLAZ mayor of SAINT-PIERRE D'ALLEVARD, Philippe DUEE mayor of MARLY, Paul VIEILLIE mayor of LES FINS, Lucien BRENOT mayor of CHEVIGNY-SAINT-SAUVEUR, Pierre MAUROY mayor of LILLE, Gerard CAUDRON, mayor of VILLENEUVE D'ASQ, Michel LAIGNEL mayor of RONCHIN, Frank DHERSIN mayor of TETEGHEM, Serge JANQUIN mayor of BRUAY LA BUISSIERE, Claude WILQUIN mayor of BERCK SUR MER, Andre DELELIS, mayor of LENS, Andre DEMARTHE mayor of GRANDE SYNTHE, Michel VANCAILLE mayor of BULLY LES MINES, Michel DELEBARRE, mayor of DUNKERQUE, Jean DELOBEL mayor of BAILLEUL, Jean-Luc DELVAUX mayor of SAINT-OMER, Michel LEFAIT mayor of ARQUES, Philippe JARDIN mayor of CHOMERAC; from Belgium Richard BEAUTHIER mayor of GANSHOREN, Gilbert DELEU mayor of COMINES-WARNETON, mayor of JODOIGNE, Jean-Pierre DETREMMERIE mayor of MOUSCRON, Maurice LAFOSSE mayor of MONS; from Hungary (1) Bela CSECSEI mayor of BUDAPEST VIII (Jozsefvaros), Ervin HAJAS mayor of BUDAPEST XXII, Imre ORY, mayor of BU

DAPEST XV, Bela HARMAT mayor of ERD; from the Netherlands W.M. CORNELIS mayor of REIDERLAND; from GERMANY Manfred RUGE mayor of ERFURT, Jurgen WEBER mayor of WURZBURG, Wolfgang BRUDER mayor of OFFENBURG, Sabine KUDERA mayor of OTTOBRUNN, Volkhart GERMER mayor of WEIMAR, Franz PETSCHEL mayor of HAUSEN; from Spain Pablo ISASI AGUIRRE mayor of AMURRIO; from Albania Agron DIBRA mayor of LEZHA; from Italie Mario ANGHILERI President of the province LECCO, Luciano D'ALFONSO President of the province PESCARA, Stefano URBANO mayor of TAVAGNACCO (UD), Alberto TEMPORELLI mayor of VERUNO (NO), Marco BERTOLINI mayor of VIGNATE (MI), Antonella GRIFFA mayor of LA LOGGIA (TO), Italo BRUSEGHINI mayor of OLGINATE (LC), Franco NENCIONI mayor of S.GIMIGNANO (SI), Mauro PERINI mayor of PONTASSIEVE (FI), Maurizio MIZZA mayor of LUSEVERA (UD), Antonio DI NUNNO mayor of AVELLINO, Filippo PENATI mayor of SESTO S. GIOVANNI (MI), Manolo MARZARO mayor of CITTIGLIO (VA), Adelino VERONESE mayor of NOVENTA VICENTINA (VI), Carlo CHIERICOTT

I mayor of MARNATE (VA), Vincenzo IARUSSI mayor of S.GIOVANNI TEATINO (CH), Ferdinand ROTTENSTEINER mayor of RENON (BZ), Antonella SPAGGIARI mayor of REGGIO EMILIA, Giovanni CARLETTI mayor of SAN LEO (PS), Pietro GRANDE mayor of CAVALLERMAGGIORE (CN).

A FLAG FOR TIBET: ATTEMPTS TO SABOTAGE THE INITIATIVE IN BELGIUM, ITALY, AUSTRIA AND HUNGARY

Provisions of "juridical" nature were sent during the week preceding March 10, by the Italian, Austrian and Belgian Ministries for Internal Affairs, and the Hungarian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, to the mayors adhering to the "A Flag for Tibet"-campaign, imposing them for political reasons to recede from their decision to fly the Tibetan flag on the respective city halls. Sharply reacting by means of several letters sent to the competent ministries, the secretary of the Radical Party, Olivier Dupuis, underlined the intrusive interference as a measure unrelated to any law currently in force and also asked to immediately inform the prefects with a new provision calling of the previous ones.

In the letter sent to the Italian Minister, Dupuis also stated that those provisions were "limiting the freedom of expression and decision of the municipal councils".

APPEAL TO BOUTROS GHALI TO RECEIVE THE DALAI LAMA

We are relaunching the collection of signatures of Parliamentarians all over the world under the appeal asking the Secretary General of the United Nations to meet the Dalai Lama as soon as possible in order to start the first step towards the opening of negotiations without preconditions between the Chinese government and the Tibetan government-in-exile. Over 300 adhesions have already been collected in several parliaments all over Europe,

Number of signatures up to March 14th

European Parliament 100

Albania 30

Austria 12

Belgium 15

Bulgaria 14

Czech Republic 1

Croatia 5

France 9

Hungary 7

Italy 34

Luxembourg 9

Montenegro 2

Poland 42

Rumania 17

Russian Federation 9

Other Parliaments in Russia 2

Sweden 3

Ukraine 2

---------------------------------

Total 313

Our goal is to achieve the number of 2000 adhesions of parliamentarians by May 15th. The forms to collect the signatures as well as the text of appeal translated into several languages can be requested at the editors office.

POSTCARDS FOR THE RELEASE OF THE PANCHEN LAMA

Postcards to be signed and sent to the president of People's Republic of China, Jiang ZEMIN ZONGHUJI, asking for the release of the youngest political prisoner in the world, the 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun CHOEKYI NYIMA, are ready to be distributed to all the individuals, groups, associations that will ask for them at the editors office or the nearest office of the Radical Party. The price of 10 postcards is $1.50, for

50 postcards you pay $6.50. Negotiation about the price is possible if more than 200 postcards. Prices do not include the mailcosts.

10TH OF MARCH PRESS REVIEW

Hereby follows a

*Belgium

-BRTN (state TV) 10/3: news segment

-RTL TV1 (private TV) 10/3: news segment

-RTBF (state TV) 10/3: news segment

-Le Soir (newspaper) 11/3: page 6 with picture and 3 columns on the demonstration. "Demonstration for the freedom in Tibet".

-La Libre Belgique (newspaper) 11/3 first page. "Tibet doesn't exist".

-Het Belang Van Limburg (newspaper) 11/3: "Commemoration of the lost battle for freedom".

-Het Belang Van Limburg (newspaper) 11/3: "Riemst and Dilsen-Stokkem hoist the Tibetan Flag".

-Het Laatste Nieuws (newspaper) 11/3: "The Tibetans still hope for their freedom".

*Spain

- ABC (newspaper) 11/3: page 34. "Thousands of demonstrators in Brussel ask for the freedom for Tibet".

- El Mundo (newpaper) 11/3. "Brussel marches for the freedom in Tibet".

- El Correo (Basque newspaper) 11/3 and 12/3: on the demonstration in Brussel and Guernica.

- Deia (Basque newspaper) 11/3: on the demonstration of Brussel and Guernica.

- El Mundo (Basque newspaper) 11/3: on the demonstration in Brussel and Guernica.

*France

- France 2 (State Tv) 10/3: news report of 23,30.

- Le Monde (newspaper) 12/3: "Demonstration for the decolonization of Tibet".

* Luxembourg

- Luxembourg Wort (newpaper): page 7, half page on 6 columns with numerous photos. "Europe demonstrates for a free Tibet".

* Hungary

- MTV! (State Tv) 10/3 news report of the 19,30 on the demonstrations of Brussel and Budapest.

- Magyar Hirlap (newspaper) 11/3: page 4. "Demonstration for a free Tibet".

- Magyar Nemzet (newpaper) 11/3: "The Tibetan question".

- Nepszabadsag (newspaper) 11/3: page 5. "Demonstration in Budapest for Tibet"

- MTV2 (State Tv) 11/3: 10 minute news report with interviews on "Objektiv", political program of deepening aired at 22.

- Magyar Nemzet (newspaper) 12/3: "Have you freed Tibet?"

- Magyar Narancs (weekly) 13/3: "Demonstration for Tibet".

* Switzerland

- Tele Zuri (Tv) 10/3: 4 minutes of news report

- Tagesschau (Tv) 10/3: 1 minute of news report

- Tele Journal (Tv): news report

- TVSR (Tv) 10/3: news report

- NTV (Tv): news report

- ITN (Tv): news report

- Tages-Anzeiger (newspaper) 11/3: on the demonstration in Brussel and the press conference in Zurich

- NZZ (newspaper) 11/3: on the demonstration in Brussel

- Corriere del Ticino (newspaper) 11/3: on the demonstration in Brussel

- Regionale (newspaper) 11/3: on the demonstration in Brussel

* Austria

- Die Presse (newspaper) 12/3: "Excitement for the Tibetan flags".

* Croatia

- Glas Slavonije (newspaper) 11/3. With photo. "Raised the flag for Tibet"

* Czech Republic

- CTV (State Tv) 10/3 5 minutes report on the demonstration in Brussel in the evening news.

- Mf Dnes (newspaper) 11/3: page 3 "Towns display the Tibetan flags in protest against the Chinese diplomacy".

- Zemske Noviny (newspaper) 11/3: page 2 "The Tibetan flags are displayed on the town halls to strongly protest against the Chinese Embassy".

- Svobodne Slovo (newspaper) 11/3: "The Tibetan flags are displayed on the town halls to strongly protest against the Chinese Embassy".

- Lidove Noviny (newspaper) 11/3: page 6 "Tibetan Insurrection"

- CTV (State Tv) 11/3: news report on the demonstration of Prague in the news at 19.

- Mf Dnes (newpaper) 12/3: page 2 "hundreds of people ask for the freedom of Tibet".

* Italy

- Rai Due (State TV) 10/3: 35 seconds report in the news of 23,30.

- Il Giorno (newspaper) 10/3: "European Parliamentarians in support of the cause of free Tibet".

- Il Messaggero-L'Aquila (newspaper) 10/3: "Another flop for the Dalai Lama?".

- La stampa (newspaper) 11/3: first page: "The flag of the country that is not there".

- Rai Uno (State Tv) 11/3: Euronews report on the demonstration in the morning news.

- Eco delle valli (newspaper) 12/3: "Freedom for Tibet".

- La Nazione (newspaper) 13/3: "Free Tibet: debate between opposition and Mayor".

* Bulgaria

- Novinar (newspaper) 12/3: "An ex-deputy displayed the Tibetan flag".

- Kontinent (newspaper) 12/3: "A party leader displayed a Tibetan flag".

- 24 Ore ( newspaper) 12/3: "A party displayed the Tibetan flag in Plodviv"

- Standard (newspaper) 12/3: "An ex-deputy displayed the Tibetan flag from his location".

* Poland

- Gazeta Wiborcza (newspaper) 11/3: "The message of the Dalai Lama. Tibet like Poland in the 80s".

* Finland

- Hufvustasbladet ( newspaper) 11/3, photo of Commissioner Bonino. "Protest for Free Tibet"

* Russia

- Vest (Tv) 10: report on the demonstrations of Moscow and Brussel in the news at 20.

- Tv St. PETERSBURG 10/3: report on the city demonstration in the evening news.

- Eho News (radio) 10/3: report on the demonstration.

- Moscow News (newspaper) 10/3: "The last train to Lhasa".

* News Agency

- Agency reports on the demonstration appeared in the news reports of the following press agencies: Belga (Belgium), Reuters (United Kingdom), Ansa (Italy), MTI (Hungary), Agence Europe, UPI, AFP (France).

* Satellite TV

- Euronews 10/3 report of the demonstration in the news.

- Polsat 10/3: report on the demonstration in Warsaw.

- TV5 10/3: report on the demonstration in the news.

DEMONSTRATION DOSSIER

We are preparing a photo and press dossier on the demonstrations that took place in Europe. We ask you to kindly send to our editor's office any press cut outs, summaries of radio and Tv photographic material or videos that could be useful to us in producing the Dossier "10 March 1996: Freedom for Tibet". Articles can be sent to the following fax numbers: +32-2-284.91.98 or 284.91.97.