Newsletter on the campaigns of the Transnational Radical Party for the freedom of Tibet.
Number 5 of January 23, 1996
Editor's office: rue Belliard 89 - R.508, Bruxelles (B); tel. 32-2-2304121, fax 32-2-2303670. Published in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Hungarian, Croatian and Rumanian.
E-mail: Radical.party@agora.stm.it.
WWW-URL: http//:www.agora.stm.it/pr - Telnet: Agora.stm.it
For further informations: Tibet Conference and Tibet News on Agora Telematic (Telnet)
45 DAYS TO THE DEMONSTRATION IN BRUSSELS
In this number of "Freedom for Tibet" we are printing the text of the flyer that will be distributed during the demonstration and numerous other news that we received from various national coordination Centers in view of March 10th.
Even "color" of the demonstration is an important aspect for a positive result of the day and to capture the attention of more people as well as more media of information, therefore, in this number we will give the news on the preparations such as the London TSG masks or the Tibetan flags to fly or the banners that are being prepared and that surely will contribute to make March 19th a politically successfully day.
In closing this number of "Freedom for Tibet" we have received the news that the Mayor of LIVERPOOL also has joined the campaign "A flag for Tibet", bringing to 80 the number of Mayors that until January 23rd have adhered to the initiative. The agreed upon objective at the conclusion of the works of the Strasbourg Seminar last December is that of reaching 500 adhesions by March 10th.
PARIS: MEETING OF THE FRENCH COORDINATION
On Wednesday January 17, in Paris, about 20 people, together with Kinsang Chopel, president of the Tibetan community in France, and Lucienne Boye-Sorriaux, coordinator for the various solidarity groups, participated to the organizational meeting for the date in Brussels for the coming March 10. Kunsang Chopel announced, in Brussels, the presence of the entire membership of the Tibetan community in France (25 persons), while the solidarity groups announced the opening of the reservations for the trip in the next few days.
DEMONSTRATION MARCH 10/ITALY: THE ADHESION OF THE CISL
An important adhesion to the day of March 10 comes from the CISL, one of the largest Italian Unions. Thanks especially to the Piedmontese organizer Claudio Tecchio, the Italian Union association has joined the Brussels demonstration and the campaign "A flag for Tibet". Adhesions of other Union organizations in Italy are possible.
A FLAG FOR TIBET: ANOTHER 16 MAYORS MORE
This week, we have received 16 more adhesions of mayors to the "A flag for Tibet" campaign. They are already 80, from 16 countries, the mayors that have joined the initiative. To these are added the adhesions of numerous citizens that have requested the national Tibetan flag in order to display it out the windows of their homes.
The mayors added to the number of the previous list, are: from France, Pierre Garnier, Mayor of Aytre, Michel Destot, Deputy and mayor of Grenoble, Francoise Verchere, Mayor of Bougnais, Jack Lang, Mayor of Blois, Deputy of the European Parliament and ex-Minister of Education; from the Czech Republic, Jiri Hulka, Mayor of Horni Plana and Tomas Mikeska, Mayor of the 3rd District of Prague; from Austria, Manfred Krismer, Mayor of Imst and Reinhold Greuter, Mayor of Landek, both from Tirolo; from Belgium, Philippe Collard, Mayor of Bastogne; from Russia, Igor Vasilievich Shamov, Mayor of Vladimir; from Hungary, Istvan Gyorgy and Gabor Zubko, Mayors of the 10th (Kobanya) and of the 19th (Kispest) District of Budapest.
In addition, from Italy, Michele Gesualdi, President of the Province of Florence, Loriano Valentini, Mayor of Grosseto and Franco Rusticali, Mayor of Forli, Has joined.
VIENNA: MEETING OF THE AUSTRIAN COORDINATION
On Wednesday January 17, a meeting took place in Vienna, of the Austrian Coordination for the demonstration of March 10. The common effort of the associations adhering, has as its objective, the participating in Brussels, of at least a delegation made up of some Tibetans of the local community. Next February 17, also in Vienna, will take place The General Assembly of the TSG "Save Tibet" where the methods of participation for the demonstration will be defined and the various current political initiatives will be discussed such as the "A flag for Tibet" campaign which in the past few days, has seen the adhesion of the first two mayors of Tirolo.
In addition to Tseten Zochbauer, President of "save Tibet", Marina Sikora, of the Transnational Radical Party, will participate to the meeting of February 17.
AUSTRIA: EVEN THE PARTIES ARE MOVING!
It is positive also the interest on the part of the Liberal Forum and the Greens of the Austrian Parliament groups. The newspaper of the Liberals will publish in the next number, an article on the initiatives for Tibet. Currently, members of the two parliamentary groups as well as numerous citizens, are soliciting the mayors of major cities to display the Tibetan flag on the their townhalls.
BUDAPEST: ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING FOR MARCH 10
On Friday, January 19, took place a joint meeting of the members of TAG of Budapest and of the Transnational Radical Party in order to coordinate the current activities. The adhesion of other mayor of the districts of the capital to the "A flag for Tibet" campaign has been considered probable as well as that of other Hungarian mayors. The Hungarian Coordination which will participate with two banners and 50 people to the demonstration of Brussels, will, in addition, promote the sale and distribution of Tibetan flags among the citizens of Budapest. There has also been the creation of a small Press Office for the purpose of releasing informations to the organs of the Hungarian Press and TV on the fight of the Tibetan people and on the development of the various campaigns.
FABRIC TIBETAN FLAGS
Style 100 cm. by 140 cm. In colors. Anyone wishing to display the Tibetan flag on March 10 on his/her home may request it at the Editor's office address of "Freedom for Tibet" or at the nearest Radical Party's branch.
Price: for 1 flag, US$ 20; for 10 flags, US$ 13 each;
for 50 flags, US$ 10 each.
MASKS
Tim Nunn, of TSG of London, is preparing 2,000 masks with the colors of the national flag of Tiber for the Brussels demonstration. In addition to our expression of gratitude to Tim, we would like to inform you that you may contact TSG of London to have the masks sent also in your Country
(TSG-UKm 9 Islington Green, London N1 2XH, tel. 44-171-357.75.73, fax 44-171-354.10.26. e-mail: tibetsupport@gn.apc.org).
EVEN IN RUMANIAN
Thanks to the effort of our friend of the Bucharest Coordination, this number of "Freedom for Tibet" will be published and distributed also in Rumanian language.
VOLUNTEERS FOR THE DEMONSTRATION
For the Brussels demonstration we need volunteers for all those small but important tasks for a successful outcome of the entire day of March 10: from the distribution of flyers to the reception of the arriving groups to a thousand other things.
Anyone willing to volunteer, may call 32-2-284.51.98 and ask for Paolo Atzori or Tiziana Falletti.
SECOND PAGE
In the second page we are publishing the text of one of the two pages of the flyer for the demonstration of March 10. We remind you that on the other side will be printed the Platform of the demonstration, which was already published in a previous number of "Freedom for Tibet". Titles must be added to these two texts. Our suggestion is: ""Freedom for Tibet" for the Platform, while for the side we suggest that each group refer to one of the slogans suggested in the last number of "Freedom for Tibet-fax".
(seconda pagina)
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF 10 MARCH 1959
10 March 1959 was the day when the Tibetans rose up against the might of China and declared their desire for freedom and independence for the whole Tibet. This movement was initiated by the rank and file of the Tibetan people. China was able to quickly suppress the uprising, but not the spirit of the Tibetan people for freedom from tyranny and injustice.
China invaded Tibet in 1949/1950. Whatever resistance the tiny Tibetan army put up again the battle-hardened People's Liberation Army, flushed with victory over the nationalist Chinese and over the Americans in the Korean peninsula, was no match for China's fighting machine. Tibet appealed for international assistance, but no help was forthcoming. Forced to face China alone, Tibet was compelled to sign the infamous 17-point treaty in which she was coerced by China to sign away her sovereignty in 1951 in Beijing. For a period of nine years Buddhist Tibet and communist China coexisted uneasily.
But increasing Chinese repression in nort-eastern and eastern Tibet forced Tibetans in that region to take to the countryside and take up armed resistance, which soon engulfed the whole Tibet. The cycle of repression and resistance in Amdo and Kham forced thousands of Tibetans to flee to the comparative safety of central Tibet and to Lhasa. The resentment of the Tibetans of China's arrogant treatment of the Tibetan government was fueled by the tales of destruction of monasteries, the killing of Tibetan lamas and monks brought by the refugees from eastern Tibet. Soon the smouldering Tibetan discontent burst into open defiance of China, as tens of thousands of ordinary Tibetans spilled into the streets of Lhasa on 10 March 1959, demanding Tibetan independence.
The 10 March 1959 uprising was a spontaneous movement of the Tibetan people aimed at ridding Tibet of Chinese tyranny and occupation. Angered by the diplomacy of the Tibetan government to appease China in order to avoid further shedding of Tibetan blood, inspired by the Khamba resistance movement to confront China head on, the smouldering resentment of the Tibetan people burst into one last ditch effort to strike for Tibetan freedom. On 12 March the women of Tibet took to the streets of Lhasa.
It took the People's Liberation Army a little over three days to wipe out the uprising in Lhasa, but not the resistance movement which mushroomed all over Tibet. In all, according to China's own estimate, about 87,000 Tibetan were killed in central Tibet alone to re-assert the People's Liberation Army's shaky occupation of Tibet.
The 10 March uprising resulted in the fight of the Dalai Lama, members of his government and about 80,000 Tibetans into India, Nepal and Bhutan. In India the Dalai Lama re-established the Tibetan government, a government not recognised by any nation in the world but regarded as the legitimate government of Tibet by both Tibetans in and outside Tibet. From its base in Dharamsala, a north Indian town in the foothills of the Himalayas, the Tibetan government, under the leadership of the Dalai Lama, has developed an effective, nonviolent resistance to China's continuing occupation of Tibet, a resistance which now encompasses a worldwide movement for the freedom of the Tibetan people.
It only took China three days to suppress the 1959 10 March uprising, but China has not been able to suppress the spirit of that uprising which continues to burn ever more brightly in the hearts of every Tibetan in the world. In 1959, 87,000 Tibetan were killed, and more than 1,2 million Tibetans have died as a direct result of the Chinese occupation of Tibet.
Tibetans commemorate 10 March every year wherever they are, to remind themselves and the world that those Tibetans who have died for the cause of the freedom of the Tibetan people had not died in vain, that their dead is a just and worthy sacrifice for the birth of a free and independent Tibet.
