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
#26, June 26, 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
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Published in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Hungarian, Croatian and Rumanian.
TOWARDS THE WORLD-WIDE SATYAGRAHA IN 1998 FOR THE LIBERATION OF TIBET
The Tibet support groups' 2nd International Conference was recently concluded in Bonn. The necessity and the urge to reinforce the nonviolent character of our struggle was central to numerous interventions, starting with the one from H.H. the Dalai Lama. Necessity and urge taken into consideration our goal - the liberation of Tibet and the example this method of political action can represent for all the oppressed in the world.
As radical, we believe that 1998 could be a reasonable date to attempt this world-wide Satyagraha of freedom and liberation. Nevertheless, if we want to undertake a campaign of this magnitude, we will have to take many intermediate steps to reach the Satyagraha. We will thus have to develop our relations with the national parliaments. Likewise with the international institutions, supporters of the Dalai Lama's trust in the possibility of finding an acceptable solution to the Chinese Government if serious negotiations would take place. Thus, from a reinforcement of the parliamentarian's adhesion campaign to the appeal to the U.N. General Secretary, we will have to think about other U.N. actions.
But different initiatives, different perspectives will be necessary. Initiatives in order to free the Panchen Lama, on top of those in progress such as the petitions, the sending of postcards to the Chinese President Zemin or the yet foreseen organization of manifestations on the next 10th of December. Henceforth we also have to organize the new "A flag for Tibet" campaign, so that it is - on March 10th 1997 - the campaign of hundreds, thousands of mayors world-wide. We could and would have to make this next 2nd of October - Mahatma Gandhi's birthday - not only a moment of silence for the Satyagraha organization, but also an occasion to reinforce our relation with the Chinese democratic dissidence, by mobilizing on objectives such as the liberation of the Panchen Lama and of WEI Jingsheng.
The Satyagraha, non-violence, are working themes, exacting and surely difficult, that are to arrive - prepared - at the 1998 appointment. We couldn't succeed without everyone's ideas and contributions, that is for sure. As much as it is clear that we couldn't arrive without the trust demonstrations that we, who will subscribe the Radical Party 1996, will do. The initiatives and the organization efforts will be numerous as well as the attempts that won't succeed. Nevertheless, Bonn means also a better mutual knowledge that makes us - yet - stronger.
See you soon!
TIBET SUPPORT GROUPS' SECOND WORLD-WIDE CONFERENCE
The works of the Tibet Support Groups' 2nd International Conference took place in Bonn from June 14th to 17th. The conference, organized by the Information and International Relations Department of the Tibetan Government-in-exile, in collaboration with the Friedrich Neumann Foundation, was opened by the interventions of political and parliamentarian representatives in the presence of H.H. the Dalai Lama, who then officially inaugurated the work-days. The following were present: the President of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile, Prof. SAMDHONG Rinpoche; Kalon Tashi WANGDI, the Government-in-exile's Minister of Foreign Affairs; Tempa TSERING, Secretary of the Information and International Relations Department (DIIR); Lodi GYARI, from the "International Campaign for Tibet"; Michael VAN WALT, UNPO Secretary, a big number of the Tibetan Government ambassadors and 250 TSG representatives from 60 different countries. The Radical Party delegation was composed of Olivier DUPUIS, General Secretary (Belgium); Marino BUS
DACHIN, representative UN/NGO (New York); Paolo PIETROSANTI (Italy); Marina SIKORA (Croatia); Olga ANTONOVA (Russia); Svetlana KOPTEL (Bielorussia); Paolo ATZORI (Belgium); Alexander KOSTRYSKYI (Ukrainia); Tiziana FALLETTI (Belgium); Massimo LENSI, from "Freedom for Tibet - Democracy for China Fax" (Hungary). In this issue, we publish the Radical Party's General Secretary's intervention in the inaugural phase of the Conference's works. In the next bulletin issues, we will analyze in a more complete and profound way the debates, the conferences, the conclusions and the operational choices that were created by these important reunions.
PARLIAMENTARIANS APPEAL TO THE UN GENERAL SECRETARY TO RECEIVE THE DALAI LAMA
The collection of the parliamentarians adhesions for the appeal to the UN General Secretary to urgently receive the Dalai Lama continues in various countries. Since the last publication of the list of May 15th, 248 signatures can be added to the ones previously collected. A still insufficient progression, especially if we consider that in a few weeks almost all Parliaments will suspend their meetings for the summer holidays. We thus have to concentrate our efforts in the next days so that we approach the objective of 2.000 adhesions as soon as possible.
List as of June 20th 1996
* Parliamentarians' adhesions:
European Parliament 170
Albanian Parliament 41
German Parliament 12
Austrian Parliament 12
Belgian Parliament 64
Bielorussian Parliament 2
Bulgarian Parliament 14
Canadian Parliament 22
Croatian Parliament 24
Danish Parliament 9
Spanish Parliament 3
Estonian Parliament 15
French Parliament 31
Georgian Parliament 7
Dutch Parliament 2
Hungarian Parliament 7
Irish Parliament 4
Italian Parliament 60
Kossovian Parliament 9
Lithuanian Parliament 40
Luxembourg Parliament 31
Macedonian Parliament 3
Moldavian Parliament 1
Norwegian Parliament 5
Polish Parliament 42
Portuguese Parliament 6
Romanian Parliament 17
Russian Parliament 19
Slovenian Parliament 1
Swedish Parliament 21
Czech Parliament 8
Ukrainian Parliament 9
Belgian Regional Parliaments 3
Italian Regional Parliaments 4
Russian Federation Parliaments 2
Serbo-Montenegro Federation Parliaments 2
Spanish Regional Parliaments 75
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TOTAL 797
CROATIA/FREEDOM FOR TIBET
* A townspeople assembly took place Friday June 7th in Split for the foundation of the first Croatian TSG; Tonci SITIN was elected president. The following participated in the assembly: the Dalai Lama representative from Budapest Chope Paljor TSERING, the Croatian Sabor deputy Tereza GANZA ARAS and Olivier DUPUIS, Radical Party secretary and European Parliament deputy.
* A Radical Party public assembly took place June 8th in Zagreb with secretary Olivier DUPUIS, the Dalai Lama representative Chope Paljor TSERING, Tereza GANZA ARAS, Zdravko TOMAC, Sabor deputy and president of the Zagreb Municipal Council and Sandro OTTONI, member of the Radical Party General Council. In the final document that was approved, the engagements for the freedom in Tibet and the democracy in China through the existing political campaigns have been confirmed, as well as the campaign in favor of the reinforcement of the democracy in Croatia in order to allow its adhesion to the European Council, the one in favor of the institution of a permanent international penal court on crimes against humanity, the antiprohibitionist development on drugs, the adoption of Esperanto as international communication language.
* On June 9th, Chope Paljor TSERING, accompanied with Marina SIKORA from the Radical Party and Stjepan RODES, HSS deputy and RP member, met the Varadzin mayor, Alfred OBCUNIC who expressed to the HH representative the solidarity of the city, former Croatian capital and who engaged to raise the national Tibetan flag at the city hall next March 10th.
* Croatian pressreview
- Novi List (daily) 9/6. "Tomac against the ethnically clean territories" by B. Basic.
- Vjesnik (daily) 9/6. "Defend the rights in Tibet as in Croatia" (HINA agency).
- Vecernji List (daily). 9/6 "Appeal for the deliverance of Tibet" by I.B.
- Slobodna Dalmacija (daily) 9/6. "Freedom for Tibet" by Robert Bajrusi.
- Radio/Television. 7/6: National Television (10.30PM news on the Split assembly); 8/6: Radio Nationale (7PM news); Radio 101 (6PM news) news on the Zagreb assembly and a short interview with Chope Pajor Tsering.
TIBET TELEX
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT/CHINA
A resolution on the human rights' violation in China and on the bad situation of WEI Jingsheng was represented at the EP. The resolution represented by the ERA (European Radical Alliance) group deputies, Olivier DUPUIS, Noel MAMERE, Jean-Francois HORY and Gianfranco DELL'ALBA, requests the Chinese Government to liberate the prisoners for crimes of opinion, to close the Laogai immediately and to proceed without delay a new independent juridical exam of the WEI Jingsheng case, open to international observers.
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT/CHINA
The European deputies Noel MAMERE and Olivier DUPUIS from the ERA group represented a resolution project to the European Parliament on the Chinese nuclear tests. In the resolution project, the EP requests the Peking Government to suspend the execution of the next planned nuclear test and to allow the Greenpeace boat to enter the Shangai port to freely manifest against the nuclear tests. On June 8th last, China made explode a missile of a power estimated at 80 kilotons.
GERMAN PARLIAMENT
The Bundestag approved a resolution on the situation in Tibet. In the next issue, we will publish more information on this important institutional decision.
BELGIAN PARLIAMENT
The president of the parliamentarian group PSC to the Belgian Chamber of deputies, Jacques LEFEVRE, communicated the positive results of the Commission of Foreign Affairs' vote on the Tibet resolution proposal. For reasons of space, we will also send the informations on the parliamentarian document with the next "Tibet-China Fax" issue.
ITALY/INITIATIVES
- In Turin, several information and distribution boots with material for the freedom of Tibet and the democracy in China have been organized. Help is welcome (contact the Radical Party office in Turin, via Palazzo di Citta 10, tel. 11/4368860). Each Tuesday at 9PM, still at the Turin office, coordination reunions will take place on the development of these campaigns.
- In Perouse, the RP and the Club "Umbria libertaria" members created the "Umbria for Tibet" committee to continue the initiatives for the liberation of the Panchen Lama and to collect adhesions for the appeal to Boutros Ghali in the Italian region.
- The Baccinasco (MI) municipal council approved of a deliberation on the Tibetan situation in which it requests the Italian Government to interrupt its political and commercial relations with China, if it continues to deny the right for the self-determination of the Tibetan people.
- Radio Radicale, the Italian political information radio, started a series of broadcasting realized by Paolo PIETROSANTI on the evolution of the campaigns in progress for the Tibetan freedom and the Chinese democracy. The broadcasting will be diffused each Monday at 10.30 PM and each Friday at 8.30PM.
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The intervention of Olivier DUPUIS, the Radical Party's secretary, European Parliament deputy, at the Tibet Support Groups' 2nd International Conference.
Bonn, June 14th-17th 1996
His Holiness,
Mr President of the Parliament, dear Rinpoche,
Mrs members of the government,
Mrs Department secretaries,
Ms and Mrs the ambassadors,
Mr President, dear friends from the Friedrich Neuman Stiftung
Ladies and gentlemen the representatives of the groups of support and solidarity with Tibet,
dear friends,
allow me to say how pleased I am to be here with you today and how the Radical Party members, coming from different countries, are with us today, convinced of the importance of these work-days that are starting for the cause and the hope for all of us.
The cause and the hope for freedom and the liberation of Tibet of course. As well as, above and through this hope, the birth of a new hope: the possibility for all the oppressed people in the world to free themselves from the double imperial and totalitarian yoke, thanks to the organized non-violence.
I would also like to tell you how we, radicals, feel richer and stronger today, richer and stronger through these common projects, thanks to everybody's work, common undertaking and, finally, common experiences and patrimony.
But, allow me, taking into consideration the limited time for this intervention, to concentrate on the present and the future.
During our short meeting in Rome with you, Your Holiness, I think having understood that you share this conviction, which is our leaders Marco Pannella and ours, that the moment arrived to start the organization of this project at which Professor Samdhong Rinpoche, other people around him, and ourselves have been working since last month: the world-wide Satyagraha for the freedom in Tibet.
If my perception is right, if time is ready, I think this conference for which we came to Bonn from the four corners of the world is a unique occasion, I would say quasi historical, to determine the objectives and to put the foundations of an action calendar that can bring today's ten thousands of Tibetan friends and the hundred thousands who will meet in the next weeks and months to participate together in this path of truth, in this world-wide Satyagraha for the freedom of Tibet and for the freedom of all of us.
Now we have to co-operate to define the intermediate steps that will help us, progressively, to create the conditions in order that everywhere in the world thousands, ten thousands of people are ready in spring 1998 to unite for the Satyagraha that will have to understand the young people, the hunger strikes, the manifestations, the sit-ins and other actions of civil disobedience and nonviolent resistance in order that the international institutions recognize the legitimacy and the juridical, historical and political justice of the Tibetan struggle for freedom.
Allow me, Your Holiness, Sir President of the Parliament, dear friends government members, to make some proposals for initiatives that could become moments of preparation for the big reunion in spring 1998.
Proposals:
*If, in the next hours, the next days we could add to the somewhat 800 parliamentarian adhesions, hundreds of other signatures on the Appeal to the UN General Secretary to receive His Holiness the Dalai Lama, that the Tibetan question returns to the United Nations, that the United Nations finally face the question of opening the sino-tibetan negotiations without preceding conditions, so that next September could be, next to the 3rd world-wide Conference of parliamentarians for Tibet, the occasion to meet Mr Boutros Ghali and to hand over the appeal and the signatures.
*We believe that the next 2nd of October could be an ideal date to organize in as many capitals as possible a torch march "Freedom for Tibet - Democracy in China", "Freedom for the Panchen Lama", "Freedom for WEI Jingsheng". A different way to deepen the collaboration and the common work with our Chinese democratic friends and to verify the condition of the campaigns for the liberation of the Panchen Lama and for the attribution of the Nobel to WEI.
*What brings me to talk about someone qualified by the Dalai Lama as "very courageous": WEI Jingsheng, condemned as you know, after having been imprisoned for 14 years, to a new sentence of 15 years. WEI is also, as you know, a Tibet friend. He showed it. He also paid the prize. If, from all universities world-wide, if from every parliament in the world, we would be capable to collect thousands of support to his Nobel candidature, I believe we could reasonably have in the next month together with the Oslo decree a celebration day for democracy in China and freedom for Tibet.
*We are organizing - and we would like to do it with as many support and solidarity groups as possible - that March 10th 1997 may be the occasion for thousands of municipalities in the world to follow the example of 600 communes that hoisted last March 10th the Tibetan symbol, the symbol of hope, the Tibetan flag. But this could also be, if we like, the occasion that in thousands and thousands of cult places, working places, residences destituted of the world, floats the same symbol.
Here are, shortly, some of the proposals that I wanted to make in the name of the Transnational Radical Party. Hoping that, strong by non-violence and by this double hope for freedom and exemplariness of our struggle, the next weeks and months will be successful, I wish you, I wish us "a good job".
