Dharamshala: On March 10 2012, Dr. Lobsang Sangay, political leader of the Central Tibetan Administration(CTA), called upon world leaders and citizens to make 2012 the Tibet Lobby Year. His call has been met with sucess as Tibet resolutions have been passed in the EU, France, Italy, and the US, along with statements of support from nations such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Japan, and South Africa.
The CTA also acknowledges positive actions including the recent statement of Navi Pillay, the UN High Commisioner on Human Rights, and Gary Locke, the US Ambassador to China. The support of Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders, the Human Rights Watch, and the US Congressional Executive Commision on China, have also been highlighted.
Building on the successful lobbying efforts occuring in 2012, Dr. Lobsang Sangay has launched the 'Solidarity with Tibet' campaign for 2013. This announcement was made at a press conference on December 5, followed by a speech by Dr. Sangay.
He mentioned that, in light of the over 92 Tibetan immolations (79 of which have occured in 2012 alone) and the increasingly repressive measures of the Chinese, the CTA has reaffirmed its resolve to inform and mobilize the international community. In pursuit of this goal a video about self-immolations, and a new website and facebook page have been launched. By raising public awareness and building pressure on China to address the Tibet issue through open dialoge, the CTA hopes to improve the situation within Tibet.
The CTA appealed to the global community to visit and share the microsite, www.solidaritywithtibet.org , and the facebook page, www.facebook.com/SolidarityWithTibet. Futher, the CTA hopes that enough shares of the video on self immolation, available on both sites, will allow the video to go viral and attract international attention.
Finally, the CTA encouraged everyone to register with ThunderClap on www.solidaritywithtibet.org to share a synchronized message on Human Rights Day, December 10, which will increase awareness about the current situation in Tibet.
Following the announcement about the new campaign, Dr. Sangay reaffirmed that what is most important is a focus on Tibetans still living in Tibet, and that in light of the countless Tibetan brothers and sisters who have dedicated their lives to the cause, people living outside of Tibet have a special responsibility to step up and take action.
At the press conference Dr. Lobsang Sangay also delivered a message to Tibetans still living within Tibet. He highlighted their demand for the return of His Holiness to Tibet and freedom for the people. On behalf of the 14th Kashak and outside Tibetans, Sangay stated that as much as possible will be done to work in pursuit of these demands until they become realities.
Finally Dr. Sangay reminded the audience of the message left by a recent self immolator, that all Tibetans should unite, overcoming any differences to work together. Dr. Sangay requested that Tibetans outside of Tibet keep this message in mind, understanding and respecting the wishes of those inside Tibet.
The Solidarity With Tibet Campaign provides one such avenue for people living outside of Tibet to unite and mobilize for those Tibetans who remain voiceless under Chinese rule.
The government has urgently appealed to friends and members of the international community to consider taking following actions:
· Share the link to the microsite (www.solidaritywithtibet.org) and Facebook page (www.facebook.com/SolidarityWithTibet) with your circle of friends;
· Share the link to the video on self-immolations and help us make it go viral; (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyjFBg8mwiU)
· Sign-up on ThunderClap to share a synchronized message (at www.solidaritywithtibet.org) so that on December 10 (Human Rights Day) as many people as possible will be made aware of the current situation in Tibet through the Solidarity with Tibet Campaign.
