lotusinthemud

help protect tibetans and their sacred mountain

Tibetans in Tibet are appealing for help to stop a Chinese company from mining a sacred mountain.

Since May 16th, hundreds of Tibetans have been peacefully blockading the main road leading to Ser Ngul Lo Mountain in Markham County. Tibetans in the region believe mining is poisoning water sources, leading to the deaths of both people and cattle. More than 300 armed security forces have been deployed to the area, and the situation on the ground is reported to be incredibly tense.

Under Chinese occupation, Tibetans are routinely denied the right to determine the use of their own land and resources. Any Tibetan who dares to oppose mining operations is at great risk of arrest, imprisonment, and even torture.

Help protect Tibetans in Markham and their sacred mountain. Let the Chinese government know the world is watching.

1) If you are in the U.S., fax a letter to China's Ambassador to the United States, Zhou Wenzhong http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/stopminingaction

2) If you are living outside of the U.S., fax a letter to China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Zhang Yesui http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/markham

To learn more, go to: http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/stopminingaction/explanation

free aung san suu kyi - 62nd birthday action

Free Aung San Suu Kyi - 62nd Birthday Action

tibet protest monks receive hero’s welcome in dharamsala

Dharamsala, May 12: Five Tibetan monks, who staged protests against Chinese rule last year in Amdo Labrang and later managed to escape Tibet, arrived to a hero’s welcome in Dharamsala on Sunday.

Tibetan exiles, including representatives of Tibetan organisations, bearing Tibetan National Flag and Khata (ceremonial scarves) greeted the monks as they arrived here early morning by bus from Delhi.

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china - stop the executions!

Steve writes:

On April 8th, China sentenced two Tibetans, Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak, to death for their alleged involvement in last year's protests in Lhasa. Two others, Phuntsok and Kangtsuk, were also sentenced to death but with a two year reprieve, and Dawa Sangpo was sentenced to life imprisonment.

These harsh sentences signal an alarming escalation in the Chinese government's campaign to punish and intimidate Tibetans who dare to speak out against Chinese rule.

If you agree that such punishments are harsh and unjustified please take action.

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nbo and humanists make joint statement on g20

Here is a joint statement from NBO (Network of Buddhist Organisations) and British Humanist Association:

 

On the occasion of the visit of G20 Leaders for their London Summit on 2 April, the Network of Buddhist Organisations and the British Humanist Association have issued the joint statement below. Largely based on a similar statement organised by Archbishop Rowan Williams, it demonstrates, in the words of Hanne Stinson, BHA's Chief Executive, 'that you do not have to believe in a god to share the same concerns'.

 "We acknowledge the severity of the current economic crisis and the sheer complexity of the global and local challenge faced by political leaders. They, and we, have a crucial role to play in recovering that lost sense of balance between the requirements of market mechanisms that help deliver increased prosperity, and the moral requirement to safeguard human dignity, regardless of economic or social category.

"Many people are suffering as a result of the economic crisis. The World Bank estimates that 53 million more people could fall into absolute poverty as a result of the crisis. The likelihood is that more will face significant hardship before it comes to an end, and those who are already poor sufferthe most. Along with the leaders of the G20 we all have a duty to look at the faces of the poor around the world and to act with justice, to think with compassion, and to look with hope to a sustainable vision of the future.

"We wish therefore to draw attention to some of the promises made by the international community in recent times - with our wholehearted support - that risk being postponed by the pressing concern to rectify market failures.  We need to be properly conscious that all communities include, and must pay special attention to the needs of, poor, marginalised and vulnerable people.  To forget their needs would be to compound regrettable past failures with needless future injustices.

tibet news digest 14 - 27 march 2009

- Kalon Tripa says Tibetans ready to talk
- Three foreigners detained in Kathmandu
- Bomb blast in Kardze
- Monks taken for ‘study' after peaceful protest
- Karmapa gives rare interview
- Luxury train to Lhasa postponed
- China arrests a Tibetan civil servant
- China approves "modern redesign" of Lhasa
- Nun stages protest march in Kardze
- Fear of more HIV infections
- Youths and monks held for marking uprising anniversary
- Arrests over farming boycott
- Tibetan writer arrested
- Danish PM hopes to meet Dalai Lama in May
- Chinese bank lends to mines in Tibet
- Ragya monastery encircled and under severe restriction
- Tibet re-opens to foreign tourists from April
- Tibetan writer-photographer arrested in Gansu Province
- Nuns arrested in Kardze
- China block footage of Tibet violence on YouTube
- Peace conference "postponed" after Dalai Lama refused visa

canada discovers cyber spy network

There is no conclusive evidence of Chinese government involvement An electronic spy network, based mainly in China, has infiltrated computers from government offices around the world, Canadian researchers say. They said the network had infiltrated 1,295 computers in 103 countries. They included computers belonging to foreign ministries and embassies and those linked with the Dalai Lama - Tibet's spiritual leader. Researchers say they have no conclusive evidence China's government was behind, Beijing has also denied involvement. Researchers from the Information Warfare Monitor (IWM) were acting on a request from the Tibetan spiritual leader's office to check whether the computers of his Tibetan exile network had been infiltrated. The report comes at the end of a 10-month investigation by IWM, which comprises researchers from Ottawa-based think tank SecDev Group and the University of Toronto's Munk Centre for International Studies. The researchers said hackers were apparently able to take control of computers belonging to several foreign ministries and embassies across the world using malicious software, or malware.

archbishop desmond tutu to the dalai lama: we stand with you

We the undersigned Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, human rights leaders and concerned individuals wish to express our concern at the current deterioration of the human rights situation in Tibet, and the apparent breakdown of the talks between the Chinese government and emissaries of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. We are dismayed at the lack of any concrete progress toward resolving the conflict over the autonomy and religious freedom of the Tibetan people, and urge all parties involved to redouble their effort to achieve this vital goal.

tibet news digest 31 january 2009 - 13 february 2009

TibetInfoNet - www.tibetinfonet.net
News Digest 31. Jan 2009 - 13. Feb 2009
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- Two sentenced in Kardze
- Four nuns and two laymen sentenced in Kardze
- Details of Kardze Protests Emerge
- Seven monks arrested, abbot missing in Chamdo
- Nine monks sentenced, other committed suicide
- More Tibet unrest cannot be ruled out - officials
- Tibetan nomads, farmers may be losers in China's ecology protection plan
- So far 76 sentenced for 2008 unrest in TAR
- Dalai Lama: situation as "very tense"
- China wants to "improve" regional autonomy
- Many Tibetan areas closed to foreigners

27 days of change: practice period

Sent to me:
27 Days of Change: Practice Period

Designed for activists, allies & agents of social change,
Practice Periods are 27 days of daily inner practice in the
midst of our urban lives.

"America's next great social movement must be an inner one.
Without inner change, there can be no outer change. Without
collective change, no change matters."

The 6-point, 360 degree personal change program helps you
examine your relationship to yourself, your community and the
world. Join the movement to make inner change matter for
real social change.

Participate online or in person. Residential opportunities available.

For 27 days, participants commit to the following intentions: