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Conferenza Tibet
Partito Radicale Massimo - 9 marzo 2000
WTN-L 8/3/2000 (A)

_________________ WTN-L World Tibet Network News _________________

Published by: The Canada Tibet Committee

Editorial Board: Brian Given, Conrad Richter, Nima Dorjee,

Tseten Samdup, Thubten (Sam) Samdup

WTN Editors: wtn-editors@tibet.ca

______________________________________________________________________

Issue ID: 00/03/08 Compiled by Thubten (Sam) Samdup

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

Wednesday, March 8, 2000

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

Contents:

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

1. China And The 17th Karmapa Lama

2. Karmapa will 'most probably' be allowed to stay in India

3. India would be 'morally wrong' to expel Karmapa: Dalai Lama

4. TIBET 2000: SURVIVAL OF THE SPIRIT

5. Tibet opera festival begins

6. Tokyo Governor mulls over Falun Gong request

7. THE RISING NEPAL

8. Pashmina Passion

9. Clarification from Free Tibet Campaign

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

1. China And The 17th Karmapa Lama

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

Asian Wall Street Journal

Mar 7, 2000

By JONATHAN MIRSKY

(Editor's Note: Mirsky is a London-based China specialist.)

HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--Last week Chinese authorities detained the

parents of the 17th Karmapa Lama, the Buddhist leader who fled Tibet for

India in early January. The detention of the 14-year-old Karmapa's

parents, the humblest of yak-herders, is proof of China's rage at the

boy's decision to flee and a warning to other Tibetans. Moreover, it is

a vivid reminder that on certain matters that it deems "Chinese

concerns," Beijing still ignores world opinion.

By detaining the Karmapa's parents, China has abandoned its explanation

that the highest-ranking Tibetan incarnation recognized by both the

Dalai Lama and by Beijing left Tibet merely to search for his ritual

black hat. The escape of the Karmapa was a body blow to Chinese claims

to legitimacy in Tibet. China invaded Tibet in 1950, and the Communists

have since waged war against the "evil religion" of Tibetan Buddhism,

destroying most of the country's monasteries. Thousands of Tibetans flee

the country each year, and there are widespread reports of political

prisoners.

In 1959, the Dalai Lama fled Tibet for India, where he heads a

government in exile in the northern hill town of Dharmsala. Chinese

authorities have routinely demonized the Nobel Peace Prize winner,

calling him a "political insect" and vowing to stamp out his "splittist

movement."

So when the Karmapa Lama appeared at the Dalai Lama's headquarters after

a dramatic escape over mountainous terrain from his monastery near

Lhasa, Beijing was forced to offer the now famous "black hat" excuse.

The comical implausibility of this was underlined by the fact that the

Chinese had already refused the Karmapa's plea to journey to India for

religious instruction from his most senior teacher.

Beijing once had high hopes for the young Karmapa. In 1994 the

11-year-old boy, whose identification had been sanctioned by the Dalai

Lama, was taken to Beijing where reportedly he said prayers for Mao

Tse-tung. As a doubly-legitimized religious leader of the highest

standing, the Karmapa would have been decisive in discovering and

approving a 15th Dalai Lama after the death of the present 14th

incarnation, who is 64.

The Karmapa's role is particularly vital because of the absence in Tibet

of a universally revered Panchen Lama, traditionally second only to the

Dalai Lama as a religious leader. In 1995 the Chinese kidnapped the

six-year-old boy designated as the 11th Panchen Lama by the Dalai Lama.

Neither he nor his parents have ever been seen again. His

Beijing-stipulated substitute, who has been publicized swearing

allegiance to President Jiang Zemin, China and the Communist Party, is

disdained by Tibetans.

The Karmapa Lama, on the other hand, has not turned out to be so

obedient. Indeed, the young religious leader is said to have refused to

prostrate himself before the Chinese-appointed Panchen last year. After

joining the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, the Karmapa was even more daring

in his defiance of Beijing. On February 19, safe in his Indian

sanctuary, the Karmapa stated, "Over the last 20 to 30 years, Tibet

suffered a great loss whereby Tibetan religious traditions and culture

are now facing the risk of total extinction."

Now his parents, Dhondup and Loga, herdsmen from a community of 70

yak-herding families until their son was discovered, have been taken

from their Lhasa residence back to their rural home where, according to

an official statement, they have been "detained for their own safety."

This is as likely as the hat story. Until shown to be otherwise, we must

assume that what has happened is a replay of the kidnapping of the

Panchen Lama and his family in 1995, except that this time the

incarnation himself has escaped the net. The fate of the rest of the

Karmapa's family is not known.

In the meantime, security officers have descended on Tsurphu, the

Karmapa's monastery 60 kilometers from Lhasa, which is now closed and

encircled by guards. Officials are said to be replacing the incumbent

monks with loyal men. The Chinese never rest in such security

operations. After the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, the qingcha or

ferreting-out went on for over a year, resulting in thousands of arrests

and executions and the purging of four million Party members.

The fact is Chinese authorities consider Tibet and by extension the

Karmapa Lama a "Chinese concern." In such matters Beijing will risk its

international reputation. Taiwan is just such an issue. China is now

menacing the island although this endangers its chances of persuading

the U.S. Congress to support its accession to the World Trade

Organization. Similarly, the authorities have cracked down on the vast

spiritual movement, Falun Dafa, although this, together with the

imprisonment of virtually the entire Democratic party, has predictably

provoked Washington into warning that it will condemn China at this

month's United Nations Human Rights meeting in Geneva.

Last year, when U.S. President Bill Clinton urged Jiang Zemin on Chinese

television to talk to the Dalai Lama, the Chinese president merely

laughed. Tibet, to use Henry Kissinger's phrase, is a "neuralgic" issue

for China. Now the Karmapa has given Beijing an additional headache. Of

course, wafting away the parents of a supreme incarnation - again - is

not the cure.

The Tibetans will never love or respect their occupiers. But Beijing is

reckoning on two things: It can hold Tibet in thrall with its army, and

hope for the best with a future tame 15th Dalai Lama whom the Chinese

assume they will appoint. It also assumes that Tibet is one of those

intractable China-related issues which Western leaders hope will go

away.

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

2. Karmapa will 'most probably' be allowed to stay in India

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

NEW DELHI: Wednesday, March 8, 2000 (Indian Express) -- March 8, 2000The

Dalai Lama has said that the Indian government has "informally,

unofficially" indicated to him that Karmapa Lama, who recently fled from

Tibet to India, would "most probably" be allowed to remain in this

country. "The formal response has not yet come but informally,

unofficially, some of my old friends in the ministry of external affairs

have indicated that the Karmapa will most probably be allowed to remain

in this country," he said when asked about the response from the

government to Karmapa Lama's request to stay and study in India, reports

PTI.

In an interview to Karan Thapar for BBC programme 'Hard Talk - India' to

be telecast on Saturday next, Dalai Lama said India's policy regarding

China in general and the Tibet issue in particular was "overcautious".

"I sometimes directly express this to my friends in the ministry as well

as some ministers also. Their position or attitude is a little

over-cautious. There's too much sensitivity or caution but, okay, that's

understandable," he said.

Dalai Lama said he was "fully convinced" that Karmapa Lama was not a

Chinese "stooge" and described him as "very sincere". "My judgement is

also based on his behaviour or mental attitude in the last few years in

Tibet. The Tibetan public, particularly in the Lhasa area, have

witnessed the young Karmapa as very tough and very spiritual-minded," he

said.

Asked about the impact on his relationship with the Indian government if

it refused permission to Karmapa to stay, the Tibetan spiritual leader

said though many Tibetans would be "gravely disappointed" and such a

decision would be "morally wrong", India "has provided us the maximum

help in spite of their own difficulties". To a question on the response

of Beijing to the situation in Tibet, he said the Chinese authorities

"lack courage or political will to address the reality. That's the

problem."

"Their whole thinking, their whole policy, is not rational. Their whole

policy relies on using force. Their top priority is stability and unity

but because their method is force and telling lies in reality it's

counter-productive," he said.

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

3. India would be 'morally wrong' to expel Karmapa: Dalai Lama

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

NEW DELHI, March 8 (AFP) - Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai

Lama, has warned India it has a moral obligation to allow a teenage high

lama who escaped from Tibet to remain here.

In an interview to be broadcast on the BBC World Service's "Hard Talk"

programme Saturday, the Dalai Lama said refusing the Karmapa Lama refuge

in India would be "morally wrong" and many Tibetans would be "gravely

disappointed" by such a decision.

"The formal response has not yet come but informally, unofficially, some

of my old friends in the ministry of external affairs have indicated

that the Karmapa will most probably be allowed to remain in this

country," he said.

Extracts of the interview were carried Wednesday by the Press Trust of

India.

The 14-year-old Karmapa -- who heads one of the four schools of Tibetan

Buddhism -- arrived in the northern Indian town of Dharamsala on January

5 after escaping from his monastery in the Tibetan capital Lhasa. The

Karmapa is recognised by both China and the Dalai Lama, and many Tibetan

exiles feel he could succeed the Dalai Lama as head of the Tibetan

freedom movement.

The Karmapa's arrival in Dharamsala -- seat of the exiled Tibetan

government -- was embarrassing for New Delhi which is keen to improve

ties with Beijing but has traditionally offered refuge to tens of

thousands of Tibetans.

The government has yet to make an official statement clarifying the

Karmapa's status in India.

While the Dalai Lama appreciated the help India has provided over the

years, he said he wished the government were less concerned with

annoying China.

"Their position or attitude is a little over-cautious. There's too much

sensitivity or caution but, okay, that's understandable," he said.

The Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet himself in 1953, also said he was "fully

convinced" of the Karmapa's sincerity, and rejected any suggestion his

escape was engineered by Beijing and aimed at undermining the Tibetan

movement.

"My judgement is also based on his behaviour or mental attitude in the

last few years in Tibet. The Tibetan public, particularly in the Lhasa

area, have witnessed the young Karmapa as very tough and very

spiritual-minded," he said.

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

4. TIBET 2000: SURVIVAL OF THE SPIRIT

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

21st-31st March, India International Centre

New Delhi - White Crane Films, in collaboration with the Tibet

Multimedia Centre and the Tibet Parliamentary and Policy Research

Centre, announces a 10-day cultural festival, "Tibet 2000: Survival of

the Spirit", to be held at the India International Centre from the 21st

to the 31st of March, 2000.

The festival aims at generating a new awareness and interest in the

history and culture of Tibet. For forty years, more than 100,000

Tibetans, including their leader the Dalai Lama, have made India their

home in exile. During this period, Tibetan refugees have become a

familiar sight in the country, usually in the winter months when they

can be seen selling sweaters on the streets of almost every major city

and town. Yet, surprisingly, very little is known about this community,

their background and recent history or their unique culture, which they

have worked hard to preserve in exile. "Tibet 2000: Survival of the

Spirit", the first festival of its kind in Delhi will be wide-ranging

and comprehensive, touching upon almost every aspect of Tibetan culture

and life, both in exile and in Tibet.

The festival presents a diverse range of feature films and

documentaries. These include the Indian premieres of "Caravan", recently

nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar; "Windhorse", a feature film

on life in present-day Tibet; and the award-winning feature documentary,

"Saltmen of Tibet". Khyentse Norbu's highly praised debut feature, "The

Cup", will be the opening night film.

Documentaries include: "The Spirit Doesn't Come Anymore", "The

Reincarnation of Khensur Rinpoche", "Kingdom of the Lost Boy", "Tibet's

Stolen Child", "Living Buddha", "The Spirit of Tibet, "A Song for

Tibet", "Escape from Tibet" and "A Stranger in My Native Land".

Acclaimed Dutch photojournalist Kadir van Lohuizen's stark and poignant

photographs of life in present-day Tibet will be exhibited in

conjunction with the young Tibetan photographer, Tenzin Dorjee's

photographs of the Tibetan diaspora.

The internationally praised Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts in

Dharamsala will present two evenings of traditional Tibetan music and

dance.

Throughout the festival, monks from the Dalai Lama's personal monastery,

Namgyal, will create the sand mandala of Avalokitesvara, the Buddha of

Compassion. This intricate sculpture of coloured sand will be ritually

dismantled at the end of the festival.

There will also be a seminar on the environment of Tibet and panel

discussions on topics ranging from Indo-Tibetan Relations to Travels in

Tibet. Participants will include the celebrated writer, Patrick French,

Tibetan historian, Tsering Shakya, Tibetan scholar and writer, Dawa

Norbu, and the writers Claude Arpi and Victor Chan.

The highlight of the festival will be a public talk by His Holiness the

Dalai Lama on the evening of the 30th of March

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

5. Tibet opera festival begins

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

DHARAMSALA, March 7, (Tribune News Service) - Trying to keep alive the

tradition of "shoton", Mcleodganj, the headquarter of the Tibetan

government-in-exile, came alive today with the annual great opera

festival starting to a colourful start.

Tibetans living in and around Mcleodganj came in large numbers to enjoy

the scintillating performances by the artistes from the Tibetan

Institute of Performing Arts. The five-day festival is held every year

to keep alive the tradition of "shoton", which is a dying art form in

Tibet because of cultural and religious repression.

Traditionally, the "shoton" festival began in Tibet on a full moon day

at the beginning of the summer monastic retreat. Since monks and nuns

practiced purification rituals on full moon days and ate no meat they

used to be served with yoghurt and hence the name "shoton", meaning

yoghurt was given to the festival.

In Tibet celebrations usually took place at Sera and Drepung monastaries

near Lhasa, Potala Palace and the Norbulingka, the winter and summer

residences of the Dalai Lama. Opera troupes would perform Lhama, the

Tibetan Opera based on the lives of famous figures in Tibetan Buddhism

and to receive the blessings of the Dalai Lama.

In Tibet, the festival used to be held in August but here in exile the

Tibetans hold it in March, immediately after the Losar teachings given

by the Dalai Lama.

The festival was inaugurated by the Dalai Lama. He along with the 17th

Karmapa, the head of the Kagyu sect, watched the performances.

The Dalai Lama, said the 17th Karmapa's main aim was to serve the Buddha

"dharma", which would not have been possible under the Chinese regime in

Tibet.

He further said the Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorjee, had taken a big risk

by fleeing from Tibet.

Making the Karmapa stand beside him while addressing the gathering, he

said it was a matter of great pride that the head of the Kagyu sect was

able to reach here safely.

The Dalai Lama said it was important for the Karmapa to concentrate on

his studies for the next 10 to 15 years.

The Dalai Lama congratulated the Tibetan artistes on their performances.

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

6. Tokyo Governor mulls over Falun Gong request

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

The Hindu

By F.J. Khergamvala

TOKYO, MARCH 7. The one person in Japan the Chinese would rather not

have anything to do with is Tokyo's Governor, Mr. Shintaro Ishihara.

Yet, it is Mr. Ishihara who must make the decision to refuse or accept a

request by the Chinese Communist Party's biggest internal enemy, the

Falun Gong sect for status as a non- profit organisation.

Officially, Beijing and Tokyo are sister cities, but the siblings are in

a state of estrangement since Mr. Ishihara took over less than a year

ago. On Thursday, if he allows the Falun Gong's application to set up a

Tokyo chapter as a non- profit activity organisation, it will add

another cause for direct friction between Tokyo and Beijing and quite

possibly between Japan and China. The Falun Gong has evolved into a

strong international movement, with bases in the U.S. and on the

mainland. The Chinese Communist party considers it the main threat to

social stability in the mainland. The sect has been outlawed and

condemned in the official media. Tokyo, as a city with a formidable

international media presence could be a platform, not only for further

publicity but also for fund collection drives.

Mr. Ishihara's frequent statements in support of Tibet, meetings with

the Dalai Lama, as well as a visit to Taiwan to meet the President, Mr.

Lee-Teng-hui where he gave support for Taiwan's identity, has riled

China. In the summer, after Mr. Lee leaves office, Mr. Ishihara hopes to

have him as Tokyo's guest. Mr. Ishihara has also spoken in favour of

India's security concerns which he said are justified because of China

positioning nuclear weapons on the soil of Tibet. Any approval of the

Falun Gong's request erects another barrier with China and raises the

sect's profile.

After a small group of signatories applied in November last year for

permission to be recognised as a non-profit organisation, the Tokyo

Metropolitan Government authorities have conducted a series of checks

under the relevant law to assess the integrity of the application. From

the other direction, through an envoy from its Embassy here, China has

asked Tokyo not to allow the grant of such status.

Mr. Ishihara responded harshly to the public pressure applied on him by

China. On February 25 he attacked Beijing's ham- handedness. Beijing had

warned that the approval of the Falun Gong (Falun Dafa) application

would bring about a further deterioration of sister city relations. The

Falun Gong is optimistic that the Ishihara Government will approve the

application. Claiming millions of members world-wide, the sect, which

literally enjoys ``cult'' status among the people in China but is

outlawed as a cult for that very reason in the mainland, has played its

hand in Japan very well.

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

7. THE RISING NEPAL

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

Nepal-China trade ties: March 7, 2000,

Except for some literature produced by the Trade Promotion Centre, there

is not much one can find on contemporary Nepal-China economic ties. This

must be embarrasing for the Nepalese academic community, given the rich

historical background. After all, there was a time when Nepal prospered

through the trade routes that linked China with India.

The responsibility for this neglect does not solely rest on the

shoulders of the venerable community; government policies, especially of

the nineties, are equally to be blamed.

China has been on the blind spot of latter-day policy makers despite

their emphasis on openness, liberalization and new trade treaties. Even

attempts to blend economic policies with the foreign policy, so-called

economic diplomacy, could not bring this vast country to the focus

deserved by a neighbour. It is in this environment of neglect that the

FNCCI's sanction of a study* on Nepal-China relations appears

commendable. Had there been enough literature flying around, the FNCCI

step might have appeared too meagre- an obvious step to bring to light

aspects that are already common knowledge even for the layman. Since it

is not so, the fact that contemporary issues have been brought to the

focus itself is an achievement.

What ails Nepal-China trade? Apart from policies of the two countries,

there are infrastructural problems. Most of the overland trade is

conducted through the Kodari Highway built some 35 years back and in

spite of the long years the last portion of the road, linking Tatopani

to the border, is still not blacktopped. A gravel road continues through

some distance even on the Tibetan side. Somehow, the repair works

carried out recently on the Kodari Highway could not include this last

stretch of the road in its list of activities.

Neither are there any kinds of storage facilities and godowns at the

border. Trade thus appears to be carried out on an ad hoc basis through

this important strategic linkage. Once the Sindhuli-Banepa highway is

complete pressures could mount for the existing facilities to be

upgraded and new ones added. This road, nearing completion, would not

only give a direct access for the plains to the northern border, but

would bypass the Kathmandu Valley as a transit point for the first time

after modernisation started in Nepal.

To pass through Kathmandu is painfully costly for goods originating in

the Tarai. Roads that come to the capital are famous for meandering

through unnecessary miles of difficult mountains and valleys. The

Sindhuli link therefore should make trade easier and help to restore the

country's image as the entrepôt that it once was.

Still, this study reveals that this is not the shortest route possible.

The proposed road from Rasuwa to Tibet would shorten the distance even

more as it passes through the historical Kerung pass. If another link is

established between Trishuli and the Galchhi point along the Prithvi

highway, this would indeed be the shortest trade route linking most

parts of Nepal with the Tibetan region of China. The Chinese have

already committed themselves to build a link through Kerung.

Another proposal the study makes is the linking of the settlements along

the northern border with short roads with the Tibetan highway that runs

along from the east to the west. One of the first beneficiaries would be

Humla, one of the most backward places in the Kingdom. About eight

kilometers of construction would make this place accessible through

roads, though Nepalese from other parts would have to travel to Tibet

first, travel along Tibetan territory and then enter Humla. There are

other places that could immensely benefit from links to the Tibetan

highway. The Nepalese used this method of travelling to reach southern

Nepalese towns- via the Indian transport network- before the Mahendra

Highway was built.

Roads alone are not enough to carry out trade, although this is a basic

requirement. A proper approach, policies and other infrastructural work

are absolutely necessary if gains are to be made through trade. And, in

this too the Nepalese have not made a dent worthy of consideration in

enhancing Nepal-China economic ties.

There is no bank to facilitate transactions on the Nepalese side of the

border, neither is it possible for Nepalese to open accounts in Chinese

banks on the other side. There is no exchange rate between the two

currencies. The language problem and lack of a trader-friendly visa

facility in both the countries have given rise to a dis-organised

trading system. Moreover, the road barriers along the Kodari highway and

the different costs imposed by the Tibetans on their side discourage

trading even further. All these need to be looked into and policy

remedies sought. The trading agreement between the two countries needs

updating because it was concluded in the early eighties, when both the

countries were only contemplating openness. Today, the situation is

different; both have come some distance through the path of openness.

The study goes on to suggest ways to reduce the trade deficit that is

piling up with growing trade between the two countries. Since, defict

trading is a problem with many countries, they read like a set of

recommendations to make Nepal an export production centre, not just ways

to manufacture exportables to China. But the China-specific suggestion

has to do with an industrial district at Panchkhal of which some

discussions have been made ever since the establishment of Nepal-China

Non-governmental Forum established in 1995.

Similar is the case with Chinese investment. Some important steps were

made when government to government cooperation was the order of the day.

Large industries were established with Chinese assistance and technology

which played an instrumental role in import-substitution. When the

private sector started being given a larger role in economic matters in

both countries, that pace has slackened. In Nepal, the high profile

Chinese aided industries were handed over to the private sector.

The study finds comparative advantages in the hydropower sector from

which both countries could benefit through joint-venture.

Tourism is another area identified. The authors would like to see

Nepalese benefit particularly from Indian tourists' desire to visit

Mansarowar and Mt. Kailash. But they should know that both China and

India are neighbours themselves and that the two religious sites are

nearer to the Indians via India itself, rather than via Nepal. And they

have not pointed out why the Indians would prefer to visit Tibet through

Nepal rather than do it through their own northern borders. Unless this

question is answered, there is little likelihood of any practical

progress over the matter.

There are 31 Chinese joint venture projects going on in different phases

at the moment in Nepal. The Chinese construction companies could invest

more in Nepal if there were facilities solely aimed at making their life

easier. For example, lack of bonded warehouse facilities has made it

difficult for them to keep their equipment in Nepal when they are out of

jobs, necessitating the transportation of the heavy equipment to and

from China frequently.

Though the book may not promise much for those who have been watching

Nepal-China economic ties closely, it would surely provoke one into

thinking about the changing perceptions in both the countries and the

need to adjust their policies to suit them.

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

8. Pashmina Passion

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

Tibetan Plateau Project

TIBETAN ANTELOPE ALERT

March 7, 2000

Consumer Reports March 2000

The frenzy for pashmina, traditionally a fine grade of cashmere from the

Capra hircus goat, appears to have peaked. This spring you're likely to

see a wealth of pashmina scarves and shawls deeply discounted at the

mall, on the web, and in off-price stores. But not all pashmina is

all-pashmina. Most items that retailed for $200 to $250 at holiday time

were a blend of cashmere and silk.

Label information can also be a little dicey. Federal law requires that

garment labels include the percentage of various fibers. Indeed, a $198

shawl from Nordstrom's was labeled 70 percent pashmina, 30 percent silk.

But pashmina isn't a government-recognized fiber name; it's cashmere and

labels should state "cashmere." Also, our tests showed the Nordstrom's

shawl to be closer to 45 percent cashmere, 55 percent silk. A $250

Kenneth Cole shawl we tested was labeled silk/pashmina, without

percentages. Only the $198 shawl from Talbots was accurately labeled 55

percent silk, 45 percent cashmere.

A Kenneth Cole representative says some shipments came into the country

without the proper labeling and that officials gave permission to use

paper hangtags stating fiber content. The one we bought had no hangtag.

The Cashmere and Camel Hair Manufacturers Institute tested shawls it

purchased on the web. "Typically they were labeled 70 percent pashmina

or cashmere, 30 percent silk," says president Karl Spilhaus. "More often

than not, they were 50-50." Some, he said, contained no cashmere at all,

but were a wool-silk blend.

Pashmina shouldn't be confused with shahtoosh, a fabric made in India

from the hair of the wild Tibetan antelope. The Tibetan Plateau Project,

which wants the animal on the endangered species list, says three

antelope are killed to make one shawl. In contrast, pashmina shawls are

made from goat hair that is sheared or plucked.

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

9. Clarification from Free Tibet Campaign

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

Tue, 07 Mar 2000

Free Tibet Campaign has asked AFP to refile its piece about Saturday's

demonstration, which appeared on World Tibet News of March 6 2000,

specifically to correct two points:

- that Saturday's demonstration is the 41st commemoration of the Tibetan

National Uprising, NOT a demonstration called for by Free Tibet Campaign

to coincide with the release of an internal police inquiry.

- that protestors should not be called "campaign militants" - Tibetans

and their supporters are peaceful people.

Alison Reynolds

Director

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