Published by: World Tibet Network News ISSUE ID: 97/10/29

WASHINGTON, Oct 29 (AP) -- Since she was ordained a Buddhist nun in 1988, Jane Drake has dedicated herself to carrying on her chosen faith. But as she passes on the word in America, she fears Chinese rule threatens to stamp out Buddhism in Tibet.

"I have become much more conscious through religion of the importance of alleviating suffering throughout the world," said Drake, donning her red nun's robe at a rally outside the Chinese Embassy Tuesday night. "We are here to draw attention to the fact that Tibet is really being suppressed, and its culture is being dissolved."

While President Clinton welcomed Chinese President Jiang Zemin at the White House, Drake and other members of her Maryland temple joined hundreds of demonstrators miles away at the embassy to protest religious persecution in Tibet.

Four large red lanterns in the backdrop served as the only reminder of the dignitary's presence in the capital. Speakers at the rally stressed their support for Jiang's meeting with Clinton but said it should be an opportunity to discuss such issues as religious freedom in Tibet.

"We are gathered here tonight not out of any bitterness. We believe this visit is important," said Lodi Gyari, president of the International Campaign for Tibet."Unless there is dialogue between the U.S. and China, the U.S. cannot help us."

Gyari said he hoped Clinton would follow through on the promise he made to the Dalai Lama in April to keep Tibet high on the meeting agenda.

The vigil capped off a day of protests and consciousness-raising events timed for the arrival of the Chinese president in Washington. Protests were expected to continue in front of the White House Wednesday during the official welcoming ceremony for Jiang.

Earlier Tuesday, about a dozen members of Congress pledged to adopt prisoners of conscience in China or Tibet and lobby on their behalf with letters to government officials and prison wardens.

Various religious leaders opened the evening vigil with their prayers for the people of Tibet, as the group lit candles and raised signs in support.

"We wanted the Chinese leadership to hear the people," said Karma Zurkhang, who drove with a dozen others in a van from Chicago for the protests. "And we wanted to make our strong presence felt in Washington."

James Manning, a member of the Catholic Alliance, walked through the crowd carrying a replica of the Goddess of Democracy statue that stood in Tiananmen Square during the 1989 crackdown by Chinese troops on student demonstrators. He said the alliance commissioned the statue as a reminder that "the spirit of Tiananmen Square still lives on."

The group recited "A Prayer of Words of Truth," an inspirational Tibetan poem written by the Dalai Lama in the 1960s, foretelling a future of freedom.

"May all of Tibet spontaneously gain the glory of complete independence, the aim of our most cherished and long-felt desire," read a verse from the chant in translation.

Ama Adhe, a Tibetan woman who was imprisoned for 28 years, grasped the hands of Rep. John Porter, R-Ill., at the congressional event. Through a translator, Adhe said she was on the brink of tears as she heard the congressmen read the names of their prisoners, some of whom she remembered from Tibet.

Former Chinese dissidents and advocacy group officials voiced their concerns in meetings with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jesse Helms and a House International Affairs Committee panel that deals with human rights.

One dissident, Li Lu, a survivor of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, said it was "horrifying that the person responsible for this massacre was being received as an honored guest in this country."