Second International Conference of Tibet Support Groups

Germany, June 15 - 17, 1996.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama's international travels which he embarked upon in the 80's, helped accentuate the political struggle for a free Tibet in the international arena. He thus succeeded in getting a more sympathetic hearing and support especially from the people in the west. As the international communities' understanding of the Tibetan issue developed, the struggle of the Tibetans for freedom and justice intensified with three important events: successive uprisings in Tibet, the Nobel Peace Prize award to H.H. the Dalai Lama in 1989 and the Tiananmen Square massacre in the same year.

The captivating personality of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the fact that Tibet's struggle for independence has remained non-violent, continues to draw the attention of the democratic world. The struggle of one people has now been transformed into a world wide grassroots movement dedicated to end the Chinese Communist tyranny in Tibet.

The international goodwill and support thereby generated needed to be channelled to help develop a co-ordinated strategy and plan of action. The Government of Tibet in exile thus convened the first international conference of Tibet Support Groups (TSG) in March 1990, at Dharamsala, India, where strategies were developed to intensify the international movement to regain Tibet's lost freedom.The Chinese Communist Party reacted strongly to this conference. The 11th December 1990 issue of "Tibet Daily", one of the official organs of the Chinese Communist Party in Tibet, commented: "since the mid-eighties, hostile forces in the West have constantly employed 'national self-determination'to promote reactionary propaganda for self-determination in Tibet.'ln 1990, 250 anti-China elements from Britain, United States, France, Japan and 24 other nations attended a Council of Friends of Tibet', at which they decided to step up contact with dissidents'in China and get three nations to first recognise the Tibetan governmen

t in exile".

The events following the first international TSG conference not only added new dimensions to the freedom struggle but strengthened and unified the world-wide movement. Important amongst these were the widely publicised presence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, the high profile Tibetan presence at the Human Rights Conference in Vienna in 1993, the successful campaign that prevented China from being awarded the Olympic Games for the year 2000, and the international headlines made by just nine Tibetan women at the Women's Conference in Beijing in September 1995. All these events bear testimony to the increasing strength of the movement and to the effectiveness of the network of supporters established in the international community by the Tibetans in exile.

Six years have passed since the first conference of the Tibet Support Groups. Fundamental geopolitical changes have altered the political map of the world. Democracy and peace have prevailed in most parts. Within the Tibetan movement favourable changes have taken place with more than 350 Tibet Support Groups now campaigning for a free Tibet. Yet, the struggle ahead for the Tibetans and the friends of Tibet world-wide remain daunting and unrelenting.

The second conference of the Tibet Support Groups to be held in Germany from the 15th to the 17th of June 1996 has been convened by the Government of Tibet in Exile, to review the accomplishments of the past six years and to examine the shortcomings and work out a more co-ordinated network for future campaigns and strategies.

We Tibetans have learned much and gained invaluable experience during the last six years by working in close co-operation with our friends the world over. Their energy, dedication and enthusiasm, are not only inspiring but have provided the needed skills to conduct a long and arduous struggle. In this regard, the Government of Tibet in Exile would like to express its sincere appreciation to the Friedrich-Naumann Stiftung for its support and co-operation in organising the Second International Conference of the Tibet Support Groups and for their genuine assistance to us in our struggle.

Thirty seven years have elapsed since the flight of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to India. It is imperative to the Tibetan movement that the struggle for the dignity and freedom of Tibetan people is intensified. Let it not be said by posterity that enough was not done in the time available to us. Let ustherefore re-dedicate ourselves to the unfinished task for the reconstruction of Tibet and for the preservation of Tibet's unique culture.

To them and to all of us we say, "next year in Lhasa".