Tomorrow, April 25th, the 11th Panchen Lama, Gendun Choekyi Nyima, turns 20 years old. Sadly, he will spend yet another birthday as a prisoner of the Chinese government.

In 1995, after the Dalai Lama recognized Gendun Choekyi Nyima as the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama, the boy was kidnapped along with his family by the Chinese government. He was six years old at the time, the world’s youngest prisoner of conscience. He has not been seen nor heard from since. Tibetans everywhere deeply mourn his absence as they observe his 20th birthday.
 

TAKE ACTION for the release of Gendun Choekyi Nyima.

Sign this petition to demand the Panchen Lama’s release.

While inspiring acts of Tibetan resistance continue, in the 14 years that the Panchen Lama has been held prisoner by the Chinese government, the situation inside Tibet has gotten worse. Today, Tibetans inside Tibet are living under virtual martial law.

Last week, the Chinese government handed out a series of harsh sentences to Tibetans, which demonstrates an alarming escalation in Beijing’s campaign to terrorize Tibetans into submission and silence.

On April 8th, China sentenced four Tibetans to death for their alleged involvement in “starting fatal fires” in last year’s protests in Lhasa. Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak were sentenced to death while Phuntsok and Kangtsuk received death sentences with a two-year reprieve. Meanwhile, just this week, Penkyi, a 21-yeal old Tibetan woman from Sakya County, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, while another young woman named Penkyi was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Please call on the Chinese authorities to stop the executions and overturn these unjust sentences, and demand an independent inquiry into these cases. Please note that China and Tibet are 12 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.

BEIJING:
Ministry of Justice, Wu Aiying
Tel:+86 10 8313 9065 +86 10 6520 6706

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yang Jiechi
Tel: +86 10 6596 1114 +86 10 6596 3100

Supreme People’s Procuratorate
Tel: +86 10 6525 2000 +86 10 6559 2000

LHASA:

Secretary of the Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR)
Tel: +86 89 1632 5889

TAR People’s Government
Tel: +86 89 1633 2067

TAR People’s Congress
Tel: +86 89 1683 2423

With hope and prayers,

Lhadon, Tendor, Kate, Heather, Chand and everyone here at SFT HQ

Tomorrow, April 25th, the 11th Panchen Lama, Gendun Choekyi Nyima, turns 20 years old. Sadly, he will spend yet another birthday as a prisoner of the Chinese government.

In 1995, after the Dalai Lama recognized Gendun Choekyi Nyima as the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama, the boy was kidnapped along with his family by the Chinese government. He was six years old at the time, the world’s youngest prisoner of conscience. He has not been seen nor heard from since. Tibetans everywhere deeply mourn his absence as they observe his 20th birthday.
 

TAKE ACTION for the release of Gendun Choekyi Nyima.

Sign this petition to demand the Panchen Lama’s release.

While inspiring acts of Tibetan resistance continue, in the 14 years that the Panchen Lama has been held prisoner by the Chinese government, the situation inside Tibet has gotten worse. Today, Tibetans inside Tibet are living under virtual martial law.

Last week, the Chinese government handed out a series of harsh sentences to Tibetans, which demonstrates an alarming escalation in Beijing’s campaign to terrorize Tibetans into submission and silence.

On April 8th, China sentenced four Tibetans to death for their alleged involvement in “starting fatal fires” in last year’s protests in Lhasa. Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak were sentenced to death while Phuntsok and Kangtsuk received death sentences with a two-year reprieve. Meanwhile, just this week, Penkyi, a 21-yeal old Tibetan woman from Sakya County, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, while another young woman named Penkyi was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Please call on the Chinese authorities to stop the executions and overturn these unjust sentences, and demand an independent inquiry into these cases. Please note that China and Tibet are 12 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.

BEIJING:
Ministry of Justice, Wu Aiying
Tel:+86 10 8313 9065 +86 10 6520 6706

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yang Jiechi
Tel: +86 10 6596 1114 +86 10 6596 3100

Supreme People’s Procuratorate
Tel: +86 10 6525 2000 +86 10 6559 2000

LHASA:

Secretary of the Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR)
Tel: +86 89 1632 5889

TAR People’s Government
Tel: +86 89 1633 2067

TAR People’s Congress
Tel: +86 89 1683 2423

With hope and prayers,

Lhadon, Tendor, Kate, Heather, Chand and everyone here at SFT HQ

http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=24279&article=Exiled+Lama+seeks+explanation+about+Chinese+clampdown+on+his+monastery&t=1&c=1

Exiled Lama seeks explanation about Chinese clampdown on his monastery
Phayul[Tuesday, March 24, 2009 19:56]
By Kalsang Rinchen

Dharamsala, March 24 – An exiled Tibetan Lama has expressed his disappointment over what he calls “immeasurable sufferings” inflicted on the monks of his Monastery by the Chinese Army. Shingsa Trulku Choeki Gyaltsen, revered as the 11th reincarnation of the Great Mother of Je Tsongkhapa; the founder of the Gelugpa School of Tibetan Buddhism, is the principal Lama of Ragya monastery which recently reeled under tension after a monk of his monastery in Tibet jumped into Machu river killing himself. In a letter to the government of the People’s Republic of China, he condemned “religious persecution” in Tibet and demanded explanation from the Chinese government about the death of his follower Tashi Sangpo and current status of Tapey, a monk of Kirti monastery who set himself ablaze on February 27, 2009. He wrote that the Central Government of China, Provincial Governments and the Local Administrations should bear complete responsibility of the ongoing unrest in Tibet and the crackdown last year, saying that they must resolve issues peacefully. Accusing the Chinese government of desecrating his monastery with guns and military forces, the 28 year old Tibetan Lama demanded that the government must withdraw troops from his monastery. Like the Dalai Lama, Shingsa Rinpoche fled from the Chinese occupation in 1997 after which his seat monastery and followers has been devoid of his presence and blessings. The young Lama now lives in Sera monastery in south India. A strong supporter of Tibetan independence, a position that is not supported by the Dalai Lama who seeks genuine autonomy for Tibet, Shingsa Rinpoche took part in the ‘march to Tibet’ last year carried out by 5 Tibetan NGOs. Tenzin Tsundue, a writer and independence activist who took part in the march, told phayul that Rinpoche was a great source of inspiration for other marchers.

Shingsa Rinpoche sits on his throne at Sera monastery in Bylakupee, south India

http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=23762&article=No+celebrations+on+Tibetan+New+Year%2C+announces+Exile+Govt&t=1&c=1

No celebrations on Tibetan New Year, announces Exile Govt
Phayul[Saturday, February 07, 2009 14:56]
By Phurbu Thinley

Dharamsala, February 7: Tibet’s Government in exile Saturday announced that there would be only “customary religious” ceremonies and no celebrations to mark this year’s Losar (traditional Tibetan New Year), which will fall in the last week of this month.

The decision has been made “taking into consideration of the continuing repression in Tibet and the ruthless crackdown last year which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Tibetans and thousands imprisoned,” the official website of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile said in its report. According to the report, the Kashag, the executive cabinet of the Central Tibetan Administration, has appealed to all the concerned departments and offices of the administration “not to organise any lavish and pompous celebrations such as hosting feasts, dance parties and lighting firecrackers.” “Similarly, the Kashag also directs all the officials of the administration to refrain from taking part in such gatherings,” the report said.

This poster sent from Tibet calls for boycott of the Tibetan New year 2136. Media reports say many Tibetans in Tibet have also set aside other traditional observances such as fall picnic festivals and the yearly whitewashing of houses in a gesture aimed at honoring Tibetans who died during 2008 protests. (Phayul/file)

The report further said that the direction had also been given to “all the staff working in Tibetan settlements, offices of Tibet, schools and healthcare centres.”

“Last year in March, the Tibetan people across the traditional provinces of Tibet expressed their “deep-seated resentment against the wrong policies of the Chinese government in Tibet,” the report said.

According to the report, subsequent brutal crackdown by the Chinese military left more than 219 Tibetans dead and 1294 injured.

“Around 5,600 people are still under arrest or detention and more than 1000 missing,” the report said.

Prominent Tibetan NGOs in exile community have also made joint calls to forgo this year’s Losar celebration, first time that such an unprecedented move has been made in the course of their 50 years of freedom struggle.

Tibetans in Tibet have also signaled that they would refrain from celebrating as a quiet protest gesture, and have urged others to do the same in heated exchanges on the Internet.

However, inside Tibet, Chinese authorities are said to be deliberately encouraging Tibetans to celebrate the New Year with pomp and festivity, in some cases even giving out gifts and special presents to encourage celebrations.

This year, the traditional Tibetan New Year (2136 Earth Ox Year) falls on 25th February, just over two weeks before the 50th commemoration of the March 10th Tibetan National Uprising of 1959. March 10 will also mark one year since protests by Tibetan monks in Lhasa last year erupted into biggest protests among Tibetans in decades.

Urge Secretary Clinton to take a strong stance regarding Tibet during her China visit!

http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/clinton_china/