For over one year now, radio "Voice of Tibet" has been the voice of hope and freedom for Tibetans in exile and, above all, for the Tibetans living in occupied Tibet.

For the people living under Beijing's totalitarian regime, based on violence and censorship, the 30 minute daily program of "Voice of Tibet" constitutes the only possible contact with the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan government in exile, with the rest of the world and with all those that are involved with the Tibetan people in their struggle for freedom.

According to numerous testimonies from different regions of Tibet, 95% of the programmes of "Voice of Tibet" have been received loud and clear during all these months of broadcasting.

Naturally "Voice of Tibet" costs. In order to continue and further develop its programs, the radio needs help from everyone, both individuals and organizations. In this way, "Voice of Tibet" can become the means of communication between Tibet and the free world. In this regard, from more than one year now, the directors of Voice of Tibet have presented a request of co-financing within the B7-702 budget line of European Union, especially created for sustaining information activities for the Tibetan people.

For all these reasons, we parliamentarians, launch this appeal to the Commission and especially to its President, Mr. Jacques Santer, and its vice-presidents, Sir Leon Brittan and Mr. Manuel Marin, asking them to support -- politically as well as financially -- this voice of free Tibet in the framework of the European Union budget.

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