Dear TSGers,
I Chung Lai of the Taiwanese Collegian asked me to forward this URGENT
request.
Tashi Delek,
Larry Gerstein
Director, ITIM
_________________________________________
I am sending the following statement draft from Taiwanese Collegian asking
for endorsement from Tibetan and Tibet supporting community. Your endorsement
is very crucial to the political impact of this draft.
Since we want to do it in a timely faction, this is just a draft, but there
will just be some very minor changes for final version. We just can't wait
for the final version out to get endorsement, it will be too late.
Taiwan government (Republic of China on Taiwan) has called this first ever
Taiwan visut by Dalai Lama as a visit from a LOCAL citizen, a citizen of
Republic of China on Taiwan. This position reflects the past imperialistic
attitude from ROC government to Tibet. Despite the good will shown from Dalai
Lama, Kuomingtang controlled government is still holding the view that "Tibet
is a part of China, this China means the Republic of China", a.k.a, Taiwan
government.
Taiwanese Collegian is issuing a statement protesting such behavior of the
Taiwan Government, our counterpart in Taiwan, through either Taiwan
Independence Party, Democratic Progress Party, Green Party and other
political organizations, ARE WAITING for any possible voice from
international community to protest such deed by Kuomingtang controlled
government. The sheer number, the geological, nationality and ethnical range
shown on the endorsement is a vital part of this
possible success. (We want to push Taiwan government to abandon all its
ownership claim of Tibet, abolish the bureau of "Mongolian and Tibetan
Affairs Commission", and recognize Tibet government in exile as the sole
representative of Tibet. hope we can achieve soon)
Your endorsement can strengthen our case a lot, help legislator
on our side pushing laws forcing government to abide by. Raise
the international concern to which Kuomingtang government worries most,
because Taiwan is so isolated in the world, it tries to maintains good
international image to boost its recognition.
Because Dalai Lama is already in Taiwan. We hope this endorsement list can
reach a good tally before Mar/23 midnight to release it to Taiwan, when Dalai
Lama is still there and that ROC government will be under severe pressure to
make some decisions immediately, to boost our hope for success. Please
respond in a timely fashion, endorsement from ANY TIBET/SUPPORTING
ORGANIZATIONS ARE VERY IMPORTANT!
Please send your organization's full name, contact person's name for
endorsement to this e-mail address:
tc-com@engin.umich.edu
or
iclai@lns62.lns.cornell.edu
You can also call/or fax to 607-266-8843 with full name of your org and
contact person name if you want to endorse it.
Thank you very much
I Chung Lai
Taiwanese Collegian
*************************************
Respect Tibetan People, Respect Tibetan Sovereignty
--A Call to the Taiwanese People and the Government of Taiwan
The visit by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Taiwan is the first ever by a
national leader of Tibet. It is also a symbol of recognition from the
international human rights community of the half-century of Taiwanese
struggle for freedom. This visit is a reward for all Taiwanese people who,
one year ago, showed the world their determination in the pursuit of freedom,
despite the antagonistic military threats from China.
Unfortunately, the government of Taiwan that received overwhelming support
from the international community one year ago, now humiliates the six million
Tibetan people by saying that the Dalai Lama is a citizen of the "Republic of
China on Taiwan" and will be treated accordingly. This position severely
violates the Tibetan people's right to self-determination. Putting aside the
fact that the government of Taiwan has never established any administration
in Tibet, such a position reflects an imperialistic attitude toward Tibet, an
attitude that is not so different from that of the Chinese government toward
Taiwan.
To show proper respect to the six million Tibetan people, the government of
Taiwan should abandon any claims to Tibet and treat His Holiness the Dalai
Lama not as a local citizen, but as the leader of the Tibetan nation. The
absence of such remedial steps will demonstrate to the world that the
government of Taiwan is no different from China in its imperialistic attitude
toward Tibet. Consequently, the international community supporting Tibetan
freedom will surely take proper actions against the government of Taiwan.
We are calling on the Taiwanese people once again to stand up for freedom and
justice as they did one year ago in the pursuit of democracy. The
international community has thrown unconditional support for the dignity and
freedom that the Taiwanese people have long deserved. It is now time for
Taiwanese to show their support for freedom and justice for the Tibetan
people, for they deserve freedom and justice, as much as any other people in
the world.
We understand that the Taiwanese people are still fighting a difficult battle
for their own freedom, but true freedom and justice can only be achieved
through the mutual assistance of freedom-loving communities around the world.
As we are facing the same overpowering enemy, isolated uprisings will only
delay our triumph. Only when we uphold a common principle and join forces
will we succeed in our pursuit for freedom and justice in Taiwan and Tibet.
Until there is justice in Taiwan and Tibet, there is no justice in the world!
Taiwanese Collegian
For endorsement, please send to tc-com@engin.umich.edu
or
I Chung Lai (607-266-8843)
iclai@lns62.lns.cornell.edu
