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Support Tibet Not Terror
The west declares war on terror and yet ignores the Tibetan people who, despite a half-century of persecution, steadfastly refuse to adopt terrorist tactics to fight their cause.
'We are freedom fighters unique in our peaceful approach to liberation… should this experiment prove successful it could have a revolutionary effect on future struggles for freedom.'
The Dalai LamaA million Tibetans have been killed since the Chinese invasion of 1949, and over 100,000 Tibetans have fled across the Himalayas. Yet the Dalai Lama - who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for leading the non-violent Tibetan struggle for freedom - continues to urge young Tibetans not to take up arms and seeks peaceful negotiations with the Chinese Government.
We believe that this is a model of peaceful governance, which should be applauded by the international community. If we choose not to support Tibet we are simply showing the world that there is no alternative to violence.
Citing 'other diary commitments' Tony Blair refused to meet the Dalai Lama when he visited the UK in May 2004, even though 147 MPs asked him to change his mind.
Anyone who cares about a peaceful international society must let Blair know that he cannot continue to ignore the issue of Tibet. Send a global message that non-violent protest against gross human rights violations does gain our support and should be helped to succeed. Time is running out for Tibet.Join the Tibet Society
Donate now - help us give Tibet a voiceThe best way to help Tibet is to visit your MP and let him/her know you believe the Dalai Lama’s courageous, principled stance of non-violence should be rewarded. Go to our campaign section and learn about the specific actions your MP can support.
Click here to read MP Michael Trend's speech on Tibet in Parliament on 17 July 2003.
Click here to read a statement by Tibetan political prisoner, Ngawang Sangdrol, imprisoned for 11 years after calling for her people's freedom.
Click here to see more about resolutions adopted by the UN with reference to Tibet.
www.flickr.com
Tibet Society's UK MP delegation to Dharamsala, India photoset Now is the time to make a difference.....join us at the Tibet Society and be part of our campaign to lobby our government for action on Tibet.
On 17 July 2003 the MP Michael Trend (Windsor) debated the issue of Tibet in Parliament. He highlighted the plight of released Tibetan prisoner Ngawang Sangdrol, and argued that against the background of the international war against terrorism, we have a moral duty to support Tibet:
"Tibet has been occupied for 53 years now. The Government are very knowledgeable on United Nations resolutions, a number of which cover Tibet. They deal with the human rights' abuses; the transfer of the population on a massive scale; the destruction of whole communities, monasteries and cultural buildings; the degradation of the environment; and the assault on the freedoms of the nomadic way of life. International pressure can, and has, made a difference.
The All-Party Group on Tibet was fortunate to be visited recently by Ngawang Sangdrol, a 23 year old young woman from Tibet whose story illustrates what peaceful protest means there. For demonstrating with a small group of young nuns when she was 13, and for calling for Tibetan independence, she was imprisoned for two years. Because she would not recant and sang songs honouring the Dalai Lama, she was subjected to brutal imprisonments and stripped of her civil rights.
She has been released after 11 years, only through the efforts of Amnesty International and many others… [She] is one of hundreds of political detainees - of young people born under the Chinese occupation of Tibet who have steadfastly followed the Dalai Lama's non-violent approach. It would surely be far easier for many of them to follow the more familiar path of the dispossessed and aggrieved of today's world - to meet violence and violence - but they do not. The difference for the Tibetans is the Dalai Lama: a man of enormous authority to his people and of absolute peace to the world. He is a firm believer in non-violence, and states:
'We are freedom fighters unique in our peaceful approach to liberation… Should this experiment prove successful, it could have a revolutionary effect on future struggles for freedom'.
Our country is acutely aware of the threat of terrorism, both internally and internationally. I have supported the Government in their actions in recent months, and I believe that we are right to protest our own interests against organised terrorism. But I also recognise… much in the world situation is feeding the recruitment of terrorists.
This, uniquely, is not the situation with the people of Tibet. Where others speak the language of war and practise it, the Dalai Lama speaks only the language of peace and seeks a non-violent resolution of his people's desperate plight. Is that not what we ask all world leaders to do, and should we not seek to help those few - those very few - who actually do it?
UK Governments past and present have shown the value of innovative non-violent approaches in Northern Ireland. The UK speaks with first-hand experience of terrorism and the path to resolution. [The Tibetans'] grievances should be heard, and resolutions should be found to their legitimate concerns; otherwise, we leave them no alternative but violence and terrorism.
However much praise has been given to the Dalai Lama and to the Tibetan people, in practical terms it has been almost meaningless. Tibetans could easily point to numerous examples of violence achieving the desired results.
Against the background of the international war against terrorism, there should be a global message that non-violent protest against gross violations of basic human rights deserves our support and should be helped to succeed."
Ngawang Sangdrol is a former Tibetan political prisoner who spent over 11 years in prison for calling for the freedom of Tibet. During her imprisonment she was subjected to physical and mental torture. The Chinese authorities finally released her in October 2002 after international campaigning. This is an extract from her statement in April 2003:
"In order to highlight the situation in Tibet, I would like to expand on my own experience. On August 21, 1990, at the age of 13, I participated in a peaceful demonstration at a cultural festival in front of the Norbu Lingka, the summer palace of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. We prayed for the long life of His Holiness and called for freedom in Tibet. I was detained for nine months in Gutsa detention centre without charges. Upon my release I was forbidden from going back to my nunnery.
On June 17, 1992, I was again arrested for participating in another pro-independence demonstration in Lhasa… I was sentenced to three years imprisonment 'for incitement to subversive and separatist activities' and was kept in Drapchi Prison. I received a six-year sentence extension in October 1993, for participating in recording a tape of songs in praise of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and freedom in Tibet.
In 1996, my prison term was extended for another eight years after I was accused of demonstrating inside the prison. In October 1998 my sentence was extended by another six years after some of us nuns were accused of being involved in a protest demonstration in the prison in May 1998. This brought my total sentence to 21 years, thereby making it the longest sentence for a female Tibetan political prisoner.
Right from the day I was detained in front of the Norbu Lingka the Chinese officials used different torture instruments on me to break my spirit. I was subjected to both physical and mental torture to make me denounce my leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama and to undermine the aspirations of my people. Some of the torture items used on me included different types of electric baton and prods, pipes, canes of different size… My current health is poor as a result of the treatment received in Drapchi Prison. I suffer from periodic headaches and perpetual stomach problems. However, my spirit is far from broken.
Since my imprisonment in 1992, I have seen that all Tibetan political prisoners are tortured… Although the Chinese claim that Tibetans have religious freedom, there is virtually no true religious freedom in Tibet. You are liable to be persecuted for practicing religion and for having faith in your spiritual teacher. The situation is worse in the prison. There have been cases of people who have been persecuted solely for reciting prayers
As for political freedom, one faces persecution for voicing any political opinion other than the official line. People have been tortured merely for exercising their freedom of expression. The Tibetans today live under an authoritarian system with no freedom whatsoever.
It is very clear to me that I have been released and allowed to come out to the free world for medical treatment and to enjoy my freedom because of international concern. Even as I enjoy this freedom I am concerned about the many more Tibetan political prisoners languishing in Chinese jails. I appeal to the International community to help give them freedom."
