"I truly believe that individuals can make a difference in society. Since periods of great change such as the present one come so rarely in human history, it is up to each of us to make the best use of our time to help create a happier world".

His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, 1992

Issue #18, April 5, 1996

Editors office: Massimo Lensi, Dorottya u. 3.III.em6 - 1051 Budapest (H)

Tel. +36-1-266.34.86 - 266.09.35 Fax. +36-1-11.87.937

E-mail: M.Lensi@agora.stm.it

WWW-URL http//:www.agora.stm.it/pr - Telnet: Agora.stm.it

Distribution; Alberto Novi, rue Belliard 89, Rem 508, 1047 Brussels (B)

Tel: +32-2-2304121 - Fax: +32-2-2303670

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

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GENEVA/COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS.

RESULT OF THE VOTE ON THE RESOLUTION ABOUT CHINA AND TIBET, EXPECTED FOR APRIL 23, IS VERY INSECURE.

FOR APRIL 22 AT NOON CET, DIALOGUE DEMONSTRATION WILL TAKE PLACE IN FRONT OF THE MINISTRIES OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS IN NUMEROUS EUROPEAN CAPITALS.

52nd session of UN Commission on Human Rights has begun in Geneva: the Transnational Radical Party and several other NGOs are lobbying to obtain a resolution on human rights in China. In this issue of "Freedom for Tibet" we take stock of the situation at the Commission's works, which will end on April 25.

The struggle to obtain from the international community a condemnation of the heavy situation in Tibet and China is expected to be very hard, and yet with some minimal chance to be successful. To this end we are planning to organize dialogue demonstrations in front of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the highest possible number of European capitals, especially those of EU Member States, asking the Ministers the support of their respective countries' delegations to the Commission to any form of investigation and/or condemnation of the human rights situation in Tibet and China, instead to sell off the principles of liberty and democracy offering them up on the altar of reckless commercial policies.

That day could represent a further opportunity of common action among those committed to the struggle for democracy in China and, especially, to that for the freedom of Tibet.

See you soon!

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UN/COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS/GOALS

52nd session of Commission on Human Rights opened in Geneva, the end of its works scheduled for April 25. For the first time after being recognized 9 months ago as a non-governmental organization with consultative status with the UN (Category 1), the Radical Party participates with a wide delegation to the Commission's works. The main issue the Radical Party is engaged in organizing a hard battle within the Commission regards a resolution about human rights in China and Tibet. Radical delegation intervened over the question of religious expression liberties, with particular regard to the situation of the Eleventh Panchen Lama abducted by Chinese authorities, and over the increasing use of capital punishment whereas religious intolerance is carried out by governmental authorities. RP delegation intervened also on the question of torture and cruel treatment of people detained in prisons, as well as the question of massive transfer of Chinese population in Tibet, calling upon the Commission's members so that th

e resolution give to a Special Rapporteur the power to investigate in loco. Other interventions by the RP delegation were connected to the issues of: the serious situation in Kosova; the proposal of a global moratorium of capital executions; and the rights of PWA.

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UN/COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHT/RP DELEGATION

RP delegation consists of:

- Marino BUSDACHIN (Chief of delegation), RP Representative to the UN;

- Olivier DUPUIS, RP General Secretary;

- Tashi WANGDI, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Tibetan government-in-exile;

- Lodi GYARI, HH the Dalai Lama's Special Envoy, Chairman of Int'l Campaign for Tibet;

- Tempa TSERING, General Secretary of the Department for Information and International Relations of the Tibetan government-in-exile;

- Senator Michael O'KENNEDY, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Ireland;

- Ajahn Sulak SIVARASKA, former candidate for the Nobel Prize 1994 (Thailand);

- Erkin ALPTEKIN, UNPO Chairman (Eastern Turkestan);

- Professor Richard FALK, Professor of International Law, Princeton University (USA);

- WEJ Sanshan, sister of Chinese dissident WEJ Jingsheng;

- J.M. MUKHI, attorney-in-law, Supreme Court (India);

- Michael van WALT van PRAAG, UNPO Director (Netherlands);

- Xing ZHENG, Chairman of Chinese students and professors in the Usa;

- Marina SIKORA, Member of the Radical Party;

- Kenneth KWONG, Human Rights in China (USA);

- Zaretkhan KHAMKOEVA, representative of Ingushetsia/Chechnia;

- Ewa BRANTLEY, Human Rights in China (USA).

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UN/COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS/INTERVENTIONS BY THE RADICAL PARTY

Hereby follows a summary of the five interventions (three written, two spoken) by the RP delegation to the Commission over the issue of human rights in Tibet. In order to get the whole texts of the interventions, please contact the editors' office of this bulletin, or connect to AGORA multilingual telematic system (telnet: Agora) and find those texts archived in CONFERENCE RADICAL PARTY at the number of text highlighted in brackets at the end of each title:

* Written statements

- Agenda: item 8

QUESTION OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF ALL PERSONS SUBJECTED TO ANY FORM OF DETENTION OR IMPRISONMENT. THE DENIAL OF OPINION AND EXPRESSION RIGHTS IN TIBET. (#9225)

- Agenda: item 10

QUESTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS IN ANY PART OF THE WORLD, WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO COLONIAL AND OTHER DEPENDENT COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES. (#9227)

- Agenda: item 18

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECLARATION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF INTOLERANCE AND OF DISCRIMINATION BASED ON RELIGION OR BELIEF. POPULATION TRANSFERS IN TIBET. (#9223)

* Oral interventions

- Agenda: item 8 (#9228)

- Agenda: item 18 (#9229)

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UN/COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS/LIST OF MEMBER STATES FOR 1996 (47)

Algeria; Angola; Australia; Austria; Bangladesh; Belarus; Benin; Bhutan; Brazil; Bulgaria; Cameroon; Canada; Chili; China; Colombia; Cote d'Ivoire; Cuba; Denmark; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; Egypt; El Salvador; Ethiopia; France; Gabon; Germany; Guinea; Hungary; India; Indonesia; Italy; Japan; Madagascar; Malawi; Malaysia; Mali; Mauritania; Mexico; Nepal; Netherlands; Nicaragua; Pakistan; Peru; Philippines; Korea; Russian Federation; Sri Lanka; Uganda; Ukraine; United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; United States of America; Venezuela; Zimbabwe.

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EUROPEAN UNION/COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS

On March 30 Italian news agency ANSA reported that the European Union, together with the United States of America, will submit to the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva a joint statement in order to ask China to improve its poor human rights record before the next year. This news was announced by Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs Susanna Agnelli, who is currently Chairman of EU Council of Ministers. Diplomatic sources confirmed that the statement will be presented on April 16.

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APPEAL TO BOUTROS GHALI TO RECEIVE THE DALAI LAMA

During the past two weeks 55 more parliamentarians from 5 countries undersigned the appeal. We are at "minus 1,607" signatures to achieve 2,000 parliamentarians' adhesions by May 15. It is important to highlight that for the first time we've got signatures on this appeal from the parliament of Moldavia and, thanks to Chope Paljor Tsering, representative of HH the Dalai Lama in Budapest, also from the parliaments of Estonia and Lithuania. Furthermore, the Chairman of "Tibet Support Group-Ireland" Neil Steedman wrote a letter to nine Irish MEPs asking them to join the initiative.

- Total collected signatures as of March 21: 338

- Total collected signatures as of April 3: 393

at 3/14 at 3/21 at 4/3

------------------------------------------------------------

European Parliament 100 114 115

Albania 30 30 41

Austria 12 12 12

Belgium 15 15 16

Bulgaria 14 14 14

Croatia 5 5 5

Czech Republic 1 8 8

Estonia 0 0 15

France 9 12 16

Hungary 7 7 7

Italy 34 35 36

Lithuania 0 0 21

Luxembourg 9 9 9

Montenegro 2 2 2

Moldavia 0 0 1

Poland 42 42 42

Rumania 17 17 17

Russian Federation 9 9 9

Other Russian parliaments 2 2 2

Sweden 3 3 3

Ukraine 2 2 2

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Totals 313 338 393

We remind that the text of the appeal on which signatures are being collected by the Tibetan communities in Europe, the Tibet Support Groups and the Radical Party is available in several languages at the "Freedom for Tibet" editors' office, as well as the standard form to collect the signatures.

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CAMPAIGN FOR THE RELEASE OF THE PANCHEN LAMA

132 more postcards in the past 8 days is the increase of the international campaign addressed to PRC President Zemin for the release of the Eleventh Panchen Lama, recognized by the Dalai Lama and currently being kept in custody by the Chinese authorities. In Budapest, local TSG and the Radical Party are organizing information booths in the streets to distribute the postcards and other documents on the Panchen Lama case and the situation in Tibet.

* Situation of postcards' forwarding to the Chinese President (as of April 3)

at 3/21 at 3/25 at 4/3

--------------------------------------------------

Belgium 70 96 115

Czech Republic 0 0 1

France 60 97 148

Germany 14 21 41

Hungary 0 0 1

Italy 6 11 13

Luxembourg 1 1 2

Netherlands 6 6 10

Slovakia 2 2 2

Spain 0 1 6

Switzerland 9 20 46

United Kingdom 2 2 4

--------------------------------------------------

Totals 170 257 389

The price for the postcards is 1.50 USD for 10 postcards and 6.50 for 50 postcards. To order units above 200 the price is negotiable. Postcards are available at the Radical Party branch offices and many European TSG.

* TIBET TELEX *

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GENEVA/MEETING BETWEEN RADICAL PARTY AND TIBETAN GOVERNMENT

During the session of the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, several meetings between the Radical Party and the Tibetan government-in-exile were held in order to take stock of the situation of the campaigns currently underway for the Panchen Lama release, on the appeal for UN Secretary General to receive as soon as possible the Dalai Lama, and other initiatives for the freedom of Tibet. For the Tibetan government, Minister of Foreign Affairs Tashi Wangdi, Secretary of Foreign Relations Department Tempa Tsering, HH the Dalai Lama representatives in Geneva and London, Chungdak D Koren and Kesang Y Takla repectevely, and HH special emissary Lodi Gyary were present, while on the side of the Radical Party the General Secretary Olivier Dupuis, UN representative Marino Busdachin, and Member of General Council Marina Sikora were attending the meetings.

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APPEAL "LI PENG IN PARIS"/ADHESIONS

The Lausanne-based "Comite' de Soutien au Peuple Tibetain" has adhered to the appeal promoted on the occasion of the Chinese Premier's visit in France by the Paris-based Committee "Li Peng, on n'oublie pas Tien'Anmen - Collectif pour les liberte's en Chine et au Tibet".

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GERMANY/AID PROGRAMME FOR TIBET

International organization "Me'decins sans Frontie'res" is currently implementing an urgent aid plan launched by the European Commission Agency for Humanitarian Aid (ECCO), following the snow blizzards that recently hit Northern Tibet. Should you wish to give your contribution, send it to the German branch of "Me'decins sans Frontie'res", Adenauerallee 50, D-53113 Bonn. Bank account: Sparkasse Bonn #97097-BLZ-380 50000.

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SPAIN/CONTRIBUTION FOR THE FREEDOM OF TIBET

Renteria (Basque land) municipality allocated a 100,000 Pesetas (around eight hundred dollars) contribution for the "Freedom for Tibet" international campaign.

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"MARCH 10" PRESS REVIEW

Collection of articles published following the March 10 initiatives continues. The following list is the fourth integration of articles we have received by various TSGs. Being close to end the preparation of the "March 10, 1996: Freedom for Tibet" press dossier, we beg you to send as soon as possible the news we maybe missed to our office in Brussels (Ms Tiziana FALLETTI, fax +32-2-2303670)

* Austria

- Tiroler Tageszeitung (daily) 3/9 (w/ photo). "Tibet day: who hoist the flag?"

- Tiroler Bezirks Blatter (weekly) 3/12-20 (w/ photo) "Hoisting the Tibetan flag was not permitted"

- Rundschau (weekly) 3/11. "Heartless for oppressed Tibet"

- Ausserferner Nachrichten (weekly) 3/11. "Solidarity with the oppressed"

- Journal Tirol (monthly) March (w/ photo). "Tirol for Tibet"

- West Tirol (monthly) March. "Imst municipality will fly the Tibetan flag"

- Kronenzeitung (daily) 3/13 (w/ photo). "Feelings' artistic strength"

- Kitzbuhler Anzeiger (daily) 4/14. "Kitzbuhel shows its solidarity on worldwide Tibet day"

* Hungary

- Fidesz Hirlekel (monthly) March. "Demonstration for Tibet"

- Tolnaj Nepujsag (daily) 3/9. "Tibetan flag in Paks"

- Zalai Hirlap (daily) 3/9. "Tomorrow: a flag for Tibet"

- Budapest Week (English language weekly) 3/7. "Freedom for Tibet"

- Magyar Narancs (weekly) 3/7. "Tibetan dance"

- Magyar Hirlap (daily) 3/11. "Laszlo L. Lorincz stories into Tibet secrets"

- Kurir (daily) 3/11. "For whom the small bell rings"

- Kurir (daily) 3/13. "You, Tibet...."

- Magyar Narancs (weekly) 3/14. "Whining, against problems"

* Germany

- Suddeutsche Zeitung (daily) 3/12 (w/ photo). About Brussels' demonstration.

* Russia

- Moskovskije Novosti (weekly) 3/10-17. "Last train to Lhasa"

* Lithuania

- Respublika (daily) 3/12 (w/ photo of demonstration in Vilnius). "Lituania recognizes Tibet and Taiwan as part of Chinese territory"

* Czech Republic - Reflex (weekly) 3/28. 3-page article on Brussels' demonstration.