Tíbet Libre

Encuentro del Dalai Lama con el presidente Sarkozy.

2008-12-08T17:52:00.004-02:00

A pesar de las insistentes presiones del gobierno de la "República Popular" de China, el presidente francés Nicolas Sarkozy se ha encontrado con el Dalai Lama, en un gesto que merece ser aplaudido y valorado por todos aquellos que queremos la libertad para el pueblo tibetano. Porque a pesar de los descarados intentos de la China comunista para acallar los lamentos de un pueblo sojuzgado, somos muchos los que seguiremos bregando en voz alta por esta causa noble y justa.

Respaldo del exilio tibetano al Dalai Lama.

2008-11-22T10:47:00.002-02:00

Un artículo del diario ABC, de Madrid, firmado por el corresponsal Pablo M. Díez, remarca que el exilio tibetano sigue acompañando al Dalai Lama a pesar de las negociaciones fracasadas con el gobierno de la "República Popular" de China. El Dalai Lama sigue bregando por una vía pacífica hacia la autonomía del Tíbet.

Comité Contra la Tortura: investigación en China.

2008-08-13T21:20:00.003-03:00

El Comité Contra la Tortura de las Naciones Unidas, un cuerpo independiente de expertos, solicitó a China que provea una lista completa de los detenidos de todos los tibetanos detenidos luego de la demostración de marzo del 2008 en el Tíbet. Esta solicitud también incluye información sobre su actual localización, procesos, etc.. El cuerpo independiente de expertos monitorea la implementación de la Convención de las Naciones Unidas contra la tortura y otros tratos y castigos crueles, inhumanos y degradantes por parte de los Estados miembros.
Los expertos preguntan a China sobre qué regulaciones secretas fueron aplicadas en estos casos y por qué. Y agregan: "En vista de los alegatos de que los abogados que se ofrecieron para defender manifestantes tibetanos fueron advertidos de que sus licencias profesionales serían suspendidas si lo hacían, por favor clarifiquen qué asesoría fue provista y si a los defendidos se les permitió encontrarse con ese abogado en privado, antes de su juicio".
Los expertos también cuestionaron porqué un detenido no tiene el derecho de acceder a un médico independiente durante la detención previa al juicio o después de la sentencia.
También buscan información por parte del gobierno chino de 30 tibetanos que fueron sentenciados entre tres años a cadena perpetua. Los expertos solicitaron que el gobierno chino esclarezca los fundamentos de las sentencias y en cuántos casos hubo confesiones por parte de los detenidos. Y si los tibetanos tuvieron oportunidades de apelación contra los veredictos, y si hubo una revisión independiente o una comisión especial fue asignada a estos casos.
El cuerpo de expertos de las Naciones Unidas también busca información o una investigación sobre las muertes y si habrá una investigación pública y transparente sobre el nùmero de fallecidos vinculados a las manifestaciones en la región autónoma del Tíbet y en zonas y prefecturas vecinas. También sobre las detenciones para reeducación a través del trabajo, el comité busca información sobre otros centros de detención así como de personas detenidas bajo la Ley de Castigos Administrativos de 1997.
El comité también solicitó información sobre el paradero de Genden Choekyi Nyima - el Panchen Rinpoche- quien fue arrestado por las fuerzas de seguridad chinas en mayo de 1995 y desde entonces se desconoce su situación.

Por Tenzin Samphel KaytaTibet Bureau, Ginebra, 13 de agosto del 2008.
Traducción: RLG.

Italia: grupo parlamentario.

2008-07-10T21:10:00.004-03:00

Un grupo parlamentario por el Tíbet se ha formado en Italia el martes 8 de julio de este año, tras las elecciones legislativas. Se compone de 120 miembros que bregarán por la defensa de las libertades de los tibetanos y proseguirá esta tarea después de los juegos olímpicos, cuando todas las miradas se dirijan hacia otras latitudes. Excelente iniciativa la de los legisladores italianos.

¿Advertencia?

2008-07-08T20:29:00.002-03:00

El gobierno de la "República Popular China" ha advertido al presidente Nicolas Sarkozy que, si mantiene un encuentro con S.S. el XIV Dalai Lama, habrá serias consecuencias para relaciones diplomáticas entre ambas naciones. Típico de la "diplomacia" gangsteril de la dictadura china, esta permanente declaración de amenazas y represalias debe ser desafiada con valor por parte de todas las democracias del mundo, para reclamar por la plena vigencia de los derechos individuales de los tibetanos y de todas las minorías étnicas y religiosas dentro de la China continental.

Diálogo con el Dalai Lama

2008-04-25T21:27:00.003-03:00

El gobierno de la "República Popular" de China comenzaría a dialogar con el Dalai Lama, debido a la gran presión internacional que está habiendo en ese sentido. De este modo, tras acusaciones infundadas de que el líder religioso del budismo tibetano estaría tras la violencia en el Tíbet -a pesar de sus constantes y numerosos llamados a la paz-, el gobierno dictatorial de China continental debe acceder al pedido que la opinión pública democrática le viene exigiendo.

Japón: se permitirán manifestaciones pro Tíbet.

2008-04-22T20:47:00.002-03:00

By Patrice Novotny, AFP
Apr 22, 2008

TOKYO - Japan will allow pro-Tibet protests when the Olympic torch arrives this weekend, marking a change from recent legs of the relay, but will limit the rallies’ size, officials and activists said today.
Demonstrators plan a ceremony at a famed Buddhist temple, which backed out of plans to be the starting point for Saturday’s relay, to mourn victims of China’s recent crackdown in Tibet.
"Protesting doesn’t pose any particular problem," Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura told reporters.
He warned, however, that police would intervene if violence broke out at the relay in Nagano, a central mountain town that hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics.
Akemi Takahashi, a member of Students for a Free Tibet Japan, said Nagano police had told the group that it would only allow rallies of "around five people" near the torch.Police told demonstrators that areas near the relay route "will be occupied by activities of the IOC" (International Olympic Committee), she told AFP. "We have the right to make big demonstrations, but not close to the relay route," she said.
Kyodo News, quoting local officials, said that hotels in Nagano have also been asked to keep a close eye on the identification of foreign guests.The latest relay legs have been run amid high security following chaotic protest scenes in Western cities, particularly London and Paris.
On the torch’s Asian journey, Indonesian police on today broke up a peaceful rally by pro-Tibet demonstrators in Jakarta.
A day earlier, police in Kuala Lumpur said they detained a Japanese family waving Tibetan flags at the relay who had been hit by Chinese nationals with plastic batons.High-profile protestor Robert Menard, head of Paris-based Reporters Without Borders, is planning to come to Japan to hold a rally.
Menard and two others disrupted the flame-lighting ceremony in Greece by unfurling a banner with Olympic rings replaced by handcuffs, setting the stage for demonstrations throughout the torch relay.Justice Minister Yukio Hatoyama denied reports that Japan was considering barring Menard from entering the country. "If he had received a criminal sentence, it would be a different story, but as of now there are no grounds to discuss denying him entry," Hatoyama told reporters.Japan has been trying to repair ties with China, which are uneasy due in part to memories of Japanese aggression. Chinese President Hu Jintao is due to pay a rare visit to Tokyo from May 6.
The Japan Buddhist Federation, the nation’s largest Buddhist body, gave a letter to Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on Tuesday calling for a swift resolution to problems in Tibet, which last month saw the biggest protests in nearly two decades against China’s controversial rule.
"We, Japanese Buddhist monks, feel deep sorrow over the serious situation in which clashes in (Tibet capital) Lhasa and its vicinity have caused many casualties," Daijo Toyohara, head of the association, said in the letter."I would like you to make efforts to reach a humanitarian resolution as soon as possible through peaceful dialogue without the use of force," he said.
Buddhist monks said yesterday that they would hold a ceremony of mourning for Tibetans on Saturday at the seventh-century Zenkoji temple, which backed out of being the starting point for the relay.

Gobierno chino detiene a periodista tibetana

2008-04-19T10:30:00.002-03:00

By ANDREW JACOBS
The New York Times Company
April 18, 2008 BEIJING

The Chinese authorities have detained a prominent Tibetan television reporter and intellectual who is also a popular singer, suggesting that the government crackdown after the disturbances in and around Tibet has yet to run its course.
The reporter, Jamyang Kyi, 42, an announcer at the state-run television station in Qinghai, a western province bordering Tibet, was escorted from her office on April 1 by plainclothes police officers in the city of Xining, according to colleagues and friends. The authorities also confiscated her computer and a list of contacts, they said.
Her husband, Lamao Jia, who is also a journalist and a writer, said he had received no word from his wife for more than a week and did not know where she was being held. “She is in serious trouble,” he said in a telephone interview on Thursday. “I’m very worried for her safety. I’m very sorry. I can’t say more.”There has been no official confirmation of the detention.
Although she has worked in the Tibetan language division of Qinghai Television for two decades, Jamyang Kyi is better known for her singing and song-writing, especially among overseas Tibetans. She has made several trips abroad, and in 2006 she toured the United States, appearing with other Tibetan performers, some of them prominent exiles, and lecturing at several universities.
She is also a respected intellectual and blogger who has written about women’s rights and the trafficking of girls. Chukora Tsering, a researcher at the Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy in Dharamsala, India, said he knew of nothing in her music or writings that might have provoked the authorities. “She is completely apolitical, but she is a proud Tibetan,” he said. “Still, given her background, we are not entirely surprised she has been detained.”
The Chinese government is always sensitive to public expression that could be construed as advocating Tibetan independence, but its vigilance has intensified since the outbreak of disturbances in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, and in Tibetan-populated areas of China last month. The riots have been followed by a spate of protests and clashes in neighboring provinces that have large Tibetan populations. The atmosphere remains especially tense in Qinghai and Gansu Provinces.
According to Xinhua, China’s official news agency, 2,200 people, 519 of them monks, have been taken into custody since the riots began in mid-March. The agency said 1,870 of those had been released after questioning, but officials are still seeking scores of people who took part in disturbances that the government contends killed 19 people, nearly all of them Han Chinese. Tibetan exiles put the figure at 140 and say most of the dead were Tibetan.
In recent weeks, the government-run media have featured a steady diet of articles detailing the crimes of “Tibetan separatists” who they say are being led by the Dalai Lama. On Wednesday, the police said they discovered dynamite, weapons and satellite dishes at 11 Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in Gansu, in northwestern China.And on Thursday, Xinhua featured the confessions of two “riotous monks,” Garzang Samdain and Garzang Samzhou, who it said had admitted to setting fire to a government building in Gansu, tearing up the Chinese flag and holding aloft the Tibetan flag, which is banned in China. Last weekend the police posted photographs on the Internet of 14 Tibetans being sought for questioning.
Jamyang Kyi has avoided themes or language in her music and writings that could be construed as challenging the Communist Party’s hold over Tibet. Many ethnic Tibetans complain of government policies they say favor Chinese culture over the traditional religion and language of Tibet, an accusation Chinese officials deny.
“I’m 99 percent sure that there is no basis for the accusations against her, whatever they might be,” said Robert Barnett, director of Columbia University’s Modern Tibetan studies program, a sponsor of her 2006 visit.Asked about Jamyang Kyi’s detention, Jiang Yu, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said she was unaware of the songwriter’s case. She insisted, however, that the Chinese legal system dealt fairly with all its citizens. “China is a country under the rule of law,” she said when asked about Jamyang Kyi on Thursday. “The law protects freedom of speech and other rights of its citizens. Only when a person goes against the law will they be punished by the law.”

Legislatura de Ontario: por el diálogo sino-tibetano.

2008-04-12T16:11:00.002-03:00

Canadian Press
April 10, 2008TORONTO —
As hundreds of pro-Tibetan protesters gathered outside the Ontario legislature Thursday, politicians inside voted in favour of a motion calling on China to engage in dialogue with Tibet in a gesture made by a government that flatly refuses to scuttle plans for a trade mission to Beijing.
The Liberals have been taking heat all week over Economic Development and Trade Minister Sandra Pupatello's visit to China this weekend, with human rights activists and the opposition parties condemning the timing of the trip.
Deputy Premier George Smitherman introduced the motion that described Ontario as "a long-standing friend of China" and expressed the legislature's "concern with the current situation in Tibet and encourage the parties to engage in meaningful dialogue."
Smitherman called it a "very, very strong opportunity for Ontarians to be united" in their stand against human rights abuses in Tibet.But Conservative critic Randy Hillier mocked the Liberal motion, saying it was the wrong time to ask China's communist government to talk with Tibetans while tanks and riot police were being used to crack down on riots in Tibet.
"This is a weak, fluffy motion of no importance whatsoever," Hillier told the legislature.
"You cannot have constructive dialogue when one side is so overwhelmingly powerful and the other side so overwhelmingly weak; when one side is willing to use force, when one side is willing to use violence and has no regard and no respect for freedoms, for justice, for any of our democratic values."
The Conservatives and New Democrats both complained that the Liberals failed to notify them of the China motion when the three party house leaders met earlier Thursday. They said they only learned of the proposal when Smitherman raised it in the legislature, following the protests on the front lawn.NDP critic Cheri DiNovo told the legislature that Pupatello's office tried to hide the planned mission to China, and said the New Democrats had nothing against increasing trade with a country that has 1.3 billion people."We do have something against the timing of this trip, and we certainly have something against the fact that this minister of trade will not promise to speak about human rights violations in Tibet," said DiNovo."Why did they try to hide this trip? Because it's a shameful trip."
Kalsang Tsomo, a Tibetan who now lives in Toronto, said Thursday she wished Pupatello had cancelled her visit to China but hopes the minister will raise the human rights abuses with Communist authorities."If she really could not postpone her trip, at least she could take the message on our behalf about the human rights that are being violated in Tibet, and about allowing the international media in so the world can see what is going on in Tibet," said Tsomo.
"We also request her to take the message (to China) to have a dialogue with the Dalai Lama."As a crowd of about 400 people chanted "Long live the Dalai Lama" and "China out of Tibet" outside the legislature, a tearful Naaang Diki, 57, wiped away tears and kneeled as another protester shaved her head.Describing herself as a "political refugee," Diki said she came to Canada from Tibet a mere 14 months ago to live in freedom."A lot of people have died and are suffering, so cutting my hair is no big deal," she said through a translator."In Tibet, we don't have freedom and we can't speak out. That's why I came to Canada, because it's a better place. We're in Canada because we're prisoners back home."Chinese communists troops occupied Tibet in 1951, and Beijing continues to rule the region with a heavy hand.China clamped down hard on Tibet a month ago after anti-government protests erupted. Dozens of people were killed and scores arrested.
China says it has ruled Tibet for centuries, although many Tibetans say they were essentially an independent state for most of that time.
Earlier in the morning, Tibetan-Canadian Jangchp Dorjee was one of several hundred who gathered at the Chinese consulate in Toronto to shout slogans and sing protest songs.
"We're getting support from all over the world," he said, referring to the recent decision of world leaders like British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who said he would not attend the opening ceremonies of Beijing's 2008 Olympic Games this August.
"And we expect the same support from all levels of government in Canada."

Mensaje del Dalai Lama a todos los tibetanos.

2008-04-06T19:49:00.001-03:00

Dharamsala
Sunday, April 06 2008

While extending my warm greetings to all the Tibetans in Tibet, I would like to share some of my thoughts.
1. Since March 10 this year, we have witnessed protests and demonstrations in almost all parts of Tibet, even in a few cities in Mainland China by students, which are the outburst of long pent-up physical and mental anguish of the Tibetans and the feeling of deep resentment against the suppression of the rights of Tibetan people, lack of religious freedom and for trying to distort the truth at every occasion, such as saying that Tibetans look towards the Chinese Communist Party as the "Living Buddha", is an ultra leftist statement and smacks of Han chauvinism. I am very much saddened and concerned by the use of arms to suppress the peaceful demonstrations of Tibetan people's aspirations that have resulted in unrest in Tibet, causing many deaths, and much more causalities, detention, and injury. Such suppression and suffering are very unfortunate and tragic which will reduce any compassionate person to tears. I, however, feel helpless in the face of these tragic incidents.
2. I pray for all the Tibetans as well as Chinese who have lost their lives during the current crisis.
3. The recent protests all over Tibet have not only contradicted but also shattered the People Republic of China?s propaganda that except for a few "reactionaries", the majority of Tibetans enjoy a prosperous and contented life. These protests have made it very clear that Tibetans in the three provinces of Tibet, U-tsang, Kham and Amdo, harbor the same aspirations and hopes. These protests have also conveyed to the world that the Tibet issue can no longer be neglected. These protests highlight the need to find a way to resolve the issue through "finding truth from facts". The courage and determination of those Tibetans who have, for the greater interests of Tibetan people, demonstrated their deep anguish and hopes by risking everything is very commendable as the world community has acknowledged and supported the spirit of these Tibetans.
4. I deeply appreciate the acts of many Tibetan government employees and Communist Party cadres who have, without losing their Tibetan identity, shown grit and sense of what is right during the present crisis. In future, I would appeal to the Tibetan Party cadres and government employees not to look always for their personal benefit, but to work for safeguarding the larger interests of Tibet by reporting the real sentiments of the Tibetan people to their superiors in the Party and try to give unbiased guidance to the Tibetan people.
5. Presidents, Prime Ministers, Foreign Ministers, Nobel Laureates, Parliamentarians, and concerned citizens from every part of the world have been sending clear and strong messages to the Chinese leadership to stop the present ongoing harsh crackdown against the Tibetan people. They have all been encouraging the Chinese government to follow a path where a mutually beneficial solution could be reached. We should create an opportunity for their efforts to bring out positive results. I know you are being provoked at every level but it is important to stick to our non-violent practice.
6. The Chinese authorities have been making false allegations against myself and the Central Tibetan Administration for instigating and orchestrating the recent events in Tibet. These allegations are totally untrue. I have made repeated appeals for an independent and respected international body to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter. I am sure this independent body will uncover the truth. If the People's Republic of China has any basis and proof of evidence to back their allegations, they need to disclose these to the world. Just making allegations is not enough.
7. For the future of Tibet, I have decided to find a solution within the framework of the People's Republic of China. Since 1974, I have sincerely remained steadfast to the mutually beneficial Middle-Way Approach. The whole world knows this. The Middle-Way Approach means that all Tibetans must be governed by similar administration that enjoys meaningful National Regional Autonomy and all the provisions in it, self-rule and full decision-making, except for matters concerning foreign relations and national defense. However, I have said it from the beginning that the Tibetans in Tibet have the right to make the final decision for the future of Tibet.
8. The hosting of the Olympic games this year is a matter of great pride to the 1.2 billion Chinese people. I have from the very beginning supported the holding of these Games in Beijing. My position on this remains unchanged. I feel the Tibetans should not cause any hindrance to the Games. It is the legitimate right of every Tibetan to struggle for their freedoms and rights. On the other hand, it will be futile and not helpful to anyone if we do something that will create hatred in the minds of the Chinese people. On the contrary, we need to foster trust and respect in our hearts in order to create a harmonious society, as this cannot be built on the basis of force and intimidation.
9. Our struggle is with a few in the leadership of the People's Republic of China and not with the Chinese people. Therefore we should never cause misunderstanding or do something that will hurt the Chinese people. Even during this difficult situation, many Chinese intellectuals, writers and lawyers in Mainland China and other parts of the world have sympathized and shown us their solidarity by issuing statements, writing articles and offering pledges of support that is overwhelming. I have recently issued an appeal to the Chinese people all over the world on 28th March, which I hope you will hear and read.
10. If the present situation in Tibet continues, I am very much concerned that the Chinese government will unleash more force and increase the suppression of Tibetan people. Because of my moral obligation and responsibility to the Tibetan people, I have repeatedly asked the concerned leadership of the PRC to immediately stop their suppression in all parts of Tibet and withdraw its armed police and troops. If this brings result, I would also advise the Tibetans to stop all the current protests.
11. I want to urge my fellow Tibetans who live in freedom outside Tibet to be extra vigilant as they voice their feelings on the developments in Tibet. We should not engage in any action that could be even remotely interpreted as violent. Even under the most provocative of situations we must not allow our most precious and deeply held values to be compromised. I firmly believe that we will achieve success through our non-violent path. We must be wise to understand where the unprecedented affection and support for our cause stems from.
12. As Tibet is currently virtually closed and no international media is allowed there, I doubt my message will reach the Tibetans in Tibet. But I hope through media and by word of mouth, it will be passed on to the majority of you.
13. Finally, I want to reiterate and appeal once again to Tibetans to practice non-violence and not waver from this path, however serious the situation might be.

The Dalai Lama
Dharamsala
April 6, 2008

Tíbet, Darfur, perritos y gatitos...

2008-04-05T13:44:00.003-03:00

Por Rebecca Novick

The Huffington Post,
NYApril 4, 2008

'The most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle'.

- Pierre de Coubertin, Founder of the modern Olympic Games

Seven years ago, I was nursing a sunburn in a tent on a sidewalk outside the offices of the Vice President of the United States Olympic Committee in a rough neighborhood near downtown Los Angeles. I was one of a handful of activists there to protest the 2008 Summer Olympics being handed to Beijing.
When the verdict came down in favor of China, it felt like a low point in the struggle for human rights. Little did we know back then that these Olympics would become a lightening rod for social causes across the planet--from human rights to animal rights, to labor rights and the environment. The Beijing Olympics has engaged and inspired activists like never before, and made activists out of those who were only sideline sympathizers. It is simply the best thing to have happened to the Tibetan cause in 50 years. And I find myself asking, 'What were we thinking?' But as long time Tibet activist, Tseten Phanucharas says, "It was important to protest then, and it's important to grasp the opportunity now."The opportunity now is loaded with potential. The Olympics is good for Tibet, and Darfur, and puppies and kittens, but not for the reasons that the IOC thinks. IOC president Jacques Rogge buoyantly proclaimed his conviction that the Olympic Games "will improve human rights in China". But it seems the opposite is true. Amnesty International is reporting that China's human rights record has actually deteriorated since being awarded the Games as it engages in a pre-Olympic Spring-cleaning of potential troublemakers.
The IOC said that the Olympics would open China up. It's opened China up all right--not to a relaxation of their repressive policies, but to the scrutiny and attention of the free world. And this is what is creating pressure for change in China. It's thanks to the journalists on the front line of our much-maligned media, and the bureau chiefs at CNN, BBC, Reuters and AP, who are bringing the stories to our attention that then creates public pressure on politicians to act.
And, now, like a scenario dreamed up by Human Rights Inc., the torch is being carried across the continents of the globe, looking less like a glowing beacon of the human spirit than a symbol of violence and repression. The torch's journey is igniting protests, discussion and debate, and shedding even more light on the issues that China would rather ignore (including the grievances of middle-American blue collar workers who are waking up to find their jobs have relocated to Jiangsu).
And carrying the torch is feeling, well.... icky. The captain of India's national soccer team has refused to carry it, as has a disabled British comedienne. It's getting harder to find people who want to touch the thing. San Francisco's Board of Supervisors have said that the city will receive the torch in a spirit of "alarm and protest"--not exactly the reaction China had in mind, I'm guessing.
Separating politics from the 2008 Beijing Games will be like trying to separate heat from fire. Who is going to watch the opening ceremonies in August and not think about Chinese police firing live ammunition into crowds of Tibetan monks, or the torture of prisoners, or the horrors of Darfur, or the muzzling of journalists?
Tibetans know that this is their year; that the Olympics have given them a once in a lifetime opportunity to be heard among the ka-ching! of trade interests that always seems to drown out the calls for freedom and decency. The IOC has repeatedly said that it doesn't want to involve itself in politics. It keeps talking about something called the "Olympic spirit". But in trying to crush the human spirit, it is China's leaders who have made the Games political. And they couldn't have done a better job.

Rebecca Novick is the Executive Producer of The Tibet Connection radio program. http://www.thetibetconnection.org/

Primer ministro canadiense no asistirá a la inauguración en Beijing.

2008-04-04T16:49:00.002-03:00

El primer ministro de Canadá, Stephen Harper -de signo conservador-, no participará de la inauguración de los Juegos Olímpicos en Beijing.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has called on China to respect human rights but suggested it is premature to think of boycotting the 2008 Olympics opening ceremonies -- though he said he has no plans to personally attend the event.
Harper was speaking to reporters in Bucharest, Romania where a key NATO summit is taking place.
At the same news conference, Harper announced his goal of convincing other members to ante-up 1,000 troops, as well as equipment, had beenachieved and Canada would be extending its military role beyond the February 2009 deadline.
Harper said Canada would be sending high-ranking representatives to the opening ceremonies. He suggested the world is watching China's behaviourclosely.
"I would continue to urge China to respect human rights and peaceful protest, not just in Tibet but everywhere," Harper said.
"And I would also encourage the government of China to understand that its growing wealth, its growing profile in the world and of course theprofile of the Olympics will put a greater and greater spotlight on its record in this regard."
International concerns about China's handling of recent unrest in Tibet will only escalate if things don't change, Harper said.
"My strong advice would be to take these concerns seriously because I think they are likely to grow rather than diminish if we see a repetition of the current pattern," Harper said.

Llamado del Dalai Lama

2008-04-03T15:27:00.001-03:00

Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
April 2, 2008

I would like to express my appreciation and gratitude to the world leaders, Parliamentarians, NGOs and public who have expressed their concern over the recent deeply saddening and tragic events in Tibet. We are also grateful for their efforts in persuading the Chinese authorities to exercise restraint in dealing with the peaceful protesters, while at the same time calling for meaningful dialogue to resolve the issue.
I believe the recent demonstrations and protests are a manifestation of the deep-rooted resentment not only of the Tibetan people in the so-called Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), but also in the outlying traditional Tibetan areas now incorporated into Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, where there exist substantial ethnic Tibetans.According to reliable sources, the Chinese authorities have deployed large contingents of troops in these traditional Tibetan regions and have not only started to crack down heavily on the Tibetans allegedly involved in the unrest, but also sealed off the areas where protests have taken place.
I therefore appeal for your continued support in calling for an immediate end to the current crackdown, the release of all those who have been arrested and detained, and the provision of proper medical treatment. We are particularly concerned about the provision of adequate medical facilities, as there are reports of many injured Tibetans being afraid to go to Chinese-run hospitals and clinics.
I would also request you to encourage the sending of an independent international body, to investigate the unrest and its underlying causes, as well as allow the media and international medical teams to visit the affected areas. Their presence will not only instill a sense of reassurance in the Tibetan people, but will also exercise a restraining influence on the Chinese authorities.

THE DALAI LAMA
Dharamsala, India

Radio tibetana en el exilio exige detener interferencias en sus transmisiones.

2008-04-02T19:41:00.001-03:00

The Associated Press
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
OSLO, Norway: The exile radio network Voice of Tibet on Wednesday accused Beijing of stepping up jamming of its shortwave news broadcasts into the Himalayan province during a crackdown on anti-Chinese demonstrations in Tibet and ahead of the 2008 Olympics in China.
"There has been enormous focus on journalists not getting free access to Tibet. The other side of the coin is that information from the outside is not getting into Tibet," said Oystein Alme, a Norwegian who runs the nonprofit foundation's business office in Oslo.
Most of the Voice of Tibet's 13 staff work at its main editorial office in Dharamsala, India, with Alme handling administration and funding in Oslo. The network started broadcasting in 1996, and has daily evening newscasts about Tibet in the Tibetan language and Mandarin Chinese.
"They started jamming us nearly 13 years ago," Alme told The Associated Press. "Now they have been stepping it up in connection with the demonstrations."
Tibetans have been protesting and rioting in the longest challenge to China's rule in the Himalayan region since 1989. The crackdown by Chinese authorities has focused international attention on the country's human-rights record in the run-up to the Beijing Games in August.
The protests started out peacefully among monks on March 10 ? the anniversary of a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule ? but they turned violent four days later. The province has been all but closed to independent news media. Chinese officials say 22 people have died in the protests, while Tibetan exiles say nearly 140 people were killed.
Alme said the Chinese use ground stations in Tibet to transmit two or more additional signals on the frequency used by the Voice of Tibet to make the broadcasts incomprehensible.
"The Chinese jamming transmissions contain a mixture of dragon dance music, drums and noise, and affects listening also in India, Nepal and Europe," said Alme. The Chinese are "denying Tibetans access to uncensored news and information from the outside world."
Alme said Chinese jamming violated international treaties giving the network exclusive rights to its registered frequency.The Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing had no immediate comment on the allegation.China's Communist government maintains strict controls over the media. Domestic news outlets are entirely state-run and Beijing limits access to foreign news broadcasts and Web sites.International organizations, including Reporters Without Borders and the World Association of Newspapers, also have protested China's crackdown on information to and from Tibet, particularly considering its promised of press freedoms when it was awarded the 2008 Olympics."The Chinese government is trampling on the promises it made linked to the Olympics and preparing the ground to crack down on the Tibetan revolt in the absence of witnesses," said a recent statement from Reporters Without Borders, which also protested Chinese jamming of the Voice of Tibet, the Voice of America and Radio Free Asia.During pro-democracy protests in Myanmar late last year, the Oslo-based Democratic Voice of Burma was a crucial source of information about what was happening in that country after the military dictatorship cut off most information during a brutal crackdown. The independent Burma radio managed to smuggle out pictures and information through the Internet and by mobile phones.
"It is very different for us," said Alme about Tibet. "We don't have any information. The grip on the Tibet is much stronger."Alme refused to say where Voice of Tibet transmitters are based or who funds it, fearing Chinese efforts to force them to withdraw support.

China: se deteriora el respeto a los derechos humanos.

2008-04-02T13:17:00.002-03:00

Amnesty International denuncia que debido a los Juegos Olímpicos en Beijing, el gobierno de China continental está restringiendo las libertades fundamentales, por lo que llama a las democracias del mundo a denunciar esta situación, informa la BBC. Está creciendo el pedido a George W. Bush para que no asista a la inauguración de los Juegos, como una forma de demostrar la protesta, sumándose a la postura de Angela Merkel y, probablemente, de Nicolas Sarkozy.

Dictador Fidel Castro apoya el régimen represivo chino.

2008-04-01T21:54:00.007-03:00

Como no podía ser de otro modo, el dictador cubano Fidel Castro apoya abiertamente al régimen represivo de la China comunista en Tíbet, negando descaradamente la independencia que este país gozó en el pasado. Está claro que su régimen oprobioso está siguiendo los pasos de sus camaradas en China continental, violando sistemáticamente las libertades fundamentales y esclavizando al pueblo chino y las minorías étnicas y religiosas.

Durante la "revolución cultural", Guardias Rojos destruyendo la milenaria cultura tibetana.

Futbolista indio se niega a llevar la antorcha olímpica.

2008-04-01T21:43:00.003-03:00

India's football captain Baichung Bhutia has refused to carry the Olympic torch during its journey through the Indian capital Delhi later this month.
He told the authorities the move was in protest against China's crackdown on Tibetan demonstrators, officials said.
India has not allowed large-scale Tibetan protests against China, which is hosting the Olympics this year.
Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has lived in India since fleeing his homeland in 1959.India is also home to more than 150,000 Tibetan exiles.
Tibet's government-in-exile, based in India, says up to 140 people were killed in a crackdown by Chinese security forces since anti-China riots began two weeks ago.
Beijing disputes this, saying rioters killed 18 civilians and two police officers during the protests.

Sympathy

"I sympathise with the Tibetan cause. This is my way of standing by the people of Tibet and their struggle. I abhor violence in any form," Bhutia told the Times of India newspaper.
Bhutia is a Buddhist who comes from the north-eastern Indian state of Sikkim which has long been claimed by China as its own territory.
The footballer told the newspaper he had not been requested by any group to pull out of the torch run.
"This is an absolutely personal decision. I feel what is happening in Tibet is not right and in my small way I should show my solidarity," he said.
The Indian Olympic Association, which is organising the flame's journey through Delhi on 17 April, has invited several top athletes to participate.

Fuente: BBC News, 1º de abril del 2008.

Nancy Pelosi con el Dalai Lama

2008-04-01T21:21:00.001-03:00

La presidenta de la Cámara de Diputados de Estados Unidos, Nancy Pelosi, tras su encuentro con el XIV Dalai Lama.

Angela Merkel no asistirá a la inauguración de los Juegos Olímpicos.

2008-03-31T21:20:00.001-03:00

Ian Traynor in Brussels and Jonathan Watts in Beijing

The Guardian,March 29 2008

This article appeared in the Guardian on Saturday March 29 2008 on p21 of the International section. It was last updated at 00:13 on March 29 2008.

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, yesterday became the first world leader to decide not to attend the Olympics in Beijing.
As pressure built for concerted western protests to China over the crackdown in Tibet, EU leaders prepared to discuss the crisis for the first time today, amid a rift over whether to boycott the Olympics.
The disclosure that Germany is to stay away from the games' opening ceremonies in August could encourage President Nicolas Sarkozy of France to join in a gesture of defiance and complicate Gordon Brown's determination to attend the Olympics.
Donald Tusk, Poland's prime minister, became the first EU head of government to announce a boycott on Thursday and he was promptly joined by President Václav Klaus of the Czech Republic, who had previously promised to travel to Beijing.
"The presence of politicians at the inauguration of the Olympics seems inappropriate," Tusk said. "I do not intend to take part."
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany's foreign minister, confirmed that Merkel was staying away. He added that neither he nor Wolfgang Schäuble, the interior minister responsible for sport, would attend the opening ceremony.Hans-Gert Pöttering, the politician from Merkel's Christian Democratic party who chairs the European parliament, encouraged talk of an Olympic boycott this week and invited the Dalai Lama to address the chamber in Strasbourg, while another senior German Christian Democrat, Ruprecht Polenz, said a boycott should remain on the table.
"I cannot imagine German politicians attending the opening or closing ceremonies [if the Tibetan crackdown continued]," he said. Merkel enraged the Chinese leadership a few months ago by receiving the Dalai Lama in Berlin for private talks.Brown is to meet the Tibetan spiritual leader when he visits Britain in May, but is determined to be in Beijing. "We are fully engaged in supporting the Olympics," said David Miliband, the foreign secretary. "We want to see it as a success, and I think it's right that the prime minister represents us.
"While announcing that German leaders were staying away from Beijing, Steinmeier denied they were boycotting or staging a political protest against the Chinese military and police campaign in Tibet and surrounding areas.While expressing scepticism about a complete boycott, he did not rule one out. "This is not the right moment to talk about a boycott ... We should watch how the Chinese government deals with the situation in the next weeks and months."
If Merkel and others do not attend the opening ceremony, it is likely to reinforce a growing sense in China that the Olympics is being used to vilify the host.China had hoped to use the games to highlight its economic development and growing openness. But it is increasingly proving an opportunity for critics to bash China's one-party political system, human rights abuses, treatment of minorities and tightly controlled media.
The Tibet crisis has been pushed on to the agenda of a meeting of European foreign ministers in Slovenia, with the French, who will be presiding over the EU during the Olympics, calling for a team of European officials to be dispatched to China on a fact-finding mission.
British and US diplomats were among a group of outside officials allowed to travel yesterday to Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, for the first time since the crisis erupted a fortnight ago.
The EU foreign ministers are to discuss the China quandary at lunch in Slovenia today, with calls being made for a common European position."We don't support a boycott and don't intend to boycott the opening of the games," a British Foreign Office spokesman said. "None of the 27 [EU states] are calling for a boycott yet."
The French foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, has described the boycott proposal as "interesting", while Sarkozy this week hedged his bets and said his attendance depended on China's conduct.

Los deportistas no pueden ser indiferentes

2008-03-31T21:14:00.000-03:00

Richard Gere en apoyo a la causa tibetana.

2008-03-24T18:39:00.001-03:00

Entrevista al Dalai Lama en la BBC

2008-03-24T18:32:00.001-03:00

Antorcha de los Derechos Humanos en Argentina.

2008-03-24T12:53:00.002-03:00

Conferencia de Prensa:
Martes 25 de marzo, 14 hs, Congreso de la Nación

Llega a Argentina el Relevo Mundial de la Antorcha de los Derechos Humanos

En el marco de la actual represión en Tibet y las persecuciones a Falun Gong y a otros grupos en China, de cara a las Olimpiadas, se anunciará la llegada a Argentina de la Antorcha de los Derechos Humanos en su recorrido mundial y las actividades a realizarse en Buenos Aires y en el interior del país bajo el lema "Las Olimpiadas y los crímenes contra la humanidad no pueden coexistir en China".

Se realizará una declaración conjunta de repudio a las violaciones de los derechos humanos en China, a pocos meses de Beijing 2008.

Estarán presentes diputados nacionales, representantes de organismos nacionales y personalidades, entre ellos Juan Pablo Juárez (campeón mundial de maratón y 13 veces campeón nacional, quien portará la Antorcha de los Derechos Humanos).

Convoca: Diputado Fernando Iglesias

Lugar: Palacio del Congreso de la Nación, sala José Luis Cabezas
Av. Rivadavia 1850.

Fecha y hora: Martes 25 de marzo a las 14 hs.

Disertarán:
- Hon. David Kilgour (Canadá), Parlamentario honorario y ex Secretario de Estado de Canadá, http://www.david-kilgour.com/
- Diputado Nacional Fernando Iglesias

Escritores bajo arresto domiciliario.

2008-03-23T17:54:00.001-03:00

The Deccan Chronicle
Saturday, 22 March , 2008
Beijing: Tibetan author Tsering Woeser and her Chinese husband and fellow author, Wang Lixiong, have been placed under house arrest in Beijing since the outbreak of anti-Chinese protests in Tibet.
Special: Blood on the Roof of the World
"Whatever movements we plan to make, we must first ask for approval," Wang told the US-sponsored Radio Free Asia. "Only when it's approved by higher-ups can we make a move under surveillance."
He had previously been a focus for Chinese authorities, but now the focus has shifted to his wife, who declined to be interviewed for fear of repercussions.
Tsering Woeser, 40, has written 10 books, including two on China's Cultural Revolution. Most of her work has been banned inside China. Her blog was blocked by authorities last year after she published a photo of the Dalai Lama.
The couple regularly makes contributions to Radio Free Asia's Chinese programme.

Porqué Tíbet está hirviendo.

2008-03-21T20:17:00.005-03:00

As protests spread beyond Lhasa, The Globe examines the environmental, economic and demographic grievances at the root of the bitter conflict

GEOFFREY YORK
The Globe and Mail
March 21, 2008

More than 100 armed soldiers are camped out in military vehicles in the parking lot of the hotel where Luorang works. His town is locked down, its people trapped inside their homes, ordered to stay off the streets.
But when The Globe and Mail reaches him by telephone, the 35-year-old Tibetan ignores the nearby soldiers and agrees to talk. He is eager to explain why people in his community are angry enough to join the fiercest wave of Tibetan protests in almost 20 years.His words tumble out. He talks of a sacred mountain, holy to the Tibetans, the site of a Tibetan festival, where Chinese mining companies are blasting for gold and silver mines. He talks of the disappearing forests and how there is nothing left for traditional Tibetan medicine. He describes how China prohibited his town from receiving a group of monks from Lhasa last year, and how the monks of his town were banned from travelling to other monasteries.
"If they take away the water and the soil and the resources, how will our people continue to live here?" he asks.
"If our people did not believe in Buddhism, they would have rioted a long time ago. We endured and endured. But now finally it is difficult to endure any more."Luorang's community, an ethnically Tibetan region in Western China, was one of dozens of Tibetan towns that joined the explosion of anti-government protests over the past week.
(The name of his town is not being disclosed to protect him from government reprisals.) When the Buddhist monks of his town rushed onto the streets on March 15, the fate of their holy mountain was one of their biggest grievances.
While the global spotlight was focused on the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, perhaps the most significant and historic development this week was the rapid spread of the protests to the far-flung Tibetan communities of Western China, including the provinces of Gansu, Sichuan, Qinghai and Yunnan.
The Chinese authorities admitted yesterday, for the first time, that the protests had swept across a wide swath of ethnically Tibetan districts, far beyond the borders of the official Tibetan region where Lhasa is located.
"One of the most striking things is that we're now hearing of protests in places where we never heard of monks protesting before," said Robert Barnett, a Tibet specialist at Columbia University in New York.
The scale of the uprising, and the violence on both sides, has shocked the world. But for those who were paying attention, the signs of revolt had been visible for months, if not years.While there is little doubt that the Tibetans are aware of the Beijing Olympics, and the potential impact of their demonstrations in an Olympic year, a closer look at their uprising shows that most of their protests were spontaneous, often in reaction to repressive Chinese measures, and usually had their roots in a vast array of local issues, including environmental, economic and demographic grievances."With or without the Olympics, the situation in Tibet is very grave," said Thubten Samphel, a spokesman for the Dalai Lama's government-in-exile.
"The Tibetan people have deep-seated resentments. They feel marginalized and isolated from economic development in Tibet. They feel that they're being reduced to a minority in their own land. They feel very fearful about the survival of their culture and their identity. These are the underlying roots, the sense of despair that they feel. The Olympics may have been a factor, but they were not the major factor.
"Consider, for example, a clash between Chinese security forces and hundreds of ordinary Tibetans in Qinghai province last month, more than two weeks before the latest wave of protests began.
It began, oddly enough, with a balloon seller.On Feb. 21, during a fireworks festival in the town of Tongren in Qinghai province, a Tibetan child tried to buy a balloon from a Chinese vendor. They argued over the price, and the vendor reportedly slapped the child in the face. When an older man began fighting with the balloon seller, the man was allegedly beaten and detained by a Chinese policeman, who was soon surrounded by a crowd of Tibetans.
Hundreds of police reinforcements arrived, violence erupted, stones were hurled, dozens of police and Tibetans were injured, several police vehicles were destroyed and about 200 Tibetans, including monks, were arrested, according to reports last month by Tibetan activist groups and Radio Free Asia.
The next day, several thousand Tibetans marched to the government offices to demand the release of the detainees. The Tibetans chanted "Long Live the Dalai Lama" and pro-independence slogans, until most of the detainees were released."Something as small as a balloon can spark it," said Matt Whitticase, a spokesman for the London-based Free Tibet group. "It shows how frayed the Tibetan feelings are. They feel that they are treated as second-class citizens."
Many analysts say the current wave of protests can be traced back to two key events in 2006: the completion of the new railway to Lhasa, which has brought millions of Chinese tourists and migrants to Tibet, and the appointment of a tough new Communist regional boss, Zhang Qingli, who announced a "life or death" battle against the Dalai Lama.
Mr. Zhang is a member of China's ethnic Han majority, and in an interview in August of 2006, he admitted that he spoke "just a few words" of the Tibetan language. He regarded the Tibetans as children who must be indoctrinated with a love of China, rather than a love of Buddhism.
"Those who do not love their country are not qualified to be human beings," Mr. Zhang said in one interview.
"The Communist Party is like the parent to the Tibetan people, and it is always considerate about what the children need," he said on another occasion. "The Central Party Committee is the real Buddha for Tibetans."Under Mr. Zhang's hard-line rule, Tibetans were forced to endure a near-constant diet of mandatory "patriotic education" sessions, along with a host of other restrictive measures, including bans on religious activity by Tibetan students and officials. Arrests of Tibetan dissidents increased threefold in 2007, compared with the previous year. The crackdown was "extraordinarily vigorous" and triggered massive discontent in Tibet, said Prof. Barnett, the Columbia University scholar.
"There was a whittling down of the Tibetan culture," he said. "There was no security threat from Tibet, so why did China's policies need to turn so hard-line in the past two years? All of this really exacerbated the situation in Tibet.
"The "patriotic education" campaigns, which forced monks to denounce the Dalai Lama and declare allegiance to China, had previously been held once or twice a year. But after Mr. Zhang's arrival, some monasteries began receiving education campaigns for up to 18 days a month. Some monks refused to sign formal statements denouncing the Dalai Lama, and one monk reportedly committed suicide rather than sign the statement.
In July, 2007, China introduced another restriction: a rule that Tibetan lamas were not permitted to reincarnate into "living Buddhas" without government permission. It was a direct attack on one of the pillars of traditional Tibetan Buddhist belief.
The railway, meanwhile, was bringing a huge influx of Han Chinese into Lhasa, turning it increasingly into a Chinese-dominated city. Even in the city's ancient centre, around the sacred Jokhang temple, Chinese shopkeepers and Chinese tourists soon outnumbered the Tibetans. On the roof of the Jokhang temple, Chinese tourists harassed the monks, grabbing them and forcing them to pose for photos. The monks openly told journalists of their dislike of the new railway.
"The Tibetans saw it as a second invasion," said Tsering Wangdu Shakya, a Tibetan scholar at the University of British Columbia."They felt swamped by the Chinese. It was Sinicizing the whole region. Thousands of tourists were pouring in, and prices were going up.
"Beginning last summer, there was a noticeable upsurge in protests by Tibetans across the official Tibetan region and in the broader Tibetan ethnic sphere in Western China.
In one district of Sichuan province, for example, about 300 Tibetan villagers smashed mining equipment and attacked workers in an attempt to halt Chinese mining activities on a sacred Tibetan mountain. As recently as March 6, there was another little-noticed protest in the same district of Sichuan.
When the latest protests began in Lhasa last week, nobody should have been surprised. Indeed, the Lhasa riots may have been sparked by an overreaction from Chinese security forces who were anticipating a protest by the monks on March 10, a frequent date for protests because it is the anniversary of the 1959 uprising against Chinese rule that led the Dalai Lama to flee to India.
Video footage of the March 10 incident, filmed by Chinese security forces and broadcast by the BBC yesterday, shows that it began with a simple sit-down by a group of monks at a Lhasa monastery. Four days later, Lhasa was in flames.
***1. March 10, Llasa: Hundreds of monks march into Tibet's capital to mark the 49th anniversary of a quashed rebellion against communist rule.
- March 12, Lhasa: Thousands of Chinese police fire tear gas at more than 600 monks in street protests.
- March 14, Lhasa: Up to 400 residents and monks attack non-Tibetan businesses and individuals. The Tibetan government in exile has said 80 people died in clashes with security forces. Chinese officials say only 13 died, and were killed by rioters.
2. March 14, Xiahe: Monks rally at one of Tibetan Buddhism's most important monasteries.
3. March 15, Kardze: Police kill three locals during clashes, according to a Tibetan exile group.
4. March 16, Tongren: Demonstrations reported at a monastery.
5. March 16, Machu: Tibetans hurl Molotov cocktails and set a police station and market on fire. The government in exile reports 19 killed.
6. March 16, Lanzhou: Students hold a sit-down protest.
7. March 17, Beijing: Close to 100 students hold a silent candlelight vigil under police guard.
8. March 18, Hezuo: Tibetans on horseback and motorcycles attack a government compound but are dispersed by paramilitary forces.
- March 19: China turns foreigners back from entering Tibet and says that about 160 rioters have turned themselves in.
- March 20, Lhasa: China says it has charged 24 suspects.
9. Undated, Taktser: Police seal the Dalai Lama's birthplace.

China envía más tropas a Tíbet.

2008-03-21T10:54:00.003-03:00

BEIJING, March 20, 2008 (Canadian Press) — China is sending hundreds of additional paramilitary police to Tibet and restive neighbouring provinces with large Tibetan populations.
At least 80 trucks loaded with security police have been spotted travelling along the main road winding through the mountains into southeastern Tibet.
Meanwhile, other security troops have set up camp and are patrolling in riot gear and, in some cases with rifles, in the area above Tiger Leaping Gorge, a tourist attraction that usually sees little unrest.
Witnesses say such scenes are being repeated across far-flung towns and villages in Tibetan areas of adjacent provinces to reassert control as sporadic demonstrations continued to flare.
Foreigners have been barred from travelling there and tour groups have been banned from Tibet, isolating a region about four times the size of France.
Protests against Chinese rule started peacefully in Tibet's capital, Lhasa, early last week, but erupted into riots last Friday, drawing a harsh response from Chinese authorities. Authorities say 16 people have been killed, but Tibetan exile groups claim more than 80 have died.
The moved to send in additional troops, along with reports of more arrests in Lhasa, came even as the Dalai Lama offered face-to-face negotiations with Chinese leaders.
China says the riots and protests were plotted from abroad by the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader revered by Tibetans, and his supporters.
Speaking from the seat of his government-in-exile in Dharmsala, India, the Dalai Lama reiterated that he was not seeking independence for Tibet.He offered to meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao and other Chinese leaders, though said he would not travel to Beijing unless there was a "real concrete development."
"The whole world knows Dalai Lama is not seeking independence, one hundred times, thousand times I have repeated this. It is my mantra - we are not seeking independence," the 72-year-old Dalai Lama told reporters.
"The Tibet problem must be solved between Tibetan people and Chinese people," he said.At a tense news conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said the government suggested that foreign tourists stay out of western Gansu and Sichuan provinces, the scene of additional clashes earlier this week between Tibetan protesters and security forces.After a long pause, he added: "But I shall assure you that our government is fully capable of maintaining social stability and ensuring the security of tourists."In Sichuan's Aba county, a Tibetan woman reached by phone Thursday said she had heard of numerous arrests of protesters in the area.
"There are many, many troops outside," she said. "I'm afraid to leave the house," said the woman, who refused to give her name for fear of retaliation by authorities.Police were checking ID cards at checkpoints and could be heard shouting for protesters to turn themselves in.
Troops blocked roads also in nearby Serthar, also in Sichuan, confining residents to their homes, said a woman reached there by phone.

Gobierno alemán suspende ayuda al gobierno chino.

2008-03-20T12:25:00.002-03:00

Berlin - Responding to the violence in Tibet, Germany announced Wednesday it was freezing aid talks with Beijing which mainly involve grants to reduce air pollution by power plants. The move marks a fresh upset in Berlin-Beijing relations, which had only recently been patched up after the Chinese were angered at Chancellor Angela Merkel receiving the Dalai Lama in her office in September last year.
The inter-government aid talks, set to begin in May, would not begin until the violence has stopped, said German Development Aid Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul. "Force can never be the solution," she said."The two sides can only arrive at a solution through dialogue. Under such conditions, it is hardly conceivable to be conducting inter-government negotiations.
"Merkel's deputy spokesman, Thomas Steg, repeated Berlin's call on both sides in Tibet to respect human rights and refrain from violence.Wieczorek-Zeul oversaw talks last year that led to total grants of 67.5 million euros (105 million dollars), her aides said.
These were mainly paid out to Chinese companies operating dirty electricity plants.
Berlin said it offered the help because China had the world's second-largest emissions of carbon dioxide and was the world's worst sulphur-dioxide polluter.
Wieczorek-Zeul said separate talks going back several years between Germany and China on improving the rule of law would continue.

Gordon Brown con el Dalai Lama

2008-03-20T12:17:00.003-03:00

El primer ministro británico, Gordon Brown, se reunirá en mayo con el XIV Dalai Lama, a pesar de las presiones diplomáticas del gobierno de la República Popular China. El premier británico ha rechazado las amenazas del gobierno chino, cuyos voceros adelantaron que "se enojaría" si recibe al líder espiritual de los tibetanos.

Tibetanos detenidos: riesgo de torturas y maltrato.

2008-03-19T21:35:00.001-03:00

Allow Independent Monitors Access to Detention Facilities
Human Rights Watch
Press Release(New York, March 19, 2008) –

The Chinese government should immediately permit independent monitors to have access to the large number of Tibetans detained in Tibet and adjoining provinces in the aftermath of public protests, Human Rights Watch said today. The government should publish the names of all individuals detained and their places of detention.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that hundreds have been arrested. Chinese authorities have not specified the number of detainees. Human Rights Watch and others have previously documented torture and ill-treatment of detainees in Tibet, especially those accused by the Chinese authorities of “separatist” activities (http://hrw.org/reports/2004/china0204/).
“Given the long and well-documented history of torture of political activists by China’s security forces there is every reason to fear for the safety of those recently detained,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Only by giving access to independent monitors can China give the world some confidence that detainees are not being tortured or mistreated.”
Chinese officials announced that those who had been involved in the protests must “surrender” to police by midnight on March 16 and that they would be shown leniency if they did so. The officials insisted that the detention of protesters was necessary to ensure public security.
The Chinese government has virtually sealed off Tibet, expelling or turning away foreign journalists and tourists. The Chinese government has long banned independent human rights observers from Tibet and punishes Tibetans who send information out of the country regarding the human rights situation.
“The exclusion of independent monitors and expulsion of foreign media from Tibet only suggest that China wants to retaliate against these protesters unfettered by global scrutiny,” said Adams. “China is in direct violation of its commitment to the International Olympic Committee to allow foreign journalists free access to the whole country, a point the IOC should be making publicly if it is to retain any credibility.”
For more of Human Rights Watch’s work on China and Tibet, please visit:http://www.hrw.org/doc?t=asia&c=china

Reflexiones sobre la situación en el Tíbet

2008-03-19T20:38:00.002-03:00

Por John Suarez

Antes de comenzar a meditar acerca de los hechos actuales en el Tíbet, es importante ponerlo en contexto. El Tíbet fue invadido por la China China Comunista en 1949 y diez años después un levantamiento de alcance nacional fue aplastado y desde entonces ha habido un proceso de genocidio étnico contra el pueblo tibetano. Durante los últimos 49 años los intentos de diálogo y de resistencia no violenta han chocado con más represión y más violencia. Hoy, las protestas en el Tíbet y las protestas internacionales en solidaridad aparecen en las principales noticias de todo el mundo. Hay quienes en los medios internacionales se refirieron irresponsablemente a la “ Intifada Tibetana ” y se centraron en actos de violencia aislados. En televisión se ha visto destrucción de la propiedad y vehículos volcados. Si bien dentro de la no violencia estratégica, la destrucción de propiedad no es vista necesariamente como violenta, sí está abierta a cierta interpretación. Esto ha caído a favor de las autoridades de la ocupación china para defender el uso de la violencia para ejecutar extrajudicialmente a decenas de tibetanos, y reclamar contra la violencia homicida de los tibetanos. El líder espiritual del pueblo tibetano, el Dalai Lama, consideró a la supuesta violencia realizada por los tibetanos como un “ acto suicida ”. El mundo está viendo una vez más la observación de Mahatma Gandhi respecto a que la “violencia siempre acarrea una contra-violencia”. Durante los últimos 50 años el Dalai Lama se ha aferrado a la resistencia no violenta como el medio para confrontar al ocupante chino. Comprendió que Mahatma Gandhi, en el siglo XX, “produjo un recurso muy sofisticado porque implementó la filosofía muy noble de la no violencia en la política moderna, y tuvo éxito. Es una gran cosa. Su experimentación con la verdad , representó un salto evolutivo en la conciencia política”.
¿Pero cuál es la noble filosofía de Gandhi? Para resumirlo en una palabra, es satyagraha . Según Gandhi “su significado de raíz es aferrarse a la verdad, por lo tanto la fuerza de la verdad. También la he llamado la fuerza del amor o la fuerza del alma. En aplicación del satyagraha , descubrí en los estadios más tempranos que la búsqueda de la verdad no admitía la violencia aplicada sobre ningún opositor sino que se debe detestar el error mediante la paciencia y la simpatía. Ya que lo que aparenta ser verdad para uno puede parecer un error para el otro. Y la paciencia significa auto-sufrimiento. Entonces la doctrina pasó a significar la reivindicación de la verdad, sin infligir sufrimiento sobre el oponente, sino sobre uno mismo”. Aplicado a la política se manifiesta como desobediencia civil . Gandhi describía a la desobediencia civil como “no sólo como el derecho natural del pueblo, especialmente cuando no tiene una voz efectiva en su propio gobierno, pero también es un sustituto para la violencia y la rebelión armada”.
El problema con los hechos en el Tíbet es que sin importar cuan mínima sea la violencia, contaminará a la resistencia en su totalidad y disminuirá su efectividad y legitimidad mientras al mismo tiempo le brinda al opresor vía libre para aumentar la represión. Esas voces y esos activistas que apoyan la quema de automóviles y el saqueo de tiendas en defensa de la independencia tibetana ocasionan un gran daño a la causa. El Dalai Lama llamó “al liderazgo chino a dejar de usar la fuerza y encausar el largo resentimiento del pueblo tibetano a través del diálogo con el pueblo tibetano. También le pido a mis compañeros tibetanos que no recurran a la violencia”. El Dalai Lama no está llamando a los tibetanos a cesar sus protestas sino a protestar y resistir sin violencia . Parece que los medios ven a estas dos ideas (no violencia y resistencia) como contradictorias. Mahatma Gandhi, por su parte, no encuentra ninguna contradicción sosteniendo que “la desobediencia civil no admite ninguna violencia o apariencia de violencia directa o indirectamente”.
Quienes defienden una Intifada tibetana hoy deberían recordar las observaciones de Gandhi durante la lucha en India por la independizarse encia de Gran Bretaña acerca de que “la violencia popular es un obstáculo tan grande en nuestro camino [hacia la independencia] como la violencia del gobierno” y “lo que la violencia sin sentido logra, es prolongar la vida del gobierno británico o de cualquier gobierno extranjero”. Tal como se aplicó para India, también se aplica para la ocupación china del Tíbet ahora. Finalmente deberían recordar que la Intifada palestina no ha logrado el objetivo de un estado palestino independiente. Permitir que violentos que arrojan piedras estén asociados con un mayor movimiento no violento como sucedió en Palestina es un error estratégico de primer orden. No hay que permitir que las frustraciones justificadas con la s acciones malvadas de la ocupación china estallen en una violencia que sólo servirá a los intereses del adversario extremadamente bien armado.
Como observadores de este conflicto debemos pedir a China que reconozca el derecho del pueblo tibetano a mantener sus costumbres y tradiciones y denunciar el genocidio cultural y étnico que viene cometiendo la ocupación china en el Tíbet.

Artículo publicado por CADAL, 19 de marzo del 2008.

Boicot a la inauguración de los Juegos.

2008-03-18T19:09:00.004-03:00

Bernard Kouchner, el ministro de relaciones exteriores de Francia, ha tomado la idea lanzada por Reporteros Sin Fronteras de declarar un boicot a la ceremonia de inauguración de los próximos Juegos Olímpicos en China, en reacción a la brutal represión de la que han sido víctimas los tibetanos.
Por supuesto que el gobierno dictatorial de la China oprimida acusa al XIV Dalai Lama de instigar a la violencia, como suele ocurrir con las falacias que propala este régimen oprobioso. De hecho, el Dalai Lama está llamando permanentemente a la paz y a no recurrir a la violencia por parte de los tibetanos.
La cuestión es, ¿hasta cuándo las naciones democráticas seguirán tolerando las contínuas violaciones a las libertades fundamentales en China y en Tíbet, un país que ocupa por la fuerza ilegítimamente? ¿Hasta cuándo serán más importantes las inversiones en territorio chino que los derechos individuales? ¿Por qué tanto temor a que un gobierno autoritario se enoje, como si fuese incorrecto reclamar a viva voz por la vida y la libertad de un pueblo pisoteado?
Es una vergüenza mundial la censura que está aplicando el gobierno chino continental para acallar su represión sangrienta, su destrucción de la cultura tibetana y su desprecio por un pueblo milenario.

Protestas en Tíbet

2008-03-17T16:07:00.001-03:00

¡Basta de represión en Tíbet!

2008-03-14T18:19:00.003-02:00

¡Basta de muertes y represión en el Tíbet!

Tíbet, historia de una tragedia.

2008-02-12T21:32:00.001-02:00

Excelente video, 55 minutos.

Las olimpíadas de la represión

2008-02-06T20:02:00.001-02:00

Recomiendo la lectura del artículo de Guy Sorman sobre los juegos olímpicos que se realizarán en Pekín. ¿Estamos viendo una nueva versión de las olimpíadas de la Alemania nazi de 1936? Y el mundo se entretiene, mientras se consolida la dictadura en China...

Encuentro del Dalai Lama con Angela Merkel

2007-09-23T15:56:00.000-03:00

El Dalai Lama se ha encontrado con la canciller alemana Angela Merkel, siendo la primera reunión que un primer ministro germano concede al líder espiritual tibetano. A pesar de las presiones del gobierno del antirrepublicano y antipopular gobierno de China, Merkel ha llevado adelante este encuentro, tal como lo viene haciendo con otros líderes religiosos del mundo. Asimismo, ya como líder de la oposición democristiana, Merkel tuvo una reunión con S. S. el Dalai Lama en el año 2005.

"China es una nueva forma de mal que antes no habíamos visto"

2007-09-15T19:56:00.000-03:00

Por Gabriel Salvia y Hernán Alberro

David Matas es coautor del “Informe sobre alegatos de extirpación de órganos a practicantes de Falun Gong en China”.Es un reconocido abogado canadiense de derechos humanos que desempeñó altos cargos en Amnesty International y otras importantes instituciones.Fue delegado de Canadá para la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas y para la Conferencia de Naciones Unidas sobre la Corte Penal Internacional.Recibió numerosos honores por sus labores sobre el holocausto, antisemitismo y diversas temáticas en derechos humanos.

¿Cuál ha sido su trabajo sobre el Holocausto y el antisemitismo?

He estado bastante involucrado por varias décadas. Comencé trabajando en llevar ante la justicia a criminales de guerra nazis, porque había varios de ellos en Canadá. Representé a B'nai Brith y escribí un libro sobre el tema titulado “Justice Delayed: Nazi War Criminals in Canada”. Y el tema aún sigue vigente porque todavía hay algunos que tienen inmunidad de la justicia. Luego me involucré en el tema del odio antisemita, porque ha habido un debate respecto de prohibir el antisemitismo y las cuestiones de la libertad de expresión y demás. Mi planteo es que la prohibición del antisemitismo y la libertad de expresión pueden coexistir y escribí un libro al respecto titulado “Bloody Words: Hate and Free Speech”. También estuve involucrado en el sionismo y el derecho a la autodeterminación del pueblo judío, de la existencia del estado de Israel y estuve activo en la ONU acerca de eso y escribí un libro llamado “Aftershock: Anti-Zionism & Antisemitism” que es más reciente. Y estuve activo en B'nai Brith, el Congreso Judío-Canadiense, he sido vicepresidente de B'nai Brith y ahora estoy en el consejo de asesoría legal, por lo cual sigue siendo una cuestión y una actividad constante. Diría que si bien mi familia no fue afectada por el Holocausto en forma directa, quedé impresionado por la realidad del Holocausto a medida que iba creciendo y me di cuenta de que si las fuerzas del eje, en lugar de las fuerzas aliadas, hubieran ganado la Segunda Guerra Mundial, ni yo, ni ningún otro judío estaría hoy vivo. O sea que en cierto sentido, yo y todos los miembros de la comunidad judía, somos sobrevivientes. Por supuesto que nada se puede hacer para volver a la vida a los seis millones de judíos que fueron asesinados en el Holocausto. Pero pensé que era importante aprender la lección del Holocausto y, al aprender esas lecciones, dejar un legado para que las muertes de esos seis millones no carezcan totalmente de sentido. Diría que intenté aprender esas lecciones, primero al tratar con los problemas de los derechos humanos que sigue sufriendo la comunidad judía luego del Holocausto, a través del antisemitismo y de las amenazas al estado de Israel, y de llevar ante la justicia a criminales de guerra nazis. Pero en términos más generales, es una realidad que la infraestructura de los derechos humanos que se construyó luego de la Segunda Guerra Mundial fue en sí una reacción al Holocausto y para que esa superestructura sea un legado con sentido pensé que sería importante trabajar con los derechos humanos, no ya sólo de los judíos sino de la comunidad global.

¿Cuál es su opinión respecto del Estado de Israel y su conflicto con Palestina y sus acusaciones de violación a los derechos humanos?

Este es el tema de mi libro más reciente y la tesis básica de mi libro es que Israel es acusado injustificadamente de abusos a los derechos humanos como forma de deslegitimar al estado. Si bien las acusaciones toman diversas formas, las más extremas como crímenes de guerra, genocidio, limpieza étnica y demás, carecen de fundamento legal y en el libro repaso los datos y demuestro que están políticamente motivadas y el problema es la negación a aceptar la existencia del estado de Israel. Y si se aceptara eso, todas estas acusaciones de violación a los derechos humanos simplemente se desintegrarían.

¿Desde cuándo y por qué se involucró en la situación de la violación a los derechos humanos en China?

He venido trabajando con refugiados de derechos humanos desde comienzos de los 70, así que más de 30 años y por ende he recibido clientes de muchos países del mundo, incluyendo chinos. En la época de la Plaza Tian An Men, había muchas personas que fueron a Canadá y me encargué de eso y tuve clientes chinos desde entonces y me involucré con el tema de solicitudes de refugiados y demás. Me involucré con Falun Gong y su persecución sencillamente porque, como una persona que está vinculada a los derechos humanos, viene a mí gente que sufre de violación a los derechos humanos de una forma u otra y los Falun Gong fueron un grupo que se me acercó y supongo que las razones por las que me involucré con ellos son varias: por un lado estaban muy determinados a agotar todos los recursos legales y una de las cosas que he visto con las víctimas grupales es que puede haber remedios, pero la mayoría suele ser muy sospechosa del sistema, incluso en Canadá, porque tienen sospechas sobre el sistema en sus países. La victimización es demasiado horrible, y no quieren seguir viviéndola, así que la reprimen, siguen sus vidas y no quieren enfrentarla. Los Falun Gong son un grupo que está dispuesto a encargarse de la victimización, agotar los recursos y para mí fue una oportunidad para trabajar en las opciones legales y remedios disponibles. Ahora, cuando se trata del tema particular de la extirpación forzada de órganos, lo que me involucró particularmente fue mi familiarización con las organizaciones de derechos humanos y sus metodologías. Sabía que a las organizaciones de derechos humanos les gusta tener testigos y con este tema de la extirpación de órganos se trata de una violación que aún siendo cierta no produce testigos. O sea que las organizaciones de derechos humanos no podrían encargarse del tema y es cierto, porque requiere de un enfoque metodológico innovador que sentí que como individuo podía utilizar sin tener que preocuparme de cumplir protocolos aprobados por asambleas generales. Así que pensé que podía hacer una contribución individual en ese sentido. Y a pesar de mi desconexión, en el sentido de que no soy un practicante Falun Gong, no estoy particularmente vinculado a China, no necesito ingresar a China, no necesito los negocios del gobierno de China, puedo enfocarme en esto desde un punto de vista absolutamente desinteresado y por eso esa fue la contribución que pensé que podía hacer.

¿Cuáles fueron sus descubrimientos acerca de la extirpación de órganos en China?

Mi descubrimiento fue que estaba sucediendo. Cuando se me preguntaba si esto pasaba o no, por supuesto que no tenía ninguna opinión al respecto. De hecho esperaba que no fuera cierto, porque no es algo que a uno le gusta pensar que a pesar de todo se puede creer, como Anna Frank en la bondad de la naturaleza humana. Pero sabía bastante sobre la maldad del pasado y que todo es posible. Así que me enfoqué en el tema con la mente abierta. Y lo que teníamos era el testimonio de una mujer que dijo que su esposo había estado haciendo trasplantes de córnea entre 2002 y 2003 pero, aún si uno creía todo lo que ella decía, se trataba de un solo órgano, en un solo lugar, durante un año y el tema era si lo que ella había dicho era cierto. Así que no podíamos confiar en ella y teníamos que desarrollar una metodología que se puede leer en nuestro informe. Pero llegamos a la conclusión de que esto estaba sucediendo en todo China y desde el año 2000 y que sucedía a una tasa de ocho mil órganos al año, entre cinco y seis mil personas asesinadas por año. Sucedía para todos los órganos, sucede hoy mismo, sucede sólo con los practicantes de Falun Gong y con nadie más en el sistema. Se ha hecho por dinero. Básicamente hay gente que está haciendo grandes cantidades de dinero, hospitales y militares. Esos fueron los descubrimientos, que hay inocentes que son asesinados por sus órganos, que son extirpados en parte porque han sido tan despersonalizados y marginalizados por el sistema comunista chino y en parte porque se puede hacer tanto dinero.

¿Quién paga por estos transplantes?

El paciente. Principalmente extranjeros, hasta donde podemos saber. Porque China no publica las estadísticas pero solía ser alrededor de tres cuartos de los pacientes provenientes del exterior. Los chinos no pagan tanto, pero tampoco reciben tan buen tratamiento y tienen que esperar mucho más. Los extranjeros reciben su transplante en cuestión de días. En el caso de Israel, era el sistema de salud el que le pagaba a los pacientes y les reintegraba el dinero. Luego de la publicación de nuestro informe, dejaron de hacerlo y no reintegran más el dinero. Pero en otros países, aún estamos tratando de saber si el sistema de salud reintegra el dinero, pero aún no lo hemos detectado en ningún otro lugar más allá de Israel.

¿Por qué motivos es que se extirpan los órganos de los Falun Gong?

Es por diferentes motivos. Hay más practicantes de Falun Gong en prisión, mucho más que de cualquier otro grupo: dos tercios de los casos de violación a los derechos humanos son contra miembros de Falun Gong. Se necesita un gran número de personas, por las demandas que son muy altas, se necesita compatibilidad sanguínea, idealmente compatibilidad de tejidos y entonces tienen, con los Falun Gong, una población a todo lo largo de China que está ahí sentada en prisión. Esa es una razón. La segunda razón es porque son extremadamente vulnerables. Un gran número de ellos no se identifican a sí mismos, no le dicen a las autoridades quienes son, y lo hacen para proteger a sus familias y amigos. Pero el resultado es que nadie sabe que están allí, y por ende son extremadamente fáciles de hacerles cualquier cosa, porque básicamente nadie sabe qué les pasa a ellos, ni siquiera que están en prisión. El tercero es la extrema satanización y despersonalización. La gente no los trata como a personas debido a la fuerte propaganda en su contra. Y es mucho más fácil para la gente matarlos por los órganos. Esa es otra razón. Hay una muy práctica que descubrimos en las entrevistas y es que a los Falun Gong se les hacen pruebas de sangre en forma sistemática y a ningún otro se le hace esto. Se necesitan pruebas de sangre para los transplantes porque se necesita compatibilidad sanguínea. Es una combinación de todas estas razones.

¿Cómo considera que se trata la situación de los derechos humanos en China a nivel internacional y qué países tienen una política exterior clara en este tema?

Es muy difícil, porque dentro del sistema de Naciones Unidas China es uno de los miembros permanentes del Consejo de Seguridad, tiene veto allí y no se puede referir ninguna situación ante la Corte Penal Internacional sin el acuerdo de los cuatro miembros permanentes. No hubo ninguna referencia a Darfur en la Corte Penal Internacional porque China no lo aprobaría y obviamente no permitirían que se refieran a su caso. Con el sistema de la ONU es muy difícil, nunca ha habido una resolución y un relator sobre China. Ellos están negociando y presionando para evitar que eso suceda. El relator de la ONU sobre la tortura fue a China en una visita que le llevó diez años lograr a sus predecesores para negociar los términos de entrada y luego los términos de las entrevistas. Una vez allí el relator mencionó el tema de la extirpación de órganos y nunca obtuvo una respuesta satisfactoria y esto continúa aumentando el descrédito. Pero básicamente, China hace propaganda, desinforma, evade, pone obstáculos y es muy difícil de tratar. Es decir, cambiaron sus leyes de transplantes y de pena de muerte, yo diría gracias a la presión internacional, pero ambas fueron reformas menores y siguen negándose a las reformas. Son muy difíciles de tratar, pero aún así la presión tiene algún impacto.

¿Qué países considera que son los que más presionan en este tema?

Los mejores son la mayor cantidad y por esto es que viajamos por todo el mundo. La gente dice: “¿qué puede hacer Argentina?”. Estuve en este viaje por Chile y Perú y estaré yendo a Uruguay y a México y si América Latina protesta, junto con otros, será un impacto mucho mayor que si es sólo Estados Unidos o Europa Occidental. Es muy fácil para China decir: “bueno, es ese grupo y podemos ignorarlo”. Pero si todos protestan es mucho más difícil de evadir.

Canadá tiene una política muy clara al respecto, ¿verdad?

Sí, claro. Canadá tiene un sistema de doble nacionalidad y China no respeta la doble nacionalidad y recientemente tomaron a un canadiense que estaba en Paquistán. De hecho lo secuestraron en Izbequistán y lo enjuiciaron en China por subversión. Principalmente porque simpatizaba con los musulmanes que eran victimizados en China y Canadá ha sido muy duro en protestar en contra de este caso particular, porque se trata de ciudadanos canadienses. Y en general se han quejado de la violación a los derechos humanos en China, pero hasta donde yo sé no han elevado este caso particular de la extirpación de órganos y esperamos que lo hagan. Hay una reunión de la APEC que tendrá lugar en Australia pronto y Canadá será parte. David Kilgour estará en Australia para esa época y esperamos que eleven la cuestión allí.

Otro miembro de la APEC es Chile. ¿Está Chile teniendo con respecto a China una política exterior “pinochetista”, priorizando lo económico y silenciando allí la situación de los derechos humanos?

Es imposible separar la cuestión económica de los derechos humanos. Pueden verse los problemas que la economía China está creando en la economía global debido a la falta de derechos humanos. Todos estos problemas con productos en mal estado, con venenos, son resultado de las fallas del estado de derecho y de un poder judicial independiente y de estándares adecuados en China. Y si hubiera un sistema legal adecuado en China no habría estos problemas de abusos en los productos y envenenamientos y demás.
Pero en segundo lugar, creo que el problema es más auto-inhibición, que reacción de China. Si se habla con China de derechos humanos no van a dejar de vender productos, no van a dejar de querer hacer dinero, continuarán buscando su interés económico aún si se plantean cuestiones de derechos humanos. Diría que en realidad es lo opuesto: cuanto más amplio el alcance económico de China querrá decir que hay más puntos de contacto, y más oportunidades y creo que hay que tomar ventaja de esos puntos de contacto para plantear cuestiones de derechos humanos. Pero creo que la gente termina pensando: “bueno, no me puedo permitir perder este negocio o no quiero traer problema a mi negocio”, así que se autocensuran y creo que uno debería estar alerta en contra de esa autocensura. Todo punto de contacto debería ser una oportunidad para plantear la cuestión de los derechos humanos con China. Lo peor que puede pasar, desde mi punto de vista, es que inventarán algo para salir del paso, dirán que no es cierto o que mi informe no tiene sentido, o que Falun Gong va en la dirección equivocada. Su respuesta será ridícula, pero al menos habrá quedado claro el punto y comprenderán la preocupación y reaccionarán de otra manera. Y hemos visto algunos cambios en la estructura legal de China que son el resultado de este tipo de presión constante, aún si no admiten nada y niegan todo, reaccionan de otra forma y han venido haciendo cambios a su sistema. Así que creo que necesitamos continuar presionando.

¿Qué significado tiene que Michelle Bachelet no haya recibido en Chile al Dalai Lama?

Mi punto de vista es que es un error. Toda oportunidad de buscar una agenda de derechos humanos debe ser aprovechada, ya sean los Juegos Olímpicos o con contactos con el Dalai Lama o siguiendo el caso de Falun Gong. El contacto de China con el mundo no debería ser una excusa para abandonar la agenda de derechos humanos, debería ser una oportunidad para expandir los contactos en la agenda de derechos humanos.

¿Qué papel internacional en derechos humanos debería tener un país como la Argentina, que sufrió tanto una terrible dictadura militar como también atentados antisemitas?

La experiencia argentina demuestra que las protestas son importantes. De hecho, hay un autor argentino que escribió sobre la violación a los derechos humanos en Argentina y dijo que “el silencio es darse por vencido”. Cuando Argentina sufrió la violación a los derechos humanos fue de ayuda recibir apoyo de todo el mundo en contra de esas violaciones. Y cuando las violaciones terminaron y hubo un intento de llevar a la gente ante la justicia eso sucedió en parte debido a la solidaridad global con las víctimas. Así que Argentina que sufrió esa experiencia debería aprender la lección de la misma. La razón por la cual los crímenes de lesa humanidad se consideran crímenes contra la humanidad es porque son crímenes contra gente en todas partes. Los crímenes en China son crímenes contra la humanidad, contra la gente en Argentina, contra los seres humanos. Y esa es una lección aprendida durante la época de las violaciones a los derechos humanos en Argentina y ahora los argentinos no deberían olvidarla.
Y la realidad es que debido a que China es un poder económico mundial tiene muchos contactos económicos con Argentina. Hay relaciones económicas entre China y Argentina que pueden ser utilizadas y deberían ser utilizadas en pos de la agenda de derechos humanos.

¿Qué opina sobre Hugo Chávez y su relación con el régimen iraní?

Sé que hay muchos problemas con Chávez y Venezuela y que hay cuestiones respecto de la legitimidad del gobierno y de la apertura de su democracia y de antisemitismo en Venezuela. Irán, por supuesto, es muy problemático, porque es un régimen muy represivo, tiene una teocracia, son antisemitas, anti-sionistas, son militaristas, son muy opresivos en contra de la mujer y el tipo de contacto que Chávez tiene con Irán fortalece estas fuerzas perversas, con lo cual pienso que es algo que hay que desincentivar. Argentina ha sido victima de Irán debido al atentado de la AMIA que fue auspiciado por ese gobierno. Muchas de las personas que autorizaron ese atentado continúan hoy en el gobierno. Por eso, mi punto de vista es que el apoyo que le pueda dar Venezuela a Irán es deplorable y debería interrumpirse.

¿Cuánto cree que se ha evolucionado en la promoción y protección internacional de los derechos humanos, desde el fin de la Segunda Guerra Mundial?

Lo que hemos visto luego de la Segunda Guerra Mundial fue el desarrollo de un sistema de derechos humanos que no habíamos visto antes de la misma. Y en gran medida fue una reacción al Holocausto. Y lo que hemos visto desde entonces es la proliferación de estándares a lo largo del sistema de Naciones Unidas. Hemos visto declaraciones, mecanismos de informes, y todo eso es positivo. Tenemos mucha más sensibilidad global a los derechos humanos que antes y mucha de esa sensibilidad ha permeado a los sistemas locales. Hemos visto la Convención Europea de Derechos Humanos, la OEA tiene una Convención Interamericana de Derechos Humanos, una Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos, una Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos y entonces tenemos toda esta estructura que es muy positiva. Pero claro, todavía hay mucha violación a los derechos humanos. China e Irán son buenos ejemplos, se pueden cambiar los estándares, se pueden crear estructuras, pero no se puede cambiar la naturaleza humana. La humanidad es la misma. Y lo que estamos viendo en China es una nueva forma de mal que antes no habíamos visto. Y se puede decir lo mismo con Osama Bin Laden y su ataque a las Torres Gemelas. Nuevamente, una nueva forma de mal, nueva tecnología que permite a viejos vicios humanos manifestarse de nuevas maneras y eso es lo que vimos con el Holocausto. El antisemitismo existe desde antes de la historia escrita y el deseo de matar a judíos viene del tiempo de los faraones. Pero lo que vimos con la Alemania nazi no fue un odio nuevo, sino una tecnología nueva, un nuevo estado moderno, con fábricas para cámaras de gas, sistemas ferroviarios para transportar a los judíos a diferentes lugares en Europa y es utilizar esa nueva tecnología en combinación con el viejo odio. Considero que ahora tenemos más estándares, más mecanismos, más remedios, así que tenemos más sensibilidad para tratarlo. Pero no hemos resuelto el problema y quizás nunca lo vayamos a lograr. Creo que la batalla por los derechos humanos será constante. Y si bien no erradicaremos la violación a los derechos humanos creo que la medida es controlable, puede ponerse mejor o peor, y creo que eso es parte de la lección del Holocausto. No podemos bajar la guardia, no podemos detenernos, no podemos dejar de involucrarnos. Creo que debemos aprovecharnos de la proliferación de estándares y mecanismos que hemos visto desde la Segunda Guerra Mundial para enfrentar la constante amenaza contra los derechos humanos en el mundo.

Entrevista publicada en CADAL, 13 de septiembre del 2007.

Terroristas amenazan al Dalai Lama

2007-04-04T21:43:00.000-03:00

Terror group's threat raises Dalai Lama alert

Bruce Loudon, South Asia correspondent
April 03, 2007

SECURITY surrounding the Dalai Lama has been tightened after reports of an attempt by the al-Qa'ida-linked terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Toiba to assassinate the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.
A three-tier security ring has been thrown around the 72-year-old Buddhist head, who lives at Dharamsala, in the Himalayan foothills, Indian police spokesman Prem Lal said.
All those approaching the exiled Tibetan chief will be closely watched by highly trained Tibetan security guards as well as heavily armed deployments of Indian police.

Visitors are being body-searched before being allowed to approach him.

The Dalai Lama is scheduled to make a widely anticipated 11-day visit to cities and regional centres across Australia in early June, making both free and ticketed appearances at public lectures, blessings and teaching sessions. Before that, he will visit the US.

Superintendent Lal said police had been alerted by central intelligence agencies to the reported plot by Lashkar-e-Toiba to kill the Dalai Lama "on the directions of a foreign organisation", which he declined to name, but is assumed to be al-Qa'ida.

In a recent document, Osama bin Laden denounced "pagan Buddhism" as part of his general attack on anything not Islamic.

The assassination threat picked up by Indian authorities is thought to be based on bin Laden's denunciation and the extremist jihadi movement's hatred for anything and anyone that is not Muslim.

Lashkar-e-Toiba is believed to be al-Qa'ida's agent in South Asia and has been involved in virtually every major terrorist attack in India.

Indian authorities recently heightened the security surrounding India's political leader, Sonia Gandhi, and members of her high-profile family following intelligence reports that they were on the extremist movement's hit list. Mrs Gandhi now travels the country in armed motorcades similar to those that carry the country's head of state, President Abdul Kalam.

The heavy security cordon thrown around the Dalai Lama at the Dharamsala exile where he has lived since fleeing Tibet is in sharp contrast to the normally relaxed atmosphere that pervades the town and is testimony of the extent to which Islamic terrorism is affecting even remote parts of the world.

As police disclosed the threat to the Dalai Lama, Indian officials drafted a strong declaration on terrorism in South Asia for leaders attending the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation summit beginning in New Delhi today.

Indian foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon said the draft declaration would discuss "not only about implementing what we have already agreed to, but to see what further action we, in thesub-region, can take against terrorism".

There are suggestions that leaders at the eight-nation summit will consider extending throughout Asia the joint mechanism to deal with terrorism recently established between India and Pakistan.

The mechanism involves close co-operation on all matters relating to terrorism and a regular exchange of intelligence.

Sri Lanka is particularly keen to see an integrated strategy that would assist it in its war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or Tamil Tigers. Colombo wants SAARC members to work with it to defeat the Tigers.

Similarly, India wants all eight SAARC nations to help it defeat the Lashkar-e-Toiba group and to pursue a campaign against the terrorist movement. But many Pakistanis see LeT fighters as heroes.

Published in The Australian

China bloquea vuelos a Mongolia

2006-08-22T16:59:00.000-03:00

Beijing blocks flights as Mongolia welcomes Dalai Lama.
China has hit out at its neighbour for hosting the Tibetan leader, a "separatist".

Asia News, Italy22 August, 2006Ulaanbaatar (AsiaNews) - Defying Chinese criticism, thousands of Mongolians welcomed the Dalai Lama, who reached their country yesterday for an eight-day visit. Beijing has come out publicly against the decision to host him and has blocked flights to Mongolia.
The head of Tibetan Buddhism went first to Gandantegchenlin monastery, Mongolia's largest centre of Buddhism. Outside the Janraiseg temple, the largest pagoda in the monastery, he blessed the crowd hailing him."We need to focus on modern, current education, but not forget about our traditional ways of life," said the Dalai Lama. The Tibetan leader dared to make a comparison between Mongolia and Tibet: "Many years ago Mongolia was much like Tibet, and the citizens of both countries were barbarians. But after education and learning, we have grown to be the states we are today."
Beijing is livid about the visit and the space given the Dalai Lama by its neighbouring state. Today, the Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister said: "The Dalai Lama is not only a religious figure but a political exile who has long been involved in separatist activities that undermine national unity." He added: "China is resolutely against any country offering him a platform to publicize these activities."
Today, Air China flights on the Beijing-Ulaanbaatar route were cancelled, officially because of "bad weather" although meteorological forecasts predicted good weather. Four years ago, when the Dalai Lama visited Mongolia, China closed its borders.
The Dalai Lama escaped from Tibet that had been occupied militarily by the Chinese in 1959. He persists in calling for a sort of autonomy for Tibet although it could remain bound to China. But his proposal has been turned down by Beijing.The head of Tibetan Buddhism arrived at the Genghis Khan airport in the Mongolian capital last night, on a flight from Japan. He was welcomed by official personalities, monks of Gandantegchenlin and representatives of the Indian embassy. In the coming days, the Dalai Lama will hold lectures in a stadium, open to all. He will have special meetings with personnel of the monasteries and will hold some television conferences.

Autocensura de Google en China.

2006-01-26T13:46:00.000-03:00

Un nuevo caso de autocensura en la "República Popular" China:

"Las primeras búsquedas realizadas ayer en el nuevo sitio, con algunas palabras clave como "Falun Gong", un movimiento proscripto por Pekín, "independencia de Taiwan", "derechos humanos" o "Dalai Lama" llevaron a sitios en los que se expresaba la posición oficial china al respecto o a páginas directamente omitidas".

http://www.lanacion.com.ar/edicionimpresa/exterior/Nota.asp?nota_id=775203

Prueba del Tíbet independiente

2006-01-15T15:31:00.000-03:00

Lost 'passport' proves Tibet's independence: exiles

Sunday Jan 15, 2006 (AFP) - A passport issued to a Tibetan official before Chinese forces occupied the region in 1950 has been found in Nepal and provides proof of Tibet's former independence, a Tibetan exile group has said.The passport was issued by the Tibetan government in 1947, Tenzin Tsundue, general secretary of the Friends of Tibet group, said in a statement.
He told AFP the group knew of no other Tibetan passport that had survived.The passport -- a large sheet of traditional Tibetan paper -- was given to then Tibetan Finance Secretary Tsepong Wangchuk Dedhen Shakabpa, who was leading a trade delegation to China, the United States and Britain, it said.
"This document stands as an important proof of the independent status of Tibet, legally recognised by other countries before China's invasion of Tibet," he said.Tsundue said the document had visas issued by a slew of nations such as the United Sates, Britain, India, France, Italy, Switzerland and Egypt.The passport contains in the centre the Tibetan government seal surrounded by seals of different governments that issued visas to the official, he said.China says its occupation of Tibet liberated it from feudal oppression.But Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama who fled Tibet in 1959 during a failed uprising against China's rule and now lives in exile in northern India says Tibet's six million people still suffer repression.Beijing formally established a Tibetan Autonomous Region in 1965 but the Dalai Lama complains there is no genuine autonomy and has been waging a peaceful campaign to press China to provide greater rights to Tibetans. The passport had been given by Shakabpa to an Indian friend in 1992 and ended up with an antique dealer in Kathmandu, said Tsundue. It was not known how it found its way into the antique dealer's hands. It was bought back for 10,000 dollars using money borrowed from a Tibetan monastery in 2004.
Tsundue said some 850 Tibetans -- living in exile in India and Nepal -- contributed donations to repay the monastery. After the target was met, "we decided to inform the people of the recovery of the passport," he said. The group plans to include the passport in an exhibition "Story of a Nation: Independent, Occupied and Exiled Tibet," in India this year aimed at proving Tibet's former independent status, Tsundue said.While the Dalai Lama has dropped a call for Tibetan independence, Tsundue said that objects showing it once was independent would "add more weight" to the spiritual leader's push for greater autonomy for the region.
Articles that will be on display include "postage stamps of independent Tibet, Tibetan currency -- notes and silver coins -- (and) old photographs of the Tibetan army," taken in the 1920s, Tsundue said.

Marcha por la democracia en Hong Kong.

2005-12-05T18:15:00.000-03:00

Una multitudinaria marcha pidió por la democracia en Hong Kong. Ver el artículo de La Nación del lunes 5 de diciembre del 2005. Está creciendo en la opinión pública dentro y fuera de China una creciente fuerza a favor de la libertad, el Estado de Derecho y el respeto a la vida.

Dalai Lama, un consejero.

2005-11-19T20:23:00.000-03:00

Dharamshala November 19, 2005 (Phayul) - His Holiness the Dalai Lama said that the elected leadership of Tibet will decide Tibet's political stand and will keep aspirations of the Tibetans in mind while deciding on issues.His Holiness was reacting in Scottish capital of Edinburgh to questions put by the media on the position of the Tibetan government should it fail to achieve 'genuine autonomy'. His Holiness the Dalai Lama was in Edinburgh to participate in the fourth World Parliamentarians Convention on Tibet, reported Voice of Tibet.His Holiness said that his main concerns now are promotion of religious harmony, human values, and peace. Indicating that the decision making power lies with the elected leadership, His Holiness said," I am acting like an adviser, may be a senior adviser".His Holiness reiterated that despite four round of visits by his envoys to China, there has not been any significant improvement in the situation of the Tibetans in Tibet. His Holiness said that it was not a question of the return of about a hundred thousand Tibetans to Tibet but that of the right of the 6 million Tibetans.Despite protests from the Chinese government, the fourth World Parliamentarians Convention on Tibet went on as planned.

Solidaridad con "La Gran Época"

2005-11-08T16:05:00.000-03:00

Comunicado de Prensa

Misiones comerciales a China: ¿Dónde está la RSE?
Solidaridad con "La Gran Época", censurada en la Cancillería

La Fundación Export Ar., la Cámara de la Producción, la Industria y el Comercio Argentino - China y la Cancillería Argentina a través de la Embajada de nuestro país en Beijing y el Consulado Argentino en Shanghai, organizan una nueva Misión Comercial Multisectorial que viajará a China y mantendrá entrevistas de negocios preestablecidas con potenciales contrapartes durante los días 17 y 18 de octubre en Beijing y 20 y 21 de octubre en Shanghai.
Como CADAL señaló oportunamente a través de un Documento titulado "China: ¿negocios o derechos humanos? El pragmatismo pinochetista de Kirchner", el caso de China pone muy en duda tanto la política de derechos humanos del gobierno de Kirchner como también la denominada Responsabilidad Social Empresaria. En el segundo caso, existiría una contradicción en muchas firmas comerciales que invierten en China y que adhirieron al Pacto Global que impulsó Kofi Annan en 1999, en cuyos principios figuran en primer lugar los derechos humanos: "En su ámbito de influencia, las empresas deben: 1) Apoyar y respetar la protección de los derechos humanos reconocidos internacionalmente, y 2) Asegurarse de no ser cómplices de abusos de esos
derechos". Ese sería el caso de empresas argentinas como Acindar, Arcor y el Banco Galicia que adhirieron a este Pacto y que al mismo tiempo invierten en China, país donde las más prestigiosas organizaciones internacionales denuncian la violación de derechos humanos.
En el mencionado Documento de CADAL se citaba un valiente editorial publicado por la revista América Economía, titulado: "El lado oscuro de China", que presentaba el punto sobre el que alerta este comunicado: "Para muchos, que China se haya vuelto liberal en lo económico parece ser suficiente. Que sea una dictadura de partido único donde el respeto a los derechos humanos es una extravagancia parece ser un detalle menor. Pero subestimar este detalle es un peligroso error". Y concluía: "Está bien el entusiasmo y la fascinación por la irrupción china. Pero la realpolitik que se está aplicando en el caso chino es un arma de doble filo. La libertad económica no tiene sentido sin libertad política. Y de esto, en América Latina sabemos demasiado".
Finalmente, CADAL se hace eco de la denuncia de censura de la publicación "La Gran Época", por la prohibición de su distribución gratuita en la Cancillería de la República Argentina y adhiere solidariamente a su comunicado, especialmente cuando señalan que "Los hechos muestran que los países que ceden a callar ante las terribles violaciones del Partido Comunista Chino o que adecuan sus políticas a las de aquel espectro comunista para «cuidar las relaciones» son más bien los regímenes dictatoriales o las democracias débiles. En momentos cruciales como la visita del presidente chino a la Argentina el año pasado, donde el poder ejecutivo censuró la manifestación pacífica de los practicantes de Falun Dafa, permitiendo que un grupo organizado de chinos los golpearan y utilizando el accionar de la policía, así como la prohibición de la presencia del periódico La Gran Época en el ministerio, evidencian la debilidad para sostener los principios democráticos por parte de los funcionarios argentinos."
Gabriel C. Salvia (Director General de CADAL) - Buenos Aires, 28 de septiembre de 2005

China y la censura a internet.

2005-09-29T13:38:00.000-03:00

El editorial del diario La Nación del jueves 29 de septiembre:

No es la primera vez que Internet es censurada por un gobierno totalitario. Lo ha hecho a menudo el régimen de Fidel Castro, por lo que no extraña demasiado que ahora las autoridades comunistas de China hayan lanzado una amplia ofensiva en contra de la comunicación en la Red, con la decisión de extremar al máximo el control de sus contenidos.
Según lo determinado por el régimen, sólo podrán difundirse en las páginas web chinas noticias que sean "sanas y civilizadas" de acuerdo con el criterio de esa misma autoridad, que, además, ya goza de un amplio poder para controlar la información. Por supuesto, esta norma, más restrictiva, sólo viene a sustituir otra, aprobada en noviembre de 2000, que evidentemente no dio los resultados esperados.

http://www.lanacion.com.ar/742826
Es interesante observar qué entienden los gobernantes chinos, y los funcionarios destinados a hacer cumplir esas reglas, por "sano y civilizado". Aparentemente se trataría de noticias que deberán "guiar a la opinión pública en la dirección correcta", ante el surgimiento de tantas otras que son "poco saludables y confunden al público".
Ese público confundido -es decir, los 100 millones de chinos que son usuarios de Internet- deberá volver a registrar sus sitios de noticias para que sus contenidos no pongan "en peligro la seguridad nacional y el orden social". Además, cualquier medio que quiera publicar sus noticias en su propia página web deberá volver a registrarse en la oficina de información de su provincia; lo mismo le ocurrirá a cualquier otra página web que desee publicar noticias de actualidad: tendrá que solicitar aprobación a la Oficina de Información del Consejo de Estado.
Como los grupos o individuos que también quieran distribuir noticias o comentarios por correo electrónico deberán registrarse a su vez, y se calcula que el gobierno sólo se lo permitirá a unos pocos, distribuir información por e-mail será prácticamente ilegal para la mayoría, y hasta el más inocente de los correos electrónicos será sospechoso.
Finalmente, la ley promete graves castigos para las páginas web que publiquen noticias con "información falsa", pornografía, apuestas o violencia; es decir, un universo tan amplio de temas que casi no queda ninguno que pueda considerarse "sano y civilizado" salvo aprobación explícita del Consejo de Estado. La prueba es que entre las palabras o frases prohibidas están "independencia", "Taiwan", "Dalai Lama" y "plaza de Tiananmen".
La historia enseña que esta censura del gobierno chino tampoco esta vez conseguirá sus objetivos. Como lo han informado repetidamente las agencias de noticias -las mismas que serán censuradas a partir de ahora-, los usuarios más expertos ya han logrado otras veces obtener información local y del extranjero que nunca aparece en los medios tradicionales chinos. Lo que significa que, cuando las autoridades se percatan de la potencial amenaza de una información para sus intereses, ésta ya ha dado la vuelta por cientos de sitios en la Web; en China alrededor de 103 millones de personas tienen acceso a la Red, lo que convierte a ese mercado en el segundo en importancia de Internet en el mundo, detrás de los Estados Unidos.
Proteger a sus ciudadanos de los contenidos malsanos de Internet no es excusa sólo de las autoridades chinas o cubanas; decenas de otros países pretenden lo mismo y ciertas religiones, incluso, perciben a la Red como "una amenaza terrible". Pero lo cierto es que Internet es sólo una herramienta y es su uso lo que puede volverla "peligrosa" o no, de acuerdo con el punto de vista con que sean juzgados sus contenidos.
Sin embargo, lo que todas las autoridades tan preocupadas por la salud de sus habitantes parecen desconocer es que la libertad de expresión y de pensamiento, tarde o temprano, se abre paso, incluso bajo las apariencias más inofensivas, porque las ideas realmente pertenecen al reino de la virtualidad y navegan entre las mentes libres sin necesidad de ninguna autorización gubernamental.

Persecución religiosa en China

2005-09-09T16:18:00.000-03:00

El Parlamento Europeo pide el cese de la persecución de cristianos en ChinaSe interroga por el paradero de obispos y sacerdotes católicos y de un pastor ESTRASBURGO, viernes, 9 septiembre 2005 (ZENIT.org).-
El Parlamento Europeo pide al gobierno chino el cese de la represión religiosa en una resolución conjunta --adoptada el jueves por 78 votos a favor, 5 en contra y una abstención- acerca de la violación de los derechos humanos en China, en particular en cuanto a la libertad religiosa. Pide igualmente a China que asegure el respeto de las normas internacionales de los derechos humanos así como de los derechos religiosos, garantizando la democracia, la libertad de expresión, la libertad de asociación, la libertad de los medios de comunicación y la libertad religiosa. Apremia también al gobierno chino a que suprima la diferencia entre comunidades de culto aprobadas y no aprobadas, como sugiere la Comisión de la ONU sobre la Intolerancia Religiosa desde 1994.
El organismo europeo (www.europarl.eu.int) llama igualmente a la Comisión y al Consejo a subrayar a las autoridades chinas que una colaboración genuina sólo puede desarrollarse cuando se respetan plenamente valores compartidos y se ponen en práctica. El Parlamento Europeo se centra en casos específicos y urge a la Comisión, al Consejo y a los Estados miembros a que susciten la cuestión de la persecución de los cristianos chinos y obtengan del gobierno del país asiático información sobre la situación de los siguientes obispos católicos:
- Monseñor James Su Zhimin (diócesis de Baoding, Hebei), 72 años
- Monseñor Francis An Shuxin (obispo auxiliar de la diócesis de Baoding, Hebei), 54 años
- Monseñor Han Dingxian (diócesis de Yongnian/Handan, Hebei), 66 años
- Monseñor Cosma Shi Enxiang (diócesis de Yixian, Hebei), 83 años
- Monseñor Philip Zhao Zhendong, (diócesis de Xuanhua, Hebei), 84 años
- Monseñor Shi Enxiang (diócesis de Yixian, Hebei), 83 años
Asimismo pide que se reclamen noticias de Fr. Paul Huo Junlong (administrador de la diócesis Baoding), de 50 años.
Apremia igualmente a saber el paradero de miembros del clero desaparecidos y arrestados, citando a: - Zhang Zhenquan y Ma Wuyong (diócesis de Baoding, Hebei)
- Fr. Li Wenfeng, Fr. Liu Heng y Fr. Dou Shengxia (diócesis de Shijiazhuang, Hebei)
- Fr. Chi Huitian (diócesis de Baoding, Hebei)
- Fr. Kang Fuliang, Chen Guozhen, Pang Guangzhao, Yin Ruose y Li Shujun (diócesis de Baoding, Hebei)
- Fr. Lu Xiaozhou (diócesis de Wenzhou, Zhejiang)
- Fr. Lin Daoming (diócesis de Fuzhou, Fujian)
- Fr. Zheng Ruipin (diócesis de Fuzhou, Fujian)
- Fr. Pang Yongxing, Fr. Ma Shunbao y Fr. Wang Limao (diócesis de Baoding, Hebei)
- Fr. Li Jianbo (diócesis de Baoding, Hebei)
- Fr. Liu Deli
Cierra este listado de personas por las que el Parlamento de la UE demanda información el pastor Zhang Rongliang, de 53 años --uno de los fundadores de la «Iglesia China por Cristo», que reúne a 10 millones de cristianos--, detenido el pasado 1 de diciembre y aún el prisión sin proceso legal en marcha. .
El Parlamento Europeo piden la liberación incondicional de todos los católicos y otros cristianos encarcelados a causa de sus convicciones religiosas y que las autoridades cesen inmediatamente todo tipo de violencia contra ellos.
Finalmente invita al Consejo y a la Comisión de Europa a plantear estas cuestiones en la próxima sesión sobre los derechos humanos entre la UE y China, como parte de una meticulosa valoración de su eficacia.

Respuesta al embajador Ke Xiaogang

2005-09-04T18:38:00.000-03:00

El siguiente es el texto de una carta enviada al diario La Nación, en respuesta al lamentable artículo del embajador de la Dictadura Oligárquica China sobre la presencia colonialista de su país en el Tíbet.

Señor Director,

En un reciente artículo publicado en su prestigioso diario, el embajador chino Ke Xiaogang ha hecho una apología a la presencia colonialista de su país en el Tíbet, enumerando algunos supuestos logros materiales en los últimos cuatro decenios. Pero no menciona las matanzas de tibetanos, las migraciones forzadas, la persecución religiosa e ideológica, la destrucción de templos y de la cultura local, así como del evidente deterioro del medio ambiente en esa región. Nada significan las cifras de crecimiento del PBI, si están manchadas de sangre y horror. Como toda dictadura, la República Popular China intenta legitimarse a través de supuestos éxitos, tal como lo hacían la Unión Soviética y la Alemania nazi.
El estado se ha constituido para garantizar un marco jurídico en el cual se respeten y protejan las libertades fundamentales del hombre, y la presencia imperial china en el Tíbet no ha dejado sino un luctuoso resultado en el techo del mundo. Es por ello que se alzan voces en todo el mundo libre y democrático en favor de la libertad e independencia del Tíbet.

Ricardo López Göttig
Doctor en Historia
DNI 17.999.622
correo@lopezgottig.com