Newsletter on the transnational Radical Party's campaigns for the freedom of Tibet: number 0, December 7, 1995

Editors office: 97-113, rue Belliard Rem 508, B-1047 Brussels tel +32-2-2304121, fax +32-2-2303670

e-mail radical.party@agora.stm.it, http//:www.agora.stm.it/pr For more information: Conference Tibet and News Tibet on the multilingual communication system Agora' Telematica (telnet: agora)

Dear friends,

this is the first of a series of newsletters over the current international campaigns for the freedom of Tibet. It will be delivered weekly, via fax, until the demonstration on the next March 10, 1996, in Brussels.

Our intention is to develop a useful service of transnational coordination (other very efficient informational tools already exist), with the aim, above all, to organize for March 10 a great moment in the struggle for the Tibetan cause.

Therefore this newsletter will be sent to the members of the organizations promoting the 10 of March demonstration (Tibetan communities, Tibetan Youth Organization, Tibet Support Groups, and the Radical Party), but also to European and national parliamentarians, United Nations' representatives, presidents of regions and provinces, mayors, journalists.

We believe that this instrument will be useful if it becomes an interactive tool, capable to collect the information we will get from the several cities where people and groups are involved in the organization of the March 10 demonstration, or other initiatives like that addressed to the mayors, "A flag for Tibet", or that on the case of the Panchen Lama, the parliamentary resolutions and the documents to present at the United Nations.

Bearing in mind the sad news about the recognition of a "Chinese" Panchen Lama, time is running out.

We hope that this little tool will be able to make a small and useful contribution towards strengthening our common fight for a free Tibet.

Olivier Dupuis

(Secretary of the Radical Party)

MARCH 10, 1996. EUROPEAN DEMONSTRATION IN BRUSSELS

March 10, 1996, the anniversary of the 1959 nonviolent insurrection of Lhasa, the Tibetan communities in Europe, Tibet Support Groups, Tibetan Youth Organization and the Radical Party will organize an European demonstration in Brussels. The objective is to mobilize at least 5,000 people for a march which leaves from the European Parliament through the city's streets and arrives at the Chinese embassy of the European capital.

The platform of the demonstration proposes, among other things, that "direct negotiations on the status of Tibet are opened without delay and without preconditions between the People's Republic of China, the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile".

EUROPEAN MUNICIPALITIES

MARCH 10, 1996: A FLAG FOR TIBET

The Radical Party has promoted an European campaign so that on March 10 the largest number possible of mayors will fly the Tibetan national flag on their town-halls as a concrete act of solidarity with the people of Tibet.

Thirty-six cities from 13 different European countries have so far joined this campaign, which began a few weeks ago. Among them Sarajevo (Bosnia), Vukovar and Osijek (Croatia), Rome and Turin (Italy), Chisinau (Moldavia), Subotica (Yugoslavia), Poznan and Cracow (Poland), Korosten and Mariupol (Ukraine), Carpentras and Evry (France), Huy (Belgium), Durres (Albania), Hradec Kralove (Czech republic). On the next issue we will publish the complete list of cities that have joined the campaign, which is financed by the contributions of each municipality.

NATIONAL PARLIAMENTS

WEI JINGSHENG FOR NOBEL PEACE PRIZE 1996

The Radical Party is supporting the initiative launched by the Paris-based "Chinese House of Democracy", and is collecting proposals of nomination for the Chinese dissident Wei Jingsheng for the Nobel Peace Prize 1996. Recently re-arrested by the Chinese authorities, Wei is accused of "attempting to overthrow the government" and risks to be sentenced to death. According to the rules for the Nobel, a candidate can be nominated only by qualified people such as parliamentarians or professors of history, law and political sciences.

Up until now, nominations have been collected from the European Parliament and from the Austrian, Bulgarian and Croatian parliaments.

The deadline for the nomination is the end of January. If you want to participate in this campaign, you can receive information and the nomination form from our editors office in Brussels.

UNITED NATIONS / PARLIAMENTS

APPEAL TO THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS

"In order to speedly raise the conscience of the international community, we find it necessary that the United Nations gives a sign which indicates - and start without any possible misunderstanding -, a different approach to the Tibetan tragedy, an approach based on dialogue".

This appeal, already signed by 20 parliamentarians, is addressed to the UN Secretary General Butros Ghali, so that he receives the Dalai Lama as soon as possible "in order to create the steps of an initiative which allows to restore international rights and legality violated in Tibet".

PANCHEN LAMA: UMPTEENTH VIOLENT CHINESE INTERFERENCE

Deng and his associates have decided to recognize their own Panchen Lama, the second highest religious authority of Tibetan Buddhism, which is a provocation in response to the Dalai Lama's recognition of Gedun Choekyi Nima as Panchen Lama last May.

An urgent resolution will be presented at the European Parliament, not only to recall the particular case of the Panchen Lama, but also the general issue of the respect of Tibetan Buddhism's religious liberties in the People's Republic of China. Should you be interested in presenting a similar document in a national parliament, you can ask for the text to our editors office.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

STRASBOURG: SEMINAR ON TIBET

A European meeting, both political and organizational, on the "Freedom for Tibet", will take place in Strasbourg on next December 14-15.

At the meeting, which was made possible by European deputies who are members of the Radical Party, representatives of the Tibetan community in Europe, Tibet Support Groups, and the transnational and transdivisional Radical Party will participate.

The speakers will include: Tempa Tsering, Secretary for International Relations and Information of the Tibetan government-in-exile, Dawa Thondup and Chungdak D. Koren, representatives of the Dalai Lama, representatives of the Tibet Support Groups and of the European-Tibetan communities, Marco Pannella, James Moorhouse and other European and national parliamentarians.

To receive more information on the current activities, please contact the editors office.