Two years ago today, Chinese forces opened fire on a group of
Tibetans attempting to escape Chinese repression in Tibet by
crossing the Nangpa Pass into Nepal. Foreign mountaineers at a
nearby Everest Base Camp witnessed Chinese border guards
carefully taking aim and firing at the line of defenseless
Tibetans. A 17-year old nun was shot dead, and many others,
including young children, were detained for several months,
before being released to their families. Click here to learn
Captured for the first time on film, the global community was
shocked by the brutality of Chinese policies in Tibet, which
authorize troops to open fire on unarmed Tibetans. Following an
outcry by Tibetans, their supporters, national governments and
people of conscience worldwide, all the Nangpa la detainees were
eventually released.
However, following the national uprising that swept across Tibet
this past March, China's state-sponsored violence in Tibet
continues with disturbing ferocity. Recent eyewitness reports
from Kirti monastery describe how Chinese armed police, wielding
spades and meat choppers, beat a group of monks:
http://www.
A BBC reporter who recently traveled to eastern Tibet describes
a massive Chinese military presence even in small towns:
http://www.
As China's crackdown in Tibet continues, Tibetans and their
supporters protested Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to New
York last week for the inauguration of the United Nations
General Assembly. In a rate one-on-one interview with CNN,
Premier Wen asserted that the Beijing Olympics had opened up
China and freedom of speech was allowed. This is simply not true
in Tibet where thousands of Tibetans remain detained, imprisoned
or missing for speaking out for their freedom and human rights.
To view photos and read reports of the protests during Wen's
visit to NY: http://www.
TAKE ACTION:
As we remember the tragic events that took place two years ago
at Nangpa Pass, join us in taking action for Tibetan filmmakers
Dhondup Wangchen and Golog Jimge. The two men were detained in
March 2008 for making Leaving Fear Behind, a bold documentary,
which depicts the plight Tibetans under Chinese rule and reveals
their true feelings about Chinese policies in Tibet and the
Beijing Olympics.
*Send a letter now to the Chinese government calling for their
release: http://actionnetwork.org/
*Phone and lodge a complaint with the Ministry of Justice in
Beijing: (86) 10 652 067 06 (NOTE: China is 12 hours ahead of
Eastern Standard Time)
*Dhondup Wangchen is believed to be held at the Ershilipu
Detention Center in Xining, Qinghai Province, please phone and
demand his release: (86) 97 153 119 82
*Watch the film:
http://video.google.com/
*Help promote the film by organizing a screening on your campus
or in your community. For more information, go to:
http://www.leavingfearbehind.
*Download a fact sheet about the filmmakers and the
circumstances surrounding their detention:
http://www.
*Read Reporters Without Borders recent press release calling for
the release of the filmmakers:
http://www.
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