Photographer and long-time ATC member Jamie Williams writes on the candle-light vigil in Sydney yesterday and the recent wave of immolations in Tibet:
I almost started this post with these sentences - “Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for a year you would know about the tragic situation unfolding in Tibet. Since March last year at least 19 monks, nuns and more recently herders have made the seemingly incomprehensible decision to self-immolate - set fire to themselves with the intention of dying - in protest over the Chinese Communist Party’s continuing cultural, environmental, religious and human rights abuses inside Tibet.”
But after talking with bystanders and commuters at last night’s candle light vigil in Sydney’s Martin Place, part of a global day of action to pay respect to those recently killed, I realised that not only were many people unaware of these recent deaths, some were even unaware of the plight of Tibet and Tibetans in general. How could this be? Read his blog
The latest video from Tibet, released on 8 December by the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, does not have the same graphic quality. However it terrifies us and tests our conscience to the same level, if not more.
How would you feel if state-sanctioned police brutality was unleashed in your own bedroom?
In a media release, the Tibetan Government-in-Exile stated that the footage was shot in Dodge township near Lhasa in March 2008. The arrested people were suspected of taking part in a protest on 11 March that year, one of the first demonstrations to spark the uprising across Tibet.
The arbitrary arrest of Tibetans in Tibet is well known. There are currently over 700 political prisoners in Tibet, many of whom were arrested during the peaceful protests in 2008. However most of them have merely become a number in political prisoner databases as the Chinese authorities block information on their status and whereabouts. The above video, which shows Chinese police raiding homes in the wee hours of the morning and arbitrarily arresting Tibetans in their beds, has put faces to some of these statistics.
The release of the video two days before the Human Rights Day on 10 December couldn’t have been more timely or perhaps more ironical. As the international community prepared to celebrate the principles of human liberty, as adopted in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 63 years ago, we were reminded of the sad situation in Tibet today.
The fact that these Tibetans were dragged out of their beds at the first break of daylight for allegedly taking part in a protest shows how entrenched China’s control over the lives of the Tibetan people is. The fact that they were arrested without any warning or explanation shows the extent of China’s tyranny and free rein in Tibet.
The extraordinary behaviour of terrorising people in their most ordinary state has brought home the reality of living under Chinese rule in Tibet.
One thing that is increasingly becoming clear is that the Tibetans are desperate to let the world know what is happening in Tibet despite China’s efforts to black out information. However as these leaked images testify, the Chinese government cannot win its battle to supress information. As China’s thuggish behaviour in Tibet is exposed to the world literally every week, we in the free world must continue to shine a spotlight on the determination of the people in Tibet.
“Almost everything you do will seem insignificant, but it is important that you do it.”
This quote by Mahatma Gandhi on the Indian freedom struggle resonates strongly with me. Hundreds of Tibet supporters from all over Australia regularly write to the elected representatives, and many pick up their phones to express their concerns on the situation in Tibet. The ATC team travels to Canberra during most sitting periods in the parliament, meeting a number of politicians. And at times, I return to Sydney trying to find an immediate outcome from our meetings and understand the impact of the hundreds of emails from our supporters.
The meaning of Gandhi’s message came home to me during our lobby trip to Canberra last week when the Tibet issue was raised twice in both houses of the parliament. Many of our politicians know what is happening in Tibet. And a few dedicated ones are prepared to speak up. Read more
For the past few weeks, I’ve been struggling to come to terms with the tragic developments in eastern Tibet. On Tuesday, another young monk, this time from Kardze which is not too far from Ngaba, became the eighth young Tibetan in the past one month to set fire himself on fire. The monk reportedly called for the unification of all Tibetans - inside and outside Tibet. Amid all the news reports from Tibet, I witnessed something powerful in Dharamsala yesterday. Sitting in my Sydney office and watching online the work of an ingenious young Tibetan artist, I celebrated a historic moment in the life of exile Tibetans.
Under a bright and blue October sky, residents and visitors to the Tibetan exile capital walked on a big patch of soil smuggled from Tibet. The Tibetans touched the soil and rubbed it in their hands. Some smelled the soil while others grabbed a handful and threw it in the air as an offering. For the many born in exile, it was the first time to step a foot on Tibetan soil. And for those who escaped to India as refugees five decades ago or in the more recent past, it was an emotional moment of reconnecting with one’s own land. Quite a few, including young kids, walked up to the stage and burst into songs. Read more
Australia’s relationship with China is back in the news for the first time in months with Prime Minister Julia Gillard launching a major enquiry into “Australia in the Asian Century”. This Monday, yet another two young monks from Kirti Monastery in Ngaba, eastern Tibet, set themselves on fire. In an opinion piece on the National Times of the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, ATC board member Dr Simon Bradshaw wrote how much longer are we willing to ignore Tibet in this increasingly important relationship. Read the full article
20 September 2011 ATC’s Communications & Government Relations Manager Tsering Kyinzom Dhongdue
Do you follow Australia Tibet Council on Facebook and Twitter? This year we plan to introduce new exciting online tools that will help you turn your support for Tibet into real action. Begin by following us on Facebook and Twitter.
This week as I complete the first year in my campaigning role at Australia Tibet Council, I would like to make a few observations on the movement we’re building together in Australia. While we are constantly taking positive action together - for instance by bringing a record number of parliamentarians to meet the Dalai Lama, we are working in a challenging political environment. Critical issues such as Tibet have been forced too far down the agenda and politicians are too easily unnerved by an ever more assertive China. And while we join in the celebrations of the exile Tibetans’ milestone of electing a new political leader, we also face a deluge of sad news from Tibet.
In a year, perversely celebrated by China as the 60th anniversary of its ‘peaceful liberation’ of Tibet, two young monks burnt themselves to death in their last political act. Such conflicting realities leave me with a few sobering thoughts. Read more
On 18 September, ATC board member Dr Simon Bradshaw is running in the Sydney Marathon to raise funds for ATC and International Tibet Network. Please watch the video below and make a donation for his Run for Tibet.
Paul and I were back in Parliament House last week as pollies returned to Canberra after their long winter break. Our small Tibet team was joined by Lodi Gyari Rinpoche, a lobbyist par excellence. In the last one year of my advocacy work on Tibet in the Australian parliament, this lobbying trip was the most rewarding in more ways than one.
A formidable speaker with two decades of experience in Washington, Gyari Rinpoche made a compelling case for Tibet to our political leaders. Knowing he is the Dalai Lama’s Special Envoy and has been the main negotiator with the Chinese government for 26-odd years, our politicians understood the importance of his role. Read more
All eyes will be set on Dr Lobsang Sangay as he is sworn in as the new political leader on 8 August, marking a generational shift in Tibetan politics and democracy. But perhaps no other figure has played a more major role in the Tibetan political establishment over the last 52 years in exile than Mr Lodi Gyari or Gyari Rinpoche as is popularly known among the Tibetans.
And Australia Tibet Council is excited to bring him to our shores next month (22-28 August) for a series of meetings with politicians, academics and journalists. (Read on for details of Sydney public talk.)
Gyari Rinpoche is the Special Envoy of the Dalai Lama and has led the Tibetan delegation in talks with the Chinese government for the last decade, working to chart a future roadmap for the Tibetan people. Read more
23 June 2011 (Photographs courtesy of Rusty Stewart/DLIAL)
I had the most enriching experience of travelling with His Holiness over the last two weeks and sharing my insights from the tour with you. Thank you for sending your positive feedback on my blogs.
The success of the Dalai Lama’s visit clearly reflects the Australian community’s respect for him and their recognition of his advocacy for human values and global responsibility.
I am now back in the office after the whirlwind tour, moving on with the next immediate task, i.e. following up with the politicians who came to meet the Dalai Lama. Once again with your support, ATC will continue to work with those MPs and Senators to make sure that their enthusiasm in meeting the Dalai Lama translates into real action for Tibet. Read more
19 June 2011 (Photographs courtesy of Rusty Stewart/DLIAL)
His Holiness left Australia early this morning, leaving all of us on the tour teary and wondering when we would see him back again.
His Holiness was in Perth for the last two days. It was lovely to see our parliamentary friends Senator Scott Ludlam and MP Melissa Parke welcoming him on their home turf, giving him a Freemantle welcome as they called it.
Yesterday morning, a beautiful rainbow lit the Perth sky as 14,500 people flocked to the Burswood Dome to hear the Dalai Lama speak on “Spirituality in the Modern World”. Read more
Paul and I were back in Parliament House last week as pollies returned to Canberra after their long winter break. Our small Tibet team was joined by Lodi Gyari Rinpoche, a lobbyist par excellence. In the last one year of my advocacy work on Tibet in the Australian parliament, this lobbying trip was the most rewarding in more ways than one.
I had the most enriching experience of travelling with His Holiness over the last two weeks and sharing my insights from the tour with you. Thank you for sending your positive feedback on my blogs.
His Holiness left Australia early this morning, leaving all of us on the tour teary and wondering when we would see him back again.
