Tibetan Case Presented at the First International Peoples' Tribunal on Human Rights and the Environment,
The First Session of the International Peoples' Tribunal on Human Rights and the Environment, Sustainable Development in the Context of Globalization was held on June 22 and 23 at the United Nations Church Center in New York, coinciding with Earth Summit II. Victims of Unsustainable development brought cases from Liberia, Nigeria, Burma, Tibet, India, Bolivia, Mexico, Honduras, Guyana, the USA, the Arctic Circle, and Canada.
The Tibetan case, submitted by ICT, was presented by Tenzing D. Sharchok. He highlighted that Chinese defined development in Tibet had a. marginalized Tibetans in the process of making decision on their future and environment,
b. brought about economic changes often irrelevant to or disruptive of their existing livelihood, and that c. the motive behind Chinese development plans is either the exploitation of Tibet's natural resources - minerals and forests, or furthering Chinas political objective of strengthening its control of Tibet by encouraging the movement of Chinese to Tibet.
This population transfer policy results in
1. discrimination against and impoverishment of Tibetans,
2. the Sinofication of education in Tibet, and
3. destruction of Tibet's agriculture and grassland through uses of land which disregard local climate and soil conditions for growing crops to feed the incremental population of Chinese.
In a press conference at the end of the Tribunal, speaking on behalf of the Tribunal members, Mr. Saul Mendolvitz, Dag Hammersjkold Professor of Peace and World Order Studies, Rutgers Law School, USA, said teh Tribunal expects to come to decisions within a week.
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The International Campaign for Tibet
1825 K St. N.W, Suite 520
Washington, D.C. 20006
Phone: +1 (202) 785-1515 / Fax: +1 (202) 785-4343
E-mail: ict@peacenet.org / Internet: http://www.peacenet.org/ict
Non-profit, Tibet advocacy group
"The Prince married the princess, the kingdom got most-favored-nation
status, and they lived happily ever after."
- From a cartoon in The New Yorker.
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