Bay Area Friends of Tibet - News

Archived News Items Now Available

bafot — Tue, 07 May 2013 05:59:08 +0000

Read archived news items here.
You can also read complete newsletters from the 1990's.

Dhondup Wangchen released, thanks supporters

bafot — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 06:36:51 +0000

Phayul[Thursday, June 05, 2014 16:15]

DHARAMSHALA, JUNE 5: The jailed Tibetan filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen has been released this morning after serving six years’ imprisonment sentence, said Gyaljong Tsetrin, Dhondup’s cousin who lives in Switzerland.

He was driven by the police to Khotse, (about two hours drive away from Xining) where he reached his sister's home around 15.00hrs local time.

A very emotional Dhondup Wangchen said in a phone conversation with Gyaljong: "At this moment, I feel that everything inside me is in a sea of tears. I hope to recover my health soon. I would like to express my feeling of deepest gratitude for all the support I received while in prison and I want to be reunited with my family."

Lhamo Tso, wife of the imprisoned filmmaker who was granted US asylum in 2012 and now lives in San Francisco, is overjoyed. “Six years of injustice and painful counting the days ended today. It is a day of unbelievable joy for his parents in Dharamsala, our children and myself. We look forward to be reunited as a family," said Lhamo.

Bay Area Friends of Tibet extends congratulations to Dhondup Wangchen for his release as well as his endurance, courage, and determination. We look forward to this Tibetan hero reuniting with his wife, Lhamo Tso and his family in San Francisco.

Full Article is here: http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=34950&article=Dhondup+Wangchen+released%2c+thanks+supporters

Sincerely,

Giovanni Vassallo

President | Bay Area Friends of Tibet

Statement of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery on the Panchen Lama's 25th Birthday

bafot — Mon, 28 Apr 2014 19:41:44 +0000

Here are statements by Tashi Lhunpo Monastery on the the occasion of the Panchen Lama's 25th birthday in English and Tibet.

Ask Senator Boxer to sign the Udall Rubio Feinstein letter on Tibet

bafot — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 03:54:03 +0000

Senators Mark Udall (CO), Marco Rubio (FL) and Dianne Feinstein (CA) have circulated a “Dear Colleague” letter asking their fellow senators to sign their letter.

Please contact your senators to urge them to sign the Udall-Rubio-Feinstein letter on Tibet.

Note that we have a quick turnaround, as the deadline is April 8 for senators’ signatures, so that it gets to Secretary Kerry before he departs for his trip.

Here is the email id of Senator Barbara Boxer's Senior Foreign Policy and Defense Advisor, Ann Norris (ann_norris@boxer.senate.gov). You can also write THANK YOU mail to Senator Dianne Feinstein for sponsoring the letter. Richard W.Harper, Jr (richard_harper@feinstein.senate.gov), Legislative Assistant of Senator Dianne Feinstein is the best person to reach out to.

Thanks

Tenzin Rangdol

President
SFRTYC

What's China doing in Tibet?

bafot — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 23:30:43 +0000

Find out here: http://youtu.be/hyjFBg8mwiU

Epoch Times on March 10 Protest (in Chinese)

bafot — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 02:55:46 +0000

http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/13/3/11/n3819690.htm

Dhondup Wangchen Transferred to Another Chinese Prison

bafot — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 07:34:41 +0000

Press Release: Dhondup Wangchen Transferred to Another Chinese Prison
January 21, 2013

Zurich, January 21, 2013: In an unusual move, it has been learned by Filming for Tibet that filmmaker and political prisoner Dhondup Wangchen has been transferred from Xichuan labour camp to Qinghai Provincial Women’s Prison, the main prison for women in China’s Qinghai province [1].

Following a visit to Dhondup Wangchen by close family members on January 15, 2013, Dhondup Wangchen spoke of previous harsh treatment at Xichuan labour camp, including several months of solitary confinement that started in March 2012. Although being held in improved conditions, Dhondup Wangchen and his family are unaware of the reasons for his transfer, particularly to a women’s prison with no other Tibetan inmates or political prisoners.

“Although we are relieved to hear that Dhondup Wangchen is in stable health, we share Dhondup Wangchen’s own concerns as he says he feels isolated and alone in this prison,” said Gyaljong Tsetrin, cousin of Dhondup Wangchen and President of “Filming for Tibet”. “There is still well over a year until Dhondup Wangchen will have served his 6 year sentence for making ‘Leaving Fear Behind’, it is our wish that in this time Dhondup Wangchen suffer no maltreatment and be granted access to books so that he can study, something he has repeatedly requested but has been forbidden from doing,” continued Tsetrin.

Around the world, individuals and groups have built a growing coalition for Dhondup Wangchen. In 2012, US based Committee to Protect Journalists awarded Dhondup Wangchen for his work and groups such as Amnesty International intensified campaign efforts. In the past, many Tibetan prisoners have been maltreated before release which leads to severe health problems. Dhondup Wangchen’s family hopes international awareness will prevent such problems and lead to his secure release.

Notes:
1. The details of the prison are Qinghai Provincial Women’s Prison: 青海省女子监狱：青海省西宁市城中区南山路40号，邮政编码 810000. The photo below shows the location on Google Earth.
Press Contacts:
Gyaljong Tsetrin, President of “Filming for Tibet” and close friend of Jigme Gyatso, +41764626768 (Tibetan & Chinese)
Dechen Pemba, “Filming for Tibet” spokesperson, +44 20 3286 7681 (English)

Urgent Action: Tibetans Sentenced for "Inciting Self-Immolation"

bafot — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 02:02:11 +0000

From: bayareafriendsoftibet [mailto:bayareafriendsoftibet-bounces@tibet.org] On Behalf Of giovanni@friends-of-tibet.org
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2013 9:09 AM
To: BAFoT
Subject: [BAFoT] [FWD: Urgent: Tibetans Sentenced for "inciting self-immolations"]

Please call/email/write Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and/or John Kerry (http://contact-us.state.gov/app/answers/list) as well as the Chinese Ambassador to the US, Ambassador Zhang Yesui, (http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/sgxx/lxwm/) to take the urgent action for Tibet and the Tibetan people mentioned below. Also please make note of the Tibet Network's demands and other suggested actions and let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you!
Giovanni Vassallo | President | Bay Area Friends of Tibet
415-264-3264 | giovanni@friends-of-tibet.org | www.friends-of-tibet.org

Bay Area Friends of Tibet is the US West Coast's original Tibet Support Group, founded in 1983 by Tibetans and Friends of Tibet, including Tenzing Sonam, son of Lhamo Tsering, Chief of Operations of the Mustang Tibetan Resistance Force. BAFoT works as a Bridge between Tibetans and non-Tibetans and in cooperation with local, state, national, and international Tibet groups to educate the public about Tibet. BAFoT celebrates Tibetan culture and the struggle for Tibetan National Independence. See www.friends-of-tibet.org for more information about us and our Special Projects.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Urgent: Tibetans Sentenced for "inciting self-immolations"
From: International Tibet Network
Date: Thu, January 31, 2013 7:55 am
To: giovanni@friends-of-tibet.org
click here to view this email in a browser

International Tibet Network Members' Message
31 January 2013
Dear Network Members

Urgent Take Action: Two Tibetans issued hefty sentences by a Chinese court having been found guilty of "intentional homicide" linked to the self-immolation protests.
Lobsang Konchok, a 40-year old Tibetan monk, has been issued a suspended death sentence. While this very severe sentence is an outrage, note that a death sentence a two-year reprieve is almost always commuted to life imprisonment or reduced to a fixed-term after the suspended period has been served.
Lobsang Tsering, his 31-year old nephew, has been given a 10 year prison sentence. A large number of other sentences, arrests and arbitrary detentions with reference to inolvement in "inciting self-immolation protets" are also known to have also taken place over the past few months, and we fear these are escalating. A recent report by Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy gives information about four monks from Gyalrong Tsodun Monastery who were sentenced terms between 10 years and six months - read the report HERE
Recommended Action:
i) Contact your Foreign Ministries: Explain the situation and that more sentences are expected shortly; a large number of Tibetans have been arrested or detained with similar accusations expressed against them. Express your concern that Tibetans are at risk of torture and your view that China is basing its accusations on the sharing of information about events in Tibet with Tibetan exile Urge Foreign Ministries to do the following two actions:
- Contact Chinese counterparts to express grave concern about
the severity of these sentences and urge China to adhere to internationally agreed legal standards
- Call the Chinese Ambassador in your country to convey their concerns.
ii) Contact your country's Beijing Embassy: Explain the situation and expression of concern as above. Ask them to seek full and detailed information about the sentencing and seek assurances that all Tibetan prisoners have the right to independent legal representation of their choice, and that torture will not be used to extract 'confessions'. Find Beijing Embassies contact details at:
http://www.chinahighlights.com/embassy/embassy-in-china/beijing/ iii) Contact the Chinese Embassy in your country: Convey your own concerns as above and ask supporters to do the same.

Best wishes

Mandie

Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay Appeal to Tibetans Not to Celebrate Losar

bafot — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:38:30 +0000

Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay Appeal to Tibetans Not to Celebrate Losar

Press Release
http://tibet.net/2013/01/24/sikyong-dr-lobsang-sangays-appeal-tibetans-n...
24 January 2013

With profound grief, I report that the number of Tibetans who have set themselves on fire to protest against repression in Tibet is now reaching 100. In 2012 alone, 83 Tibetans self-immolated, and twenty-eight of these occurred within the single month of November.

Now in the new year of 2013, I am saddened to inform you that three Tibetans have set themselves on fire. The most recent self-immolation by Kunchok Kyab, 26 years old, occurred just a few days ago. Given this continuing tragic situation, I request my fellow Tibetans to not celebrate Losar (Tibetan New Year) with our usual festivities. Instead, when this year’s holiday falls on February 11, I ask you to perform only the customary religious rituals like visiting temples and making offerings. Do wear our traditional robe (Chuba) to display our identity and tradition. Kindly pray for all who have sacrificed their lives and for all who continue to suffer in occupied Tibet.

The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) continues to appeal to Tibetans to not undertake drastic actions, and still, self-immolations persist in Tibet. The universal demands of the Tibetans have been the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet and freedom for Tibetans. This is the aspiration of Tibetans and our sacred duty to support.

In our 10 March 2012 statement, we called on all Tibetans and friends to make 2012 a Tibet Lobby Year. Due to their dedication, this call has been successful: we have seen resolutions passed in the European Union (EU), France, Italy and the United States, and statements issued by parliamentarians in Brazil, Japan and other nations.

The CTA expresses deep appreciation to these parliamentarians, and to global citizens, for their support. We also remain grateful to the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders and Freedom House for their attentiveness to and reports on the deteriorating situation in Tibet.

Let us build on the successful lobbying efforts of 2012 by fully engaging throughout 2013 in the *Solidarity With Tibet Campaign*. This campaign’s first major event took place in New York on 10 December 2012 and the release of the video on self-immolation, “What’s China doing in Tibet?”.

Within India, Tibetan parliamentarians are visiting state capitals to appraise and seek support from many prominent leaders.

From Wednesday, 30th January to 2nd February 2013, thousands of Tibetans will converge in Delhi, India’s capital city, for a series of campaign activities. On 10 March 2013, Tibetans from various corners of Europe will gather in Brussels, the capital city of the EU, to observe the 54th Tibetan national uprising day.

I urge all Tibetan Associations, Tibet Support Groups, international NGOs, people of all faiths, and friends of justice throughout the world to intensify efforts to lobby parliaments and governments. Call on the Chinese government to allow international delegation and media access into Tibet. Reach out to your local and national media and encourage them to write and broadcast about what is happening in Tibet. In all endeavors, please continue to conduct our campaign in a peaceful, legal and dignified manner.

I appeal to our Chinese brothers and sisters to join us in supporting the aspirations of the Tibetan people. The CTA remains committed to the Middle-Way Approach and to resolve the issue of Tibet peacefully through dialogue. The responsibility as well as the solution for the current crisis in Tibet lies with the Chinese government.

To our brothers and sisters in Tibet, we are with you every step of the way. The three principles of unity, innovation and self-reliance will guide us towards our goal of seeing His Holiness the Dalai Lama return to Tibet and restoring freedom for Tibetans.

__________________________

Liaison Officer - Latin America
OFFICE OF TIBET
241 East 32nd Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 213 5010 extn. 11

To learn more about Tibet and the Tibetan culture in Spanish language, subscribe our quarterly newsletter, "Noticias del Tibet". You can also our website, www.spanish.tibetoffice.org

Join the Rangzen Walk around the Bay Area March 23--30

bafot — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 19:58:41 +0000

Dear Friends,

Please join with me, Tibetans, and Americans to for a Freedom - Rangzen Walk - any step along the way of 108 miles that will be undertaken to highlight Tibetan rights.

Rangzen: International Tibet Independence Movement will be leading a March for Tibet's Independence in 2013, from March 23 to 30 in the Bay Area. March co-sponsors include Bay Area Friends of Tibet, Tibetan Association of Northern California, San Francisco Students for a Free Tibet, and San Francisco Regional Tibetan Youth Congress.

We will March 108 miles from TANC's community center in Richmond, California to Oakland, San Jose, and end at the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco.

We are looking for walkers. If you would like to join the walk for the entire time, please contact Benjamin Cox (773) 398-1178 benjamin@rangzen.org or Ngawang Norbu (773) 321-2858 or ngwang16@yahoo.com.

Let's show Tibetans in Tibet we are listening to them.

Thank you -

Sincerely,

Giovanni Vassallo | President | Bay Area Friends of Tibet
415-264-3264 | giovanni@friends-of-tibet.org
www.friends-of-tibet.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tibetans, Americans Converge To "March for Tibet's Independence" Following Self-Immolations in Tibet
January 24, 2013
Contact: Benjamin Cox (benjamin@rangzen.org or 773-398-1178)
Ngawang Norbu (781) 572-5611 email: ngawang16@yahoo.com

CHICAGO, IL – In solidarity with Tibetans suffering under brutal human rights abuses in China-occupied Tibet, Rangzen: The International Tibet Independence Movement will lead a 108-mile "March for Tibet's Independence" from March 23 – 30 in San Francisco, California. Tibetans and Tibet supporters from around the U.S. will join the march—Circle the Bay for Tibet—to protest the repressive conditions that have led Tibetans to set themselves on fire to demand basic freedoms and the return of the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled leader.

Co-sponsors for this walk currently include:
- Bay Area Friends of Tibet -Tibetan Association of Northern California - Bay Area Students for a Free Tibet - San Francisco Regional Tibetan Youth Congress

Time Magazine has described the spate of self-immolations in Tibet over the last few years as one of the most underreported stories of 2011, and the burnings have only continued to intensify. Self-immolation is a horrific form of protest that Americans first saw on television during the Vietnam War, and which touched off Tunisia's democratic uprising and the wider ‘Arab Spring.’ Its emergence in Tibet illustrates the despair of many Tibetans at their plight under Chinese occupation, now in its seventh decade.

Chinese authorities have responded to the self-immolations in Tibet by sealing off much of Tibet to outside visitors and further militarizing the area, exacerbating the conditions that are driving the devastating wave of self-immolations. On December 5, 2012, Beijing's new leadership under Xi Jinping reinforced its hardline position on Tibet by announcing that anyone caught aiding or inciting self-immolations will be charged with murder. Nearly 100 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in Tibet since 2009 in protest of China’s continued occupation and to demand the return of the Dalai Lama from exile. The most recent immolation was a teenage boy in Tibet on January 24, 2013.

This will be the 19th 'March' or 'Ride' for Tibet's independence organized by Rangzen (formerly ITIM) since 1995. The walkers and cyclists have covered 3,876 miles over 377 days since 1997 in their campaigns to generate awareness about the repression in Tibet by the Chinese government. Rangzen continues to organize walks for Tibet for several reasons:

1. To restore Tibet’s independence;
2. To give voice to the Tibetans inside of Tibet who desire their freedom;
3. Because Gendhun Choekyi Nyima (The Panchen Lama), Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and other Tibetans are imprisoned or missing; and
4. Because the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s political and spiritual leader, is still living in exile.

"We are walking in solidarity with our fellow Tibetans inside Tibet because the situation is very serious," said Ngawang Norbu, Rangzen board member. "Nearly 100 people have self-immolated. Their last wishes were for the freedom of the Tibetan people and return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. We want to bring their message to the international community. The rising death toll in Tibet demands a new approach from world governments and concerned citizens. We want Tibetans inside Tibet to know that world is listening."

Rangzen was co-founded in 1995 by Taktser Rinpoche (His Holiness The Dalai Lama's oldest brother) and Professor Larry Gerstein to obtain Tibet's independence through non-violent methods. There are over 10,000 supporters of this organization worldwide (www.rangzen.org).

###

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Bay Area Friends of Tibet is the US West Coast's original Tibet Support Group, founded in 1983 by Tibetans and Friends of Tibet, including Tenzing Sonam, son of Lhamo Tsering, Chief of Operations of the Mustang Tibetan Resistance Force. BAFoT works as a Bridge between Tibetans and non-Tibetans and in cooperation with local, state, national, and international Tibet groups to educate the public about Tibet. BAFoT celebrates Tibetan culture. See www.friends-of-tibet.org for more information about us and our Special Projects.

Bay Area Friends of Tibet - News

Archived News Items Now Available

Tags:

Dhondup Wangchen released, thanks supporters

Tags:

Statement of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery on the Panchen Lama's 25th Birthday

Tags:

Ask Senator Boxer to sign the Udall Rubio Feinstein letter on Tibet

Tags:

What's China doing in Tibet?

Tags:

Epoch Times on March 10 Protest (in Chinese)

Tags:

Dhondup Wangchen Transferred to Another Chinese Prison

Tags:

Urgent Action: Tibetans Sentenced for "Inciting Self-Immolation"

Tags:

Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay Appeal to Tibetans Not to Celebrate Losar

Tags:

Join the Rangzen Walk around the Bay Area March 23--30

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