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
#21, May 7, 1996
Editor: Massimo Lensi, Dorottya u. 3.III.em6. - H-1051 Budapest - tel 36-1-2663486 - 2660935 - fax 1187937 - 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, B-1047 Brussels; tel. 32-2-2304121, fax 32-2-2303670.
Published in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Hungarian, Croatian and Rumanian.
THE AFTER GENEVA: FULL FORCE AHEAD
The times are not easy. The Geneva commission's deceiving vote on the "No Action" motion presented by China let the world know Bejing's intention not to modify its current politics regarding human rights, nor to recognize the Tibetan people the right to choose their future. The Chinese arrogance is based on economic blackmail and on the intrinsic political weakness of many western countries-- those in the European Union, in the first place-- but it is not considering the growing concern and sensitivity to the issue within parliaments and amongst individuals around the world, astonished at the horrors Bejing's communist regime is producing.
Our main enemy, though, remains western countries' "Realpolitik" as exemplified, for example, in the recent "Diplomatic Non-Intervention" agreement between China and Russia. Where Chechnya and Tibet become the passive objects of a cozy, deadly deal between the two super-powers in the name of the "domestic jurisdiction" principle. This, astonishingly, failed to produce the indignation of most western governments.
Positive signs, however, keep coming--perhaps not as copious as we would like--and give us a good indication of a possible realization of one of our goals. The meeting between the U.N. Secretary General and the Dalai Lama to define the first steps in the pacific resolution of the Tibetan issue. The adhesion campaign to the appeal is gaining a relevant dimension. Although far from our set goal of 2,000 adhesions, encouraging signs are coming, including those from non-European parliaments.
Even the campaign to support the candidacy of the Chinese dissident Wej is definitely taking off. In the next issues of our bulletin we will be publishing the first candidacy proposals.
What else to say but that we think this is the best time to reawaken the civil and political consciousness in the countries where we live and operate, and that is our firm belief to see freedom in Tibet and democracy in China as a long but, nevertheless, inevitable process. It's up to us now to try shortening the time for the achievement of this goal.
Keep up the good work!
THE PARLIAMENTARIANS' APPEAL TO THE U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL.
Adhesions to the appeal to the U.N. Secretary General, Boutros Boutros- Ghali, asking him to receive the Dalai Lama, keep flocking in at the U.N. New York headquarter. These days tally reached 486 adhesions, coming from 26 European parliaments. Thanks to the initiative of "Les Amis du Tibet - Luxembourg", 19 parliamentarians--part nationals, part Europeans-- of the Luxembourg Grand Duchy joined in. In Lithuania 10 additional parliamentarians subscribed the appeal, thanks to the commitment of Chope Paljor Tsering, the Pope representative in Budapest. Further adhesions just arrived from parliaments of Ukraine, Croatia, France, Sweden, Russia, and Kosovo.
FREEDOM FOR THE PANCHEN LAMA CAMPAIGN.
100,000 POSTCARDS PRINTED.
As of today, over 1,000 postcards have been sent. The international campaign for the liberation of the 11th Panchen Lama, recognized by the Dalai Lama, and presently kept captive by Chinese authorities, involves the sending of postcards asking for the release to the Chinese president Zemin. In the recent days additional 680 postcards have been sent. A total of 40,000 postcards have been printed and distributed in several countries. To face the increasing demand, we provided an additional printing of 60,000 postcards currently being distributed worldwide.
* Postcards tally (as of May 2, 1996)
to 3/25 to 4/3 to 5/2
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Austria 0 0 5
Belgium 96 115 197
Czech Republic 0 1 8
Denmark 0 0 1
Russian Federation 0 0 1
France 97 148 462
Germany 21 41 65
Hungary 0 1 4
Italy 11 13 13
Liechtenstein 0 0 2
Luxembourg 1 2 8
Norway 0 0 55
Netherlands 6 10 14
Poland 0 0 45
Slovakian 2 2 9
Spain 1 6 19
Sweden 0 0 1
Switzerland 20 46 151
United Kingdom 2 4 8
United States 0 0 1
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Total 257 389 1069
The purchase price of the postcards is U.S. $ 1.50 for a ten pack, and
$ 6.50 for a fifty pack. For orders over 200 pieces a discount may apply. The postcards are available at the RP headquarters and in most European STG.
U.S.A. THE TIBETAN MARCH IS ARRIVING IN NEW YORK
on April 25 the "March for Freedom in Tibet / Washington-New York" arrived in New York and marked and important milestone in the struggle for the Tibetan cause. The march had started on March 10 from the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C. and, after covering over 300 miles, ended up in front of the United Nations in New York, on the day of the seventh birthday of the Panchen Lama, secretly abducted by Chinese authorities.
The Tibetan day in New York started outing Battery Park when the Staten Island Ferry siren announced the arrival of the marchers, lead by the Dalai Lama's elder brother, Thubten Jigme NORBU, and by Buddhist monk Palden GYASTO, 64 years-old, 30 of which spent in the Chinese jails. With the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop, a few hundreds non-violent demonstrators waving Tibetan and American flags started chanting, "Free Tibet now, China out of Tibet, China shame on you." The demonstrators then proceeded to complete the last stretch of the march crossing the downtown area and up to the U.N. building, where several speakers participating in the gathering welcomed the marchers. Among them Rinchen DARLO, representative of His Holiness in New York; Tempa TSERING, director of the International Relations Department of the Tibetan government; and Michele BOSELLI from the Radical Party. The Tibetan day culminated in an inter-religious ceremony at the Metropolitan Community Church, only few hours later, where the dem
onstrators joined in prayers for the Young Panchen Lama. Several religious personalities were present at the ceremony, among them Rabbi Joel GOOR, from the Jewish community, the Reverend Barrie SHEPHERD, from the Presbyterian Church, the Imam Talib ABDUR-RASHID, from the Islamic community, and the venerable Lamas PEMA and Lobsang NGODUP. The celebrations closed with the participants singing "We Shall Overcome", the last refrain of which was sung in Tibetan.
TIBET TELEX
CZECH REPUBLIC/ENCOUNTERS
Chope PALJOR TSERING, representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama for the Baltic and Central Europe has been officially received at the Czech parliament, an initiative of the Prague's "S.O.S. Tibet" association. He was met by, among others, House Representative Cestmir HOFHANZL and the Prague-3 vice-mayor Zdenek PAVELKA. The delegation included Olga CECHUROVA, from the Radical Party and the Chinese scholar Karel KELLER. During the press conference that followed the meeting, Paljor Tsering remembered the commitment of many Czech political figures to the Tibetan people cause, even in the occasion of the March 10th, 1996 day.
CZECH REPUBLIC/DECLARATION OF THE PRESIDENT HAVEL
On April 21 the President Faecal HAVEL expressed his concern for the fate of the Chinese political prisoners to the Chinese Foreign Minister, and wished for immediate negotiations between Chinese authorities and the Dalai Lama about the future of Tibet. Havel also expressed the necessity to respect the right to self-determination for Taiwan.
SCANDINAVIA/ENCOUNTERS ON TIBET'S INITIATIVES
Positive feedback on the political initiatives for freedom in Tibet is coming from the Scandinavian countries and parliaments. Paolo ATZORI, from the Radical Party was invited to attend several meetings organized by the swedish Tibet Support Group. The salient point of the outcome was the necessity to maintain and strengthen the coordination of all Tibet initiatives at the European level. In the Swedish Parliament Eva LINDHOLM, President of the swedish "Tibetan Association", Ragnhild POHANKA, of the Greens, and Johan WAIPHE, a consultant at the swedish Liberal Party--who collected 16 MP's signatures for the appeal to Boutros-Ghali-- assessed the situation. Harald ELLEFSEN from the Conservative Party and president of the swedish Tibet Inter-group at the Norwegian Parliament declared his full support to the current campaigns. In Copenhagen, during meetings in which participated Hanas Anders ANDERSEN from the Danish STG Popular Socialist Party, Per Stig MOLLER, from the Conservative Party, Holger K.Nielsen
from the Popular Socialist Party, and Keld ALBRECHTSEN from the Unity List the preparatory work for the coming Tibet hearing at the Danish Parliament was presented.
ITALY/MEETINGS IN TUSCANY
Two city meetings on the violations of human rights in China took place in Arezzo and Florence May 4 and 5. Guest speakers Paolo POBBIATI and Daniele SCAGLIONE from Amnesty International, Piero VERNI President of Italia-Tibet, the Chinese scholar Maria OMODEO of "LiMes"" magazine, and Oliver DUPUIS, Radical Party Secretary. The meetings were the initiative of Amnesty International, Italia-Tibet, and the Radical Party.
PRESS REVIEW/ITALY
China Boycotts Scorsese's Movie," by Dimitri BUFFA, L'Indipendente (May 1, 1996). In this article appeared on an Italian daily, Buffa tells how India, Pakistan, and Nepal were "invited" by Chinese authorities to dissuade several famous film directors of the like of Scorsese and Annaud to shoot films on the life of the Dalai Lama, by denying visas and work permits. Buffa closed with an analogy with a situation occurred on March 10 during the "A Flag for Tibet" campaign. "The problem of the Tibetan people exodus after the 1959 Chinese invasion periodically resurfaces thanks also to the Transnational Radical Party and its initiative on March 10 to invite all European Union mayors to hoist the Tibetan flag next to ensign of their city. The initiative had a great following, except for a few denials from Belgium and some Italian prefectures (Forli, Cesena, Treviso.) In order to avoid any possible diplomatic incidents with an expanding economic market, as is Li Peng's China, some prefects preferred to put asides
all ideals of justice and vetoed some town halls to expose the Tibet flag. Now it is the time for cinematographic boycott, but the story remains the same."
RENDEZ-VOUS
It is our intention to resume our bulletin of weekly appointments. A little info space about meetings, demonstrations, encounters, publications, etc. is planned immediate following the fax bulletin on Tibet and democracy in China. We invite readers to fax information to the editorial department (+36-1-118.79.37) or E-mail: m.lensi@agora.stm.it.
