SUMMARY: A non-violent campaign, a campaign for the survival of Tibet, the roof of the world devastated by an invasion of which nobody seems to care about. The "Live Tibet" association is preparing a great mobilization.

(Radical News n.51 of the 2nd of March 1990)

In June 1988, in a speech delivered to the deputies of the European Parliament, His Holiness the Dalai Lama denounced the dramatic situation of Tibet, and expressed what he considers the main aim of his long and tiring pilgrimage around the world. Together with Giovanni Negri, at the time deputy of the European Parliament, we will probe into the vicissitudes of this people confined at 5,000 metres of height in the so-called "Roof of the world".

Since 1959, when the Tibetans opposed the Chinese invasion and the Dalai Lama was forced to flee and take refuge in India, 1,200,000 Tibetans and Lamas have been murdered, 6,000 monasteries have been destroyed, thousands and thousands of books, and records of the culture and the religion of this people have been burnt by the "Cultural Revolution"; hundreds of acres of forests have been razed to the ground in order to export the wood; thousands of gold statues have been smelted to use the precious metal to pay for the maintenance of the troops of the popular Liberation and to therefore keep a strategically important position, useful to install nuclear bases capable of dominating, from such a height, India, the USSR and the whole of Asia.

On the 8th of March 1989, following the great turmoils of the people of Tibet at Lhasa, China enforced martial war: since then the frontiers of the "Roof of the world" are shut to everyone: Negri - as a deputy of the European Parliament - asked for an entry visa and was refused it, even if courteously (nobody must interfere with China's domestic affairs).

At the Congress of the Radical Party in Budapest we invited Kelsang Gsyaltsen, representative of the Dalai Lama, and Lodi Gyari, exiled Minister for education of the Tibetan government. Already in that occasion the intolerance of the Chinese government was made clear, sending at the Congress a delegate of the embassy of Hungary who approached the table of Live Tibet and started pestering us with questions on how, when and why we took the liberty of inviting Tibetans and letting them intervene. A nice encouragement to continue the initiatives, no doubt about it.

During a press conference the Live Tibet committee was publicly introduced. Apart from promoters Negri, Antonio Stango and Primo Mastrantoni representatives of other Italian political groups took part in the conference, as well as the President of the Italy-Tibet Association Piero Verni and a Tibetan Lama living in Italy as a refugee.

We are preparing thousands of cards and posters to inform the many people that know absolutely nothing about the huge ecological disaster that is going on in total silence in the highest plateau of the world.

In the summer of 1989 the Tien-an-men events confirmed that the alleged democratic opening up of the Deng regime are simply hiding the fact the brutal and constant repression of all things representing the will for democracy and freedom.

After the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace, last December Giovanni Negri (now Italian deputy for the Social Democrat Party) created and co-ordinated the "Parliamentary Intergroup for Tibet" of which representatives of all political parties are members, among others Flaminio Piccoli, Christian Democrat President of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Parliament.

This way a great battle for life, freedom democracy is promoted, an ecological battle in which not only nature but people, culture, religion and tradition risk disappearing completely and for ever.

As each year, in 1990 as well, on the 8th of March, we will recall the anniversary of the Chinese invasion with sit-ins in front of all the Chinese embassies of Europe (Rome, Prague, Moscow, Lisbon, Budapest, Brussels, Madrid, Warsaw, Bucharest and Sofia) for the immediate re-opening of the Tibetan frontiers.

Anyone wishing to get in touch with the "Live Tibet" Association to take part in this trans-national campaign must contact:

Gabriella Spallino, co-ordinator of "Live Tibet", c/o Radical Party, via di Torre Argentina 18, ROME; tel. (06)6547771/5

Or: Tullio Lauro, co-ordinator of "Live Tibet", c/o Radical Party, Corso di Porta Vigentina 15/a, MILAN; tel. (02)5458374.

You must also contact these addresses to receive the cards prepared by "Live Tibet" to be signed and sent to the Chinese embassies throughout the European countries, and that ask the re-opening of the frontiers of the Roof of the World; many Radical colleagues are distributing them in Belgium, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and in Italy.

The association organizes, upon request, meetings with the participation of representatives of the Italy-Tibet association and of "Live Tibet", and in occasion of the Dalai Lama's trip to Italy, scheduled for next June, is preparing a great mobilization.