Subject: CACCP Weekly 10/12/97
Focus:
Getting ready for the Florida Splendid China Protest demonstration on 12/27/97 to commemorate the 4th anniversary of the opening of the theme park.
1. Accomplishments
2. Plans
3. Action List
a. Collecting letters/articles
4. Misc.
a. REMARKS AT THE DEMONSTRATION IN FRONT OF "SPLENDID CHINA" (by Thubten J.Norbu)
b. Orlando Weekly October 9 - 15 - Up Against A Great Wall
c. Why I am Here (by Turdi Hoja)
d. Action Letter to Congress (ICT)
e. Report: China Bishop Arrested
f. WTN 10/10/97: Cooperation instead of Confrontation: Chinese, Tibetans, Uighurs and Mongolians Favour Non-Violent Conflict Solution
g. Orlando Sentinel: Dalai Lama's brother protests at China park
1. Accomplishments
Attended a great demonstration in front of FSC
2. Plans
Plan for upcoming protest
Assimilate incoming data...
3. Action List
a. Collecting letters/articles
Please send copies of your letters to the editors, school board members, etc., so that they can be included in our web-pages. Let your voice be heard. Thanks to those who have mailed your letters in.
Any articles mentioning Splendid China are welcome also, we prefer to re-print in it's entirety so we can't be blamed for an 'out-of-context' quotations.
4. Misc.
a. REMARKS AT THE DEMONSTRATION IN FRONT OF "SPLENDID CHINA" (by Thubten J. Norbu)
I am honored to be able to address this "splendid" gathering today. Many of you have been working for a long time to put the Tibetan tragedy before American public opinion. In doing this you have tried to answer the distortions of Tibetan history that have been put forward by China, and one of the main ways you have done this is to call attention to the lies about Tibetan history that are represented by this "park" called "Splendid China." Not only is Tibetan history misrepresented here, but the history of other peoples such as the Mongols and Uighurs of Eastern Turkestan. We have been incorporated into China by brute force. We have seen our friends and family members killed and imprisoned, we have seen our lands stolen. All to extend the Chinese empire. And this empire proudly shows off its conquests with this "park," pretending that Tibetans and others want to be part of China.
But what do Tibetans want? I speak to you only as one Tibetan. All Tibetans are equal and I do not claim to be more worthy of speaking before you than any of my fellow Tibetans. But I have been given this opportunity and I must speak honestly. All Tibetans believe that Tibet must be independent.
Tibetans want no more and no less from China than the full right to determine their own future, and on this point make no mistake about what self-determination means: Tibetans, after decades of death and destruction at the hands of China are determined that their future must be one in which Tibet is a free and independent member of the community of nations. What I am saying to you today is not the view of one Tibetan. It is the common aspiration of all Tibetans, and more: it is an absolute necessity if we are to survive as a people.
If any of you believe that Tibet does not have to be independent; if any of you are happy to see Tibet as a part of China, then you should not be here with us demonstrating. You should be inside the "park," paying money to subsidize Chinese propaganda. But those of us who are here demonstrating against the distortions of the display inside know that without independence Tibet cannot survive. Dharma centers in the US. do not equal Tibetan cultural survival. Neither do Tibetan cultural reservations inside China. We support a settlement with China, but any settlement that the upper levels of the Tibetan government-in-exile reach with China must clearly specify that if Tibetans want to live in an independent Tibet then they shall live in an independent Tibet. Anything less will simply be an agreement for further suffering, much as was the case with China, for Tibetans will be forced to continue their struggle until they attain their just right to self-determination and freedom. Remember: the United Nations guara
nteed this right to Tibetans in its resolutions on Tibet.
I thank all of you for coming here today to stand up for what is true and accurate in Tibetan history and for your courage in defying China's attempts to spread propaganda about Tibet here in Florida and throughout the US. I know that truth and justice must ultimately prevail. Bod Rangzen!!
b. Orlando Weekly October 9 - 15 Up Against A Great Wall
On the weekend that the new film "Seven Years in Tibet" puts Brad Pitt's pretty face up on screens, a protest at Kissimmee's Splendid China theme park hopes to shine a light on the uglier side of Asian struggles.
At 10 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 12, Citizens Against Communist Chinese Propaganda will stage a demonstration against Splendid China's alleged historical inaccuracies. An organization that has been staging protests at the park since its opening in 1993, CACCP will this time bring along Thubten Jigme Norbu, brother of the exiled Dalai Lama.
Heading a group that is also set to include Taiwanese and Turkestani activists, Norbu will attempt to engage park officials in a dialogue about the misrepresentation and commercialization of Tibetan history on view within Splendid China's walls, including the identification of Tibetan tombs by names assigned by their Chinese captors.
"This (Splendid China) is sometimes the only lesson schoolchildren get on Chinese anything," says Jack Churchward, coordinator of the CACCP. "And the problem is, they're giving us Communist propaganda right in our own backyard." - Steve Schneider
c. Why I am Here (by Turdi Hoja)
I am an Uighur from Kashgar, the ancient Uighur city where the actual Apak Hoja Tomb and Id Kah Mosque are located. My name is Turdi Hoja, even though it was spelled Tuerdi Huji on my passport. For this reason quite a few people asked me If I am related to Apak Hoja. I am not directly related to him, except the name Hoja came into popular use after Apak Hoja.
Apak Hoja Tomb was built around 1640 AD, for Apak Hoja's Father Yusup Hoja, who was a political and religious leader of Kashgar Kingdom. After he died, his eldest son Apak Hoja inherited his position and earned more fame than his father , therefore when Apak Hoja died in 1693, he was buried in the same tomb and the tomb was renamed after him. According to legend, Apak Hoja descended from the Holy prophet Mohammed. For this reason, local Uighurs regard his tomb as a holy place. Every year thousands of Uighurs make the pilgrimage to the tomb from all over Eastern Turkistan.
After almost a century, the Chinese invaded Eastern Turkistan and took one of Apak Hoja's descendents, Iparhan as hostage and brought her to the Chinese King. According to legend, she killed herself when she was forced to marry the Chinese King.
In order to cover up the historical fact that Eastern Turkistan was an independent country before the Chinese invasion and the Communist authorities fabricated a story about the Tomb. They called the tomb Xiangfei Mu, a Chinese name which can not be pronounced by Uighurs. I learned their version of the story only after I learned Chinese.
According to them, the name Xiangfei refers to Iparhan. Even though she was not much more famous than any one of the 72 family members buried there, the Chinese referred to the place with her name just because of the Chinese connection that was twisted and glorified by them. When I read the guide book published by Splendid China, I was shocked that they referred to Xiangfei and Apak Hoja as the same person. Not only was one female and the other one a male, they also lived a century apart.
Referring to Apah Hoja as a female name is so funny, because Apak Hoja is a male name which in no way could be taken as a female name.
The Id kah mosque replica displayed here was built in 1422. The date is clearly recorded on the walls of the Mosque. But the booklet published by Splendid China indicates it was built in 1798.
I am very disappointed that the Park authorities are not acting in a responsible way. They disregard all the well known historical facts, and are trying to cheat American visitors with lies. Twisting and lying about the history of minorities is a very well known practice of the Chinese communists. It is very obvious that Splendid China does not operate just for cultural exchange, it operates as a propaganda machine for the Chinese government. I am strongly offended by their obviously politically motivated lies about Apak Hoja and Id Kah. This is the reason I came here
to protest.
d. Action Letter to Congress (ICT)
From October 10-13, the House of Representatives recesses for a district work week which means they're heading your way! Senate members will be home from October 11-19. These short district breaks provide an invaluable opportunity to reach your Congressional delegation in your hometown.
We hope to turn the awareness generated by Seven Years for Tibet and Seven Days for Tibet into political action. We encourage everyone to write, call, fax and personally visit if possible every elected representative from your district. This will undoubtedly change the perception of these representatives on how much Americans care about Tibet, and what we want them to do when they return to Washington, D.C.
The results of this campaign to date have been incredible. We have definitely created momentum for the Tibetan cause in this country. So let's all keep up the pressure and take advantage of this energy and go on to influence as many decision makers in Washington that we can prior to the visit of President Jiang Zemin at the end of the month. Remember, every vote counts and every letter call and visit counts. This is a message that every elected official understands. Good luck and please, as always, don't hesitate to call us with questions and to let us know your results.
Sincerely,
Marybeth Markey
John Ackerly
Suggested Letters:
1. Dear Representative _________:
2 and 3. Dear Senator __________:
I write to express my concern that the issue of Tibet be given a prominent place in discussions during the visit of Chinese President Jiang Zemin to Washington later this month. I understand that President Clinton and Secretary of State Albright have given their personal assurances to His Holiness the Dalai Lama that they will urge President Jiang to enter into meaningful discussions with the Dalai Lama or his representatives without preconditions. I hope that you will reiterate and amplify this message when President Jiang visits the Congress.
As an American citizen, I have grave doubts about the propriety of President Clinton hosting the leader of a despicable regime that routinely tortures prisoners of conscience and is engaged in the systematic obliteration of the Tibetan Buddhist identity. If President Jiang must come to Washington, I rely on my President and elected representatives to make certain that he thoroughly understands the high priority that the American people place on a negotiated settlement of the Tibetan issue.
Sincerely,
Name
Address
Affiliation (if applicable)
e. Report: China Bishop Arrested
The Associated Press
BEIJING (AP) - Chinese police have rearrested a Catholic bishop who already has spent two decades in jail for refusing to renounce the authority of the Pope, a U.S.-based Catholic group said Saturday.
Bishop Su Zhimin was arrested Oct. 8 in Xinji, northern Hebei province, after 17 months in hiding, said the Cardinal Kung Foundation, an organization that supports China's underground Roman Catholic Church.
The group, based in Stamford, Connecticut, said Su was now in custody in Baoding, also in Hebei, about 125 kilometers (80 miles) south of Beijing.
A Baoding city police official, reached by telephone, refused to answer questions about the report of Su's arrested and hung up.
The Cardinal Kung Foundation said the 65-year-old bishop has already spent about 20 years in jail.
China's communist government has no relations with the Vatican and has long persecuted those who claim allegiance to the Pope. Only officially sanctioned churches are allowed to hold services, and the government insists that Christians join these churches.
Many have refused and continue to worship illegally in underground churches, risking persecution and arrest.
Su and other religious leaders were also arrested in May 1996 when government officials destroyed a shrine to Mary near Baoding, the foundation said. It said Su later went into hiding, but it did not say whether he had escaped from custody or was released.
Su also was arrested in 1994 and later released after meeting U.S. Rep. Christopher Smith, R-N.J.
The foundation spelled the bishop's name as Su Zhimin, but other groups have spelled it Su Zhemin, or Su Zhiming.
AP-NY-10-11-97 0939EDT
f. WTN 10/10/97: Cooperation instead of Confrontation: Chinese, Tibetans, Uighurs and Mongolians Favour Non-Violent Conflict Solution Malente/Goettingen, Germany, October 6, 1997
For the first time, exile representatives from Tibet, Eastern Turkestan, Inner Mongolia and the Chinese democracy movement met to discuss joint initiatives together with German support organizations. The meeting was held from October 2 to 5, 1997 in Germany. The 16 organizations expressed their concern about the increase of human rights violations and appealed to the German parliament to send a delegation to China every year. They explicitly welcomed the September 1997 visit of the Subcommittee for Human Rights and Humanitarian Assistance of the German parliament to Beijing and Lhasa and stressed the necessity to investigate into the human rights situation in Eastern Turkestan (Xinjiang) and Inner Mongolia more thoroughly. The participants of the four day conference further called on the German federal government to lend support to the Chinese democracy movement.
The invitation to this consultation in the northern German town of Malente was issued by the Society for Threatened Peoples, Goettingen, the Hamburg regional office of the Tibet Support Group Germany, and the Gustav-Heineman-Eductional Institute, Malente. The organizations resolved to jointly advocate the nationality rights of Tibetans, Uighurs and Mongolians guaranteed by the Chinese constitution and the United Nations conventions signed by China to be finally implemented. The participants conveyed their convictions that democratic change was the best precondition to end the human rights violations and to reach self-determination of the peoples. There is an urgent need to immediately stop the destruction of culture, religion, and language as well as any form of discrimination based on ethnicity, they said. The Federation for a Democratic China (FDC) promised to contribute to the removal of prejudices between Chinese and the other nationalities and to increase awareness of the issue also inside China. The re
presentatives of all organizations appealed to the government of the People's Republic of China and to the nationalities to solve the existing conflicts in Tibet, Inner Mongolia and Eastern Turkestan by peaceful means. To intensify the cooperation that was begun so successfully, the FDC, Paris, the Inner Mongolian League for the Protection of Human Rights, Cologne, the Eastern Turkestan Union in Europe, Munich, and the Tibetan representatives from Germany and Switzerland decided to meet in future on a regular basis.
Submitted by Monika Deimann-Clemens
TIBET-Forum, Germany
g. Orlando Sentinel: Dalai Lama's brother protests at China park
Drawing attention. T.J. [Image]
Norbu (center), brother of
Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai
Lama, leads a group of 60 outside
Splendid China near Kissimmee.
Frank Rivera/The Orlando Sentinel
Dalai Lama's brother protests at China
park
By Jim Stratton
of The Sentinel Staff
Published in The Orlando Sentinel,
October 13, 1997
Led by the brother of Tibet's exiled
Dalai Lama, a group of about 60 people
spent Sunday morning protesting at the
ornate gates of Splendid China near
Kissimmee.
The demonstrators, carrying banners
and homemade signs, urged park-bound
visitors to skip the attraction until
it changes the portrayal of relations
between China and the peoples of
Tibet, eastern Turkestan, Taiwan and
southern Mongolia. Protesters say the
park sugarcoats the treatment of
minority groups under Chinese rule,
presenting them as a happy part of the
People's Republic.
In reality, the Chinese government has
sought through force and torture to
squash the cultures of those religious
or ethnic groups. At the top of
China's list has been Tibet, whose
spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, fled
the country in 1959 after a Chinese
invasion. That story is now reaching
millions across the United States,
with the release of the new Brad Pitt
movie Seven Years in Tibet.
Sunday, amid chants of ``Free Tibet
Now,'' the elder brother of the Dalai
Lama said he came to Central Florida
to ``tell the world about the lie'' he
said Splendid China is perpetuating.
``This is completely wrong,'' said
T.J. Norbu, a retired college
professor who, like his brother, left
Tibet after the Chinese takeover.
``They are brainwashing the American
public.''
Norbu said that after the Chinese
invaded Tibet, he was held under house
arrest for 3 1/2 months while
officials tried to convince him commu-
nism would work. At one point, they
offered him a high-ranking government
job if he would kill his brother, he
said.
Though Norbu's work has focused on his
homeland, the 75-year-old offered
support Sunday to other groups he
thinks China has mistreated. In a
statement, he said the Taiwanese, the
Mongols and the people of eastern
Turkestan have ``been incorporated
into China by brute force.'' And
China, he said, ``proudly shows off
its conquest with this `park,'
pretending that Tibetans and others
want to be part of China.''
Officials from Splendid China -- which
is in part funded by the Chinese
government -- did not return calls
Sunday. They also did not show up at
the demonstration, though a lone
security officer did.
He talked quietly with protest
organizers and then slowly drove off
in a small hatchback. In the window of
his car was a faded bumper sticker
supporting Tibetan independence.
[Posted 10/12/97 10:11 PM EST]
