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

Number 8 of 10 February 1996

Editor: Massimo Lensi, Dorottya u. 3.III.6, H-1051 Budapest

tel +36-1-2663486/2660935, fax +36-1-1187937, e-mail M.Lensi@agora.stm.it, WWW-Url: http//:www.agora.stm.it/pr, Telnet: Agora.stm.it

Editors office: Alberto Novi, rue Belliard 89, Rem 508, B-1047 Brussels: tel +32-2-2304121, fax +32-2-2303670

Published in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Hungarian, Croatian, and Rumanian

A FLAG FOR TIBET: NEARLY 200 ADHESIONS BY EUROPEAN MAYORS.

In these past few days, so much news has come in that we decided to close this issue of "Freedom for Tibet" ahead of schedule. Only 28 days remain until March 10th, our big day in Brussels.

One important point of interest is that our first adhesion to the initiative from a German mayor has arrived: the Mayor of WAECHTERSBACH, Mr. M.KRAETSCHMER will fly the "Snow Lions" flag on March 10th, bringing our total of participating cities to 195, and our participating countries within Europe to 21. Keeping in mind that our objective of "500 mayors" is still somewhat distant, this last trend of adhesions is certainly uplifting.

In this issue, in addition to the abundant information regarding the organizational progress of the Demonstration within the various cities of Europe, we are printing in Second Page the text to the press release prepared by the European Committee on the Demonstration.

Best wishes in the work ahead!

A FLAG FOR TIBET: OVER 200 ADHESIONS !

During the past few days, 59 more mayors from 7 European countries joined the campaign, bringing the number of the adhesions to a total of over 200 municipalities of 21 countries. From Italy we received the adhesions of Giorgio CANELLA mayor of APIRO (MC), Massimo ROSSI mayor of GROTTAMMARE (AP), Marco MARIANI mayor of MONZA, Eligio MAGGIOLA mayor of CASALE CORTE CERRO (VB), Roberto BATTAGLINI mayor of POZZOLEONE (VI), Maria Giovanna DIENA mayor of RECCO (GE), Tomaso RICHINI mayor of SERRA RICCO'(GE), Ambrogio PAIARDI mayor of ORZINUOVI (BS), Luciano NATALI mayor of CESENATICO (FO), Francesco RUSSO mayor of CAIVANO (NA), Vincenzo ROVERE mayor of ALBANO LAZIALE (RM), Andrea PERINI mayor of CASTELFRANCO DI SOPRA (AR), Mario CALIGIURI mayor of SOVERIA MANNELLI (CZ), Paolo SAIA mayor of S.GREGORIO DI CATANIA (CT), Augusto MOTTA mayor of S.AGATA LI BATTIATI (CT), Paolo CASTORINA mayor of ACICASTELLO (CT), Marinella FIUME mayor of FIUMEFRESSO DI SICILIA (CT), Lido SCARPETTI mayor of PISTOIA, Emilio BOLLA mayor of

BRICHERASIO (TO), Calogero CANALELLA mayor of MUSSOMELI (CL), Marco MARIANI mayor of S. MARTINO IN RIO (RE), Alessandro ORIGO mayor of VERDERIO INFERIORE (LC), Maria SERINA mayor of GUSSAGO (BS), Rosalba SPINI mayor of CERTALDO (FI), Tiziano TASSONI mayor of MEDICINA (BO), Carlo TONIUTTI mayor of TARVISIO (UD), Paolo BARGIACCHI mayor of VILLA MINOZZO (RE), Vincenzo BOSCO mayor of FRANCOFONTE (SR), Mauro FARINI mayor of FIGLINE VALDARNO (FI), Antonio ABBATE mayor of ROCCASECCA (FR), Francesco LONGHINI mayor of CASALROMANO (MN), Massimo PERCOLO mayor of SUBIACO (RM), Severino PERSALI mayor of CASARILE (MI), Marco AVOGADRI mayor of CALOLZIOCORTE (LC), Claudio BERLENGEIRO mayor of VENTIMIGLIA (IM), Giovanni CASULA mayor of VILLAPUTZU (CA), Ivonne CRESCENTINI mayor of CORIANO (RN), Giuseppe LORDI mayor of S.GREGORIO MAGNO (SA), Enzo NOVELLI mayor of GORIZIA, Gianfranco RATTI mayor of BOVISIO MASCIAGO (MI), Lino Bruno BAILO mayor of VAREDO (MI), Davide TUMIATI mayor of COPPARO (FE); from France: Michel GALNICHE ma

yor of MOLLAU, Philippe SCHENINI mayor of RICHWILLER; dal Belgio: François BELLOT mayor of ROCHEFORT, Willy JACQUEMAIN mayor of DILSEN-STOKKEM, Jan PENMANS mayor of RIEMST, Didier GOSUIN mayor of AUDERGHEM, Maurice CORNE mayor of THEUX, Marc TARABELLA mayor of ANTHISNES, Etienne QUENON mayor of ESTINNES; from Austria: Helmut KOPP mayor of TELFS, Friedhelm CAPPELARI mayor of KITZBUEHEL, Siegfried SINGER mayor of REUTTE, Hubert DANZL mayor of SCHWAZ: from Hungary: Ferenc GEIGER mayor of BUDAPEST XXIII (Soroksar); from Germany: M.KRAETSCHMER mayor of WAECHTERSBACH; and from Ukraine: Dmitriy Sergheevich KIJKO mayor of SVETLOVODSK, Anatoliy Jakovlevich SHOLOKHOV mayor of DZERZHINSK.

LIECHTENSTEIN: MARCH 10TH PREPARATIONS

Hansjorg QUADERER informs us that a delegation from the Tibet-Unterstutzung Liechtenstein (TUL) will participate in the Brussels Demonstration and that a resolution proposal was sent to the Parliamentary President, Otmar HASLER. Furthermore, information booths for the campaign are planned for the streets of Vaduz. For more information, please contact: TUL, Postfach 961, FL-9490 VADUZ, tel: +75.232.61.68

MEDIA INVOLVEMENT: EL MUNDO (SPAIN)

On February 8th, the Spanish newspaper, "El Mundo" (circulation: 300,000) published a long article on the current campaign for the Tibetan cause. In her interview with Radical Party Head Secretary, Olivier DUPUIS, Ana Alonso MONTES stresses the importance and urgency of the political initiatives for Tibet while offering a veritable panorama of information concerning the more pressing issues of the campaign: from the Panchen Lama to the present domestic situation in Tibet. With European Representative, Marco PANNELLA, and European Commissioner, Emma BONINO, an analysis was drawn up of the work yet to finish in the next months. MONTES called attention once again to the March 10th meeting in Brussels confirming, with Wangchen RINPOCHE of the "Casa del Tibet", a Spanish presence in the March.

FRANCE: BRUSSELS OR BUST !!!

Three buses from Paris have already been organized by the Bureau du Tibet in Paris for transportation to the Brussels Demonstration. Another three will come from the South (Marseille, Bordeaux, and Toulouse) while more are predicted for Strasbourg, Nantes, and Lille.

AUSTRIA: MORE ADHESIONS ON THE BANDWAGON.

The Green Party from the Viennese Parliament have joined the platform of the Brussels Demonstration.

ITALY: THE BUDDHIST UNION JOINS

With a letter from the Hon. President Thanavaro BHIKKHU, the Italian Buddhist Union will join the current initiative for Tibetan liberty.

CASE OF ZHANG SHUYUN: OPEN LETTER TO FOREIGN MINISTERS

Following France's denial of political asylum for Chinese doctor Zhang SHUYUN, in an open letter to European foreign ministers, Radical Party Head Secretary, Olivier DUPUIS has called on them to compensate for France by offering her political asylum in their respective governments. Zhang SHUYUN is the doctor responsible for uncovering the atrocities within Chinese orphanages.

POLAND: BOUTROS-GHALI APPEAL

In the past few days, 30 parliamentarians from the Polish Diet in Warsaw, have signed the appeal to the United Nations Secretary General requesting that he receive the Dalai Lama as soon as possible. Among these signatures is that of former Labor Secretary Jacek KURON, one of the founders of both Solidarnosc and the KOR.

PERUGIA, ITALY: TIBETAN FLAG DEMONSTRATION

This Saturday in Perugia, a city symbolic for its nonviolence, and closely tied to the name of Aldo CAPITINI and his Perugia-Assisi March, a demonstration will be held to convince the mayor of this Umbrian town to join the "Flag for Tibet" Campaign. Promoters for the demonstration include: the Radical Party, the Italy-Tibet Association, the Club for Umbrian Libertarian Reformation, the International League for Human Rights, and regional councils of Forza Italia and Alleanza Nazionale. Participants are to meet in front of the Palazzo dei Priori, Perugian City Hall, at 11:30am on Saturday, February 17.

BANK ACCOUNT IN FRANCE

In order to support the Freedom for Tibet Campaign in France, Lucienne BOYE-SORRIAUX informs us that deposits can be made into the following bank account:

Association du Soutien au Bureau du Tibet

C.E. # 309 585 04 of the Banque Nationale de Paris, Branch # 00387

147, bl. Saint-Germain-des-Pres,

75006 PARIS

SECOND PAGE

We are printing the text to the press release prepared by the European Committee regarding the March 10th Demonstration. Replacing the Brussels address with that of the corresponding National Committee, we urge you to send it off as soon as possible to the broadcast and media centers of your city.

UPCOMING APPOINTMENTS

- Brussels: Tuesday, February 13 at 8:00pm. Organizational meeting for the demonstration.

Address: Saint-Louis faculty, Auditorium #5, 1st Floor

109, rue du Marais

- Vienna: Saturday, February 17 at 3:00pm. Council meeting for TSG "Save Tibet"

tel: +43.1.522.81.92

- Rennes, France: Wednesday, February 21st at 11:00am. Press conference "A Flag for Tibet" with Stanislas DU GUERNY, journalist; Whangpo BASHI, vice-representative of the Dalai Lama in Paris; and Juergen TSCHUNCKY, Radical Party member. Tel: +33.99.68.97.27

Demonstration for Tibet: press release

MARCH 10TH, 1996: EUROPEAN DEMONSTRATION FOR TIBETAN LIBERTY. ORGANIZED BY THE TIBET INTERGROUP OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, BY THE TIBETAN COMMUNITIES IN EUROPE, BY THE EUROPEAN TIBET SUPPORT GROUPS AND BY THE RADICAL PARTY.

Brussels, February 9, 1996. A European demonstration for the "Freedom of Tibet" has been organized for this upcoming March 10th in Brussels. The promoters for this initiative are: The Tibet Intergroup of the European Parliament, the Tibetan communities within Europe, the European Tibet Support Groups and the Radical Party, transnational and transdivisional, which are all united in a European Organizational Committee headquartering in Brussels, and within National Committees among more than 15 European states.

The demonstration will begin at 11:00am on March 10th in front of the Chinese Embassy in Brussels. After marching through the streets of the city, the demonstration will finish in front of the European Parliament Building, whereby the Prof. Samdhong RINPOCHE, president of the Tibetan Parliament in exile, and representatives from European, national, political, and Tibetan delegations will speak.

The demonstrators ask, as is written in the promoter's political platform; that "direct and unconditional negotiations begin, without delay, on the future status of Tibet, between the Dalai Lama and Tibetan government in exile on one side and the government of the People's Republic of China on the other;" that population transfers of the Chinese into Tibet must be halted immediately; and that the civil, religious, and political rights of the Tibetan people be respected.

Numerous party, organization, and union delegations as well as many citizens' groups representing the different National Committees of France, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Austria, Spain, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Holland, Switzerland and Sweden have already given confirmation of their presence in Brussels.

European Committee for the March 10th Demonstration

Radical Party

European Parliament, REM 508

97-113, rue Belliard

1047 BRUSSELS

tel. +32.2.230.41.21

fax. +32.2.230.36.70

e-mail: P.Atzori@Agora.stm.it