Published by: World Tibet Network News, 96/06/05 23:00 GMT

Submitted by Ngawang C. Drakmargyapon, TIBET BUREAU FOR UN AFFAIRS

Date: Tue, 4 Jun 1996 18:49:20 +0200

Istanbul, 4 June - This afternoon during a colourful Asia Pacific NGOs gathering against forced evictions and in support of housing rights at the NGO Forum '96, the Tibetan and Uigyur delegation laid a flower-wreath in memory of those Chinese people massacred on 4 June, 1989 in Beijing. Speaking before and after the procession, Tseten Norbu, President of Tibetan Youth Congress, said on behalf of the Tibetan delegation: "Today, 4 June, we commemorate the Seventh Anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre. We would like to express our solidarity with all of our Chinese brothers and sisters who are struggling for human rights and democracy."

The Tibetan delegation wrote the following message on the wreath: "The Tibetan people remember the victims of 4 June, 1989 massacre in Beijing." The wreath carried by Mr. Arslan Alptekin, a leader of Eastern Turkestan in Turkey and Ms. Losang Rabgyal from Canada, lead the procession to its concluding session in the garden of Technical University, the site of the NGO Forum. The wreath remained in the garden along with candles offered by members of Amnesty International-Turkey.

The NGO Forum had many participants wearing Tibetan ribbons to show their solidarity with the Tibetan struggle and today participants were encouraged to wear a black-band to remember the victims of the Beijing massacre seven years ago. "On this unfortunate day, it naturally becomes our moral duty to remember the brave young Chinese students who fearlessly sacrificed their lives for democracy in China," said Tenzin P. Atisha, on behalf of the Tibetan Government in Exile.

The demonstration/procession hosted by the Asia Pacific NGOs was supported and watched by participants of many countries at the NGO Forum. The event was widely covered by both local and international media who are in Istanbul in connection with the Second UN Conference on Human Settlements.

The Tibetan delegation will be hosting a conference and two workshops during the coming days of the NGO Forum which is being heavily monitored by both Chinese government delegates and so-called Chinese "NGOs" delegates. Reports are circulating that the Chinese delegation will attempt to disrupt, a conference organised by Tibet Bureau for UN Affairs tomorrow titled, "Habitat-The Situation in Occupied Tibet."

The Tibetan delegation in Istanbul consists of Tenzin P. Atisha, Ngawang C. Drakmargyapon (Tibetan Government in Exile), Tseten Norbu (Tibetan Youth Congress), Tsering Tsomo and Doma Tsomo (Tibetan Women's Association), Kunzang Yuthok (Tibet Rights Campaign), Eva Herzer and Losang Rabgyal (International Committee of Lawyers for Tibet), John Ackerly (International Campaign for Tibet), Johanne Abonader (Canada Tibet Committee) and Lorne Stockman (TG-UK).

Text of Tibetan Statement:

Today, 4 June, we commemorate the 7th anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre. We would like to express our solidarity with all of our Chinese brothers and sisters who are struggling for human rights and democracy.

In Tibet, we have also experienced massacres at the hands of the Chinese security forces. Today, in Tibet as in China, any person who exercise the basic right of free speech and association by demonstrating in the street may be shot.

We have all come to Istanbul in a spirit of cooperation and good will to address problems facing us and we are honoured to remember those brave Chinese who dared to stand up for their human rights in 1989.

We call upon the Chinese government to initiate a genuine inquiry into the Tiananmen massacre.

Today, we also ask for your support in our struggle for Tibet. We are here at Habitat to demand that the United Nations include the term "Occupied Peoples" in the agenda. So far, there is no mention in the document even though previous UN conferences included occupied peoples. We ask all the caucuses and people here to help us with this.