In just 7 days over 1 million of us have signed the petition supporting human rights and dialogue in Tibet

Tibetan monks shouting pro independence slogans caught Chinese officials by surprise

By DAVID BARBOZA Published: March 28, 2008

SHANGHAI — Tibetan monks shouting pro-independence slogans caught Chinese officials by surprise Thursday during a highly scripted tour for Western journalists in Lhasa’s central Buddhist temple, disrupting China’s effort to portray the recent Tibetan rioting as the work of violent criminal thugs and separatists.

“Tibet is not free! Tibet is not free!” yelled one young Buddhist monk, who then started crying, according to an Associated Press correspondent in the tour.

	A Tibetan Buddhist monk, center, cries while he saw foreign journalists visit to the Jokhang Temple, one of Tibet’s holiest shrines in Lhasa, capital of China’s Tibet Autonomous Region Thursday, March 27, 2008. (AP)

(http://www.chinapost.com.tw , Footage of the monks, BBC.news)

Government handlers shouted for the journalists to leave and tried to pull them away during the 15-minute protest by about 30 monks at the Jokhang Monastery in central Lhasa. It was unclear whether the protesting monks were arrested…

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/28

• China and Tibet: The Spin Campaign (Time)
  
• Olimpiadi: boicottaggio, l’Europa si divide (Corriere della Sera)
• Tibet, manifestazione dei monaci davanti ai giornalisti stranieri (la Repubblica)
  

La censura cinese ha interrotto una trasmissione della rete televisiva Bbc, mentre venivano mostrate alcune immagini di Lhasa girate nella capitale tibetana da un cameraman dell’agenzia Aptn. L’unico giornalista europeo che è stato invitato a partecipare è uno dei corrispondenti da Pechino del quotidiano britannico Financial Times.

I monaci, una trentina, hanno manifestato per una un quarto d’ora circa nelle immediate vicinanze del tempio Jokhang, uno dei più importanti del buddismo tibetano. “Vogliamo che il Dalai Lama ritorni in Tibet, vogliamo essere liberi”, ha detto uno dei manifestanti, avvicinato da un reporter. “Il Tibet non è libero”, ha urlato un altro, che è poi scoppiato a piangere. Accusando il regime di Pechino di mentire, i monaci insistevano nel dire che non si può addossare al Dalai Lama la responsabilità delle proteste.

I religiosi hanno raccontato ai giornalisti di essere prigionieri nel tempio dal 10 marzo, inizio delle nuove manifestazioni da parte dei tibetani.

Dear friends,

In just 7 days over 1 million of us have signed the petition supporting human rights and dialogue in Tibet - the fastest growing internet petition in history! After decades of injustice, the Tibetan people are crying out to the world for change, and the world is answering.

As China’s leaders decide whether to respond to Tibetan grievances with increased repression or dialogue with the Dalai Lama, an International Day of Action has been declared for Monday, March 31st. In 4 days, thousands of people in cities across the world will march to Chinese embassies and consulates, and stack hundreds of boxes containing our petition outside them. 1 million signatures makes a mountain of boxes - it’s a powerful way to deliver our message.

We have just 4 days left until the petition delivery, so we’re redoubling our efforts to build the petition even larger - to 2 million signatures - in that time. Please sign below, and then forward this email to all your friends and family:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_end_the_violence

China’s hardliners are lashing out publicly at the Dalai Lama–but many Chinese leaders believe dialogue is the best hope for stability in Tibet. Governments around the world have begun calling for dialogue, and there are many hopeful signs that, if we can keep the pressure up, China will agree. Already, we have had constructive discussions with Chinese officials about the message of our campaign.

Chinese President Hu Jintao values his country’s international reputation, and he needs to hear from us that the ‘Made in China’ brand and the upcoming Olympics in Beijing will succeed only if he chooses dialogue over the hardliners’ repression. An avalanche of global people power is moving to get his attention. Our petition recognizes the concerns of Chinese leaders that riots and separatism could lead to dangerous instability. But we support the position of the Dalai Lama, that the best path to stability and development for China lies through dialogue and respect, not repression.

This is the most promising moment in decades to address the injustices of Tibet - but already the media is moving on to other stories. We need to seize this moment with a massive statement of global support this Monday — for the next four days, let’s pull out all the stops for Tibet.

With hope,

Ricken, Graziela, Ben, Iain, Pascal, Milena, Galit, Paul, Esra’a and the whole Avaaz team

PS - Here are some links for more information:

Reuters reports unrest continues:
http://www.reuters.com

China allows first journalists back into Lhasa, monks speak out:
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/

Europe and the US step up calls for dialogue:
http://www.iht.com/

Prominent Chinese Intellectuals call for fair approach to Tibet:
http://www.iht.com/

ABOUT AVAAZ
Avaaz.org is an independent, not-for-profit global campaigning organization that works to ensure that the views and values of the world’s people inform global decision-making. (Avaaz means “voice” in many languages.) Avaaz receives no money from governments or corporations, and is staffed by a global team based in London, Rio de Janeiro, New York, Paris, Washington DC, and Geneva.

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