Newsletter of the transnational Radical Party's campaigns for the freedom of Tibet

Number 2 of 27 December 1995

Editors office: rue Belliard 89, 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)

THERE ARE LESS THAN 75 DAYS TO MARCH 10TH !

Dear Friends,

there are only 73 days left to the 10th of March, day of the demonstration in Brussels that has been convened by the Tibetan communities in Europe, by the European Tibetan support groups and by the Radical Party. This is a considerable work commitment which must absolutely find us ready from the first hour. Some comforting news are reaching us from everywhere: from Luxembourg, for instance, where another National Coordinating center for the demonstration has been formed, or from Budapest where the Hungarian Coordinating center has planned to organize a bus to come to Brussels on March 10.

In these 73 days we will try to keep you informed on the adhesions to the demonstration and on the participations coming from the various centers of Coordinations in Europe through our "Freedom for Tibet - Fax". We would like to ask you to send to the editor's office address all news pertaining the demonstration that could be useful to us in order to maximize the joined work for a successful outcome in this effort towards the freedom of the Tibetan people.

Since this is the last issue of "Freedom for Tibet" for this year, the Editor wishes you a Happy New Year and great success in our struggle for the freedom of Tibet.

PLATFORM FOR THE 10TH OF MARCH 1996 DEMONSTRATION IN BRUSSELS

The participants in the demonstration demand that:

1. the 1949 invasion and subsequent occupation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China be recognized by the UN and its member states.

2. the UN and its member states recognize the fact that the invasion and occupation were, and still are, carried out by means of aggression, violating international law.

3. the UN and its member states recognize and take appropriate action regarding the fact that Tibet, according to international law, is an occupied country.

4. Tibet be given observer status at the General Assembly of the UN.

5. the mandate of the committee of decolonization of the UN be extended to the issue of Tibet.

6. without further delay, direct negotiations be opened, without preconditions on the future status of Tibet, between the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan government in exile and the government of the People's Republic of China.

7. in the meantime the violations of human rights in Tibet end immediately, and all political prisoners detained in Tibet be released.

8. the freedom of religion be really guaranteed and no pressure or intimidation against Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his family in any way will be undertaken, particularly as regards his freedom to perform his spiritual role as the Panchen Lama and thus his free access to the education necessary for this role;

9. the transfer of Chinese people to Tibet be immediately stopped and that the process of decolonization of Tibet be initiated by returning to the Tibetan people the land, the means of production and the properties appropriated during the 40 years of Chinese occupation;

10. the three resolutions (1353, 1723, 2079) adopted by the General Assembly of the UN be applied and that the resolutions adopted by the European Parliament are followed up.

The participants express:

- their support for the Tibetan people and for all the victims of the Chinese occupation.

- their support for the efforts of the Dalai Lama to peacefully reinstate the political, cultural and religious freedoms of the Tibetan people.

- their appeal to the Chinese people and to its representatives to begin a process for peace, based on a dialogue and negotiations as the only solution capable of bringing the current tragedy in Tibet to an end.

TIBET NEWS

MARCH 10 DEMONSTRATION: LUXEMBOURG COORDINATING CENTER

From Luxembourg we have received word that a National Coordinating Center has been formed for the March 10 demonstration in Brussels and that the group of "Friends of Tibet-Luxembourg" has asked various mayors of the Grand Duchy to raise the national Tibetan flag on the coming March 10.

The address is: Olivier Mores, "Les Amis du Tibet-Luxembourg" tel. +352-464961 fax +352-305701

A FLAG FOR TIBET

The President of the National Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI), Enzo Bianco, Mayor of Catania, in addition to raise the flag on the townhall of his city, sent to all Italian mayors, together with his personal letter, the entire dossier to join the campaign "Freedom for Tibet". In his letter Mayor Bianco stated, among other things: "as the President of ANCI, but even more as an individual offended by any sort of violation of freedom, I wish to invite you all to join in the initiative, by getting the flag of Tibet and raising it on your townhall on March 10, 1996"

AGORA

Within the multilingual telematic system Agora` (Telnet Agora), there are two active sectors of information and thoughts on Tibet. "Tibet Conference", mediated by Piero Verni, President of Italy-Tibet, is an area for debate and information on the current initiative on Tibet.

"News Tibet" instead is an updated archive on the numerous news from around the world on the campaign for the freedom of Tibet.

You may ask for a handbook of instructions for the connection to the Editor's address.

CORRECTION

The Association presided by Lobsang Gangshontsang is not the Tibetan community in Switzerland, but the "Swiss Tibetan Friendship"

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APPEAL TO THE MAYORS: "FREEDOM FOR TIBET"

In 1949, Tibet, an independent country with an age-old history, was invaded by the armed forces of the People's Republic of China. The occupation that followed was indescribably savage, during which massacres, torture, and mass imprisonment were inflicted; women were forced to undergo sterilization and abortion; and the country's cultural, religious and ecological heritage was destroyed.

After four decades of fierce Tibetan resistance the Chinese, faced with a people who stubbornly refused to submit, elaborated and put into action, during the Eighties, a new form of "final solution": "ethnic cleansing" by thinning out the population.

And so the transfer of the Chinese population to Tibet began on a massive scale. Once there were only tens of thousands of Chinese inhabitants in Tibet; now there are seven million. This makes the Tibetans are a minority race in their own country. The objective of the occupying power is to have forty million Chinese in Tibet by 2020. When that happens you will only be able to read about the Tibetans, and their language, culture, religion, customs and traditions, in history books.

Time is running out. We must put a stop to this silent genocide, while it is still possible. We must save Tibet, the Tibetans, and the treasure constituted by their history, culture and civilization, and by the harmonious way of living they have created for themselves and shared with humanity. We must protect their right to exist not merely as individuals but also as a people.

We must also stop the last totalitarian empire from spreading its death and destruction. Starting with Tibet, its freedom and its liberation, we must lay the foundations for the freedom and liberation of the one billion and two hundred million Chinese from age-old communist totalitarianism.

At a time when, in this world, violence seems to be the ultimate weapon against dialogue, we must hold up the nonviolent resistance of the Tibetan people and its leadership, beginning with the Dalai Lama, as a shining example to the rest of humanity.

To do this we must organize ourselves, without delay!

In every part of the world millions of men and women must unite, in the name of nonviolence, in a concrete and militant initiative, so that Tibet may rediscover its freedom; the authorities in Peking may begin decolonization on a vast scale immediately, in the meantime guaranteeing that the individual rights, and the civil and political rights, of Tibetans, be respected.

We, mayors of the capitals of the 180 countries of the international community, from big cities, small cities or towns, we appeal therefore to all and each of our citizens so that March 10th, 1996, day of the nonviolent revolt of Lhasa in 1959, becomes throughout the world, a day of action and concrete hope for the freedom of Tibet, for the freedom of the Tibetan people and therefore the freedom of the Chinese people and all of us.

As a sign of concrete and visible solidarity from this moment on, we, mayors of metropolis or humble cities and villages, announce that we will raise the national Tibetan flag over our townhalls during the day of the coming March 10th.

APPEAL TO THE MAYORS: ADHESIONS (51) AS OF DECEMBER 27, 1995

* Albania (3)

- Tomor GOLEMI, Mayor of DURAZZO;

- Ylli LAMA, Mayor of KRUJA;

- Zhani TREBICKA, Mayor of POGRADEC;

* Belgium (2)

- Anne-Marie LIZIN, Mayor of HUY, senator;

- Francis DURIAU, Mayor of SCHAERBEEK;

* Bosnia (1)

- Tarik KUPUSOVIC, Mayor of SARAJEVO;

* Croatia (3)

- Jure KOLAK, Mayor of VUKOVAR;

- Zlatko KRAMARIC, Mayor of OSIJEK;

- Dragutin STUERNER, Mayor of POZEGA;

* Czech Republic (1)

- Martin DVORAK, Mayor of HRADEC KRALOVE;

* France (11)

- Jean-Claude ANDRIEU, Mayor of CARPENTRAS;

- Andr BOUFFIER, Mayor of MONTJUSTIN;

- Jean-Michel DELAGNEAU, Mayor of GURGY;

- Raymond FORNI, Mayor of DELLE;

- Francis GALIZI, Mayor of PEYRUIS;

- Jacques GUYARD, Mayor of EVRY, deputy;

- Nol MAMERE, Mayor of BEGLES, European deputy;

- Victor MELLAN, Mayor of PENNES MIRABEAU;

- Daniel PICOTIN, Mayor of SAINT-CIERS-SUR-GIRONDE, deputy;

- Catherine TRAUTMANN, Mayor of STRASBOURG, deputyto the EP;

- Raymond VALL, Mayor of FLEURANCE;

* Hungary (2)

- Istvan NOBIK, Mayor of SZEGVAR;

- Zoltan TOTH, Mayor of KISKUNHALAS;

* Italy (13+3)

- Francesco RUTELLI, Mayor of ROME;

- Paolo A.M. AGOSTINACCHIO, Mayor of FOGGIA;

- Renzo BALDONI, Mayor of PENNABILLI;

- Davide BERIO, Mayor of IMPERIA;

- Alberto BOTTA, Mayor of COMO;

- Valentino CASTELLANI, Mayor of TURIN;

- Antonio CENTI, Mayor of L'AQUILA;

- Marco CIARINI, Mayor of CHIUSI;

- Gianfranco CIAURRO, Mayor of TERNI;

- Antonio CICCHETTI, Mayor of RIETI;

- Raimondo FASSA, Mayor of VARESE, European deputy;

- Leoluca ORLANDO, Mayor of PALERMO, European deputy;

- Pietro TIDEI, Mayor of CIVITAVECCHIA;

- Giancarlo CORADA, President of the Province of CREMONA;

- Nicola MOLE, President of the Province of TERNI;

- Marta VICENZI, President of the Province of GENOA;

* Moldavia (1)

- Serafim URECHEAN, Mayor of CHISINAU;

* Poland (3)

- Wojciech KRACZMAREK, Mayor of POZNAN;

- Josef LASSOTA, Mayor of CRACOW;

- Jerzy MAZUREK, Mayor of SLUPSK;

* Ukraine (4)

- Evgeniy Petrovich KUSHNAREV, Mayor of KHARKOV;

- Sergey Vasilyevich POLIAKOV, Mayor of TOREZ;

- Mikhail POZHIVANOV, Mayor of MARIUPOL;

- Evgeniy Mikhajlovich VYGOVSKIY, Mayor of KOROSTEN;

* United Kingdom (2)

- C. NYERS, Mayor of LEEDS;

- D.R. ORMONDE, Mayor of CARDIFF;

* Yugoslavia (Serbia-Montenegro) (2)

- Istvan BACSKULIN, Mayor of KANIZSA (Vojvodina);

- Jozsef KASZA, Mayor of SUBOTICA (Vojvodina).