March 22, 2008, Vancouver: TIBETAN PROTESTS BUILD
Pacific Northwest Community Rally and March in Support of the Tibetan Uprising inside Tibet
On Saturday March 22 in Vancouver, Tibetans from across British Columbia, Washington State, and Oregon will gather to make their voices heard. At least 300 Tibetans and supporters are expected to attend.
The program will be as follows: Saturday March 22, 2008
- 12pm to 1:30pm - Rally at Robson Square
- 1:30pm to 2:30pm - March (including political theater) from Robson
- Square to the Chinese Consulate at 3380 Granville Street
- 2:30pm to 4:30pm - Demonstration at the Chinese Consulate.
- 4:30pm to 7:30pm - Candle-light prayer vigil at the Consulate
Tibetans and their Supporters Worldwide Demand:
1) China must halt its crackdown, withdraw military and security forces, release detainees and allow peaceful protest. China must halt house-to-house searches and authorities must refrain from any further arrests of Tibetan protesters. We call on our Governments to support these demands.
2) Governments must support the Dalai Lama's call for a UN team of investigators to go to Tibet as soon as possible.
3) China must immediately allow foreign journalists back into all Tibetan areas (TAR and Tibetan areas of Gansu, Qinghai and Sichuan)
4) The IOC must withdraw all Tibetan areas from the planned Olympic torch relay route (TAR and Tibetan areas of Gansu, Qinghai and Sichuan). This includes the planned torch ascent of Mount Everest.
5) All political leaders and other prominent persons who have accepted an invitation to attend the Olympic Games should withdraw their acceptance.
Background: GLOBAL VIGILS SUPPORT TIBETAN UPRISING AS INCREASED
CRACKDOWN LOOMS IN LHASA
The Chinese government has threatened an increased crackdown after midnight Monday March 17 (China standard time) and according to Chinese state-run media, “Those who cover up or shelter the lawbreakers [will] be punished in accordance with the law.” Reports of protests in cities across Tibet, including the Tibetan provinces of Amdo and Kham now annexed into China's Qinghai, Sichuan, and Gansu provinces, counter the Chinese government claims that the unrest is the result of a handful of “troublemakers” and demonstrate the widespread Tibetan opposition to China’s occupation.
The Dalai Lama has expressed anxiety about the Chinese government's threats of an impending crackdown and repeated his urgent appeal today for an international investigation into China’s actions against Tibetan protestors. The Chinese government continues to maintain a media blackout and journalists have been denied access to all Tibetan areas, making it virtually impossible to verify the reports of atrocities emerging from Tibet.
Contact: Mati Bernabei 778-999-4578 mbernabe@sfu.ca
For the most up to date information on the developments in Tibet:
Canada Tibet Committee: www.tibet.ca
Students For a Free Tibet: www.studentsforafreetibet.org
Phayul (Tibetan on-line news)www.phayul.com
Tibetan Centre fro Human Rights and Democracy: www.tchrd.org
Tibetan Government in Exile: www.tibet.net
art works www.cavelle.net
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