TIBETAN SOLIDARITY COMMITTEE

Press Release         20th April 2008

Self- Defeating Patriotic Re-education Campaign of China

According to reliable sources, many monks of Wara monastery, Jhodha District, Chamdo Prefecture protested against patriotic re-education and fled to the nearby mountains and countryside. Despite various attempts, no monks have surrendered. The remaining about 50 monks refused to denounce His Holiness the Dalai Lama in spite of threat to their life.

Since 12th April, for a few days, monastic heads of 18 districts under Kardze prefecture were asked to gather for patriotic re-education. The monastic heads urged the authorities that the forced campaign would be counter productive. The officials present at the meeting also supported the view. Attempts to get signatures to oppose the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama could not be implemented for the time being.

On 17th April, Lithang District authorities ordered the Lithang monastic heads to hoist Chinese Flag on the monastery. The monastic heads while recognising the power of the authorities to order, said it should also be responsible for any resulting unrest in the monastery and insisted on signed documents ordering the monasteries to that effect. The policy to impose hoisting of Chinese Flags on the monasteries started in Kham and eventually implemented in other areas of Tibet including Tibet Autonomous Region since the 12th of April.

Around 15th of April in Gulog Shiba of Nyagchu Dzong, the district authorities came for a forced signature campaign to accuse His Holiness the Dalai Lama of masterminding the recent peaceful demonstrations in Tibet. Gyaltsen, a local Tibetan walked out of the meeting and others joined him too.

Extra deployment of army was brought into Rongpo Gonchen by the early afternoon of 18th April. An estimated 430 Tibetans were arrested. Photographs of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and computers were confisticated during the house to house raid. The arrested monks were subjected to brutal torture and alleged leaders were tied with wires and stacked in vehicles while transporting them in the most inhuman way.

In view of the critical situation in Tibet, we appeal the UN and international community of the urgent consideration of our following demands:

1. Immediately dispatch independent fact finding delegations to Tibet
2. Immediately allow free press to cover the whole of Tibet
3. Immediately end the brutal killings in the whole of Tibet
4. Immediately release all arrested and imprisoned Tibetans
5. Extend immediate medical assistance to the injured Tibetans
6. Allow free movement of people and provide access to daily needs

 - Tibetan Solidarity Committee