Protests have continued in Eastern Tibet over the past weeks as Tibetans’ calls for rights and freedoms in their own land are met with violence by the occupying Chinese regime. The situation remains tense, with military build-ups and little news allowed to filter through.

Chinese security forces have opened fire on unarmed Tibetans in three seperate occasions over the course of one week. In the first incident, Norpa Yonten and another as yet unamed Tibetan were shot dead in Draggo County and over 30 were injured, many with gunshot wounds after protests began when local Tibetans were arrested for distributing leaflets calling for freedom and displaying the banned Tibetan national flag and slogans such as ‘shame on China’ and ‘long live the Dalai Lama’. Some later reports said that six Tibetans had died in the shooting, and a dozen people are said to be in a serious condition. The incident followed protests in Puku township on 22nd January, where the Chinese authorities deployed large numbers of police. Hundreds of monks are also reported to have protested in Meruma, Ngaba; part of an ongoing wave of protests in Kardze, Ngaba and other areas which seem to have intensified in regularity in 2012.

Then on 24th January, at least 3 Tibetans including men named Dawa Dakpa and Popo were shot dead in Serta, close to Draggo, after security forces opened fire on a group of some 6,000 protesters. It is thought that the peaceful protests and violent response may have been sparked by Tibetans stressing that they would not celebrate Chinese Lunar New Year. Chinese authorities in the area refused to give substantial comment, with one official saying “It’s not convenient to reveal. We have rules.” An unknown number of Tibetans have been arrested in connection with these incidents, with some saying around 30-40, while public movements have been limited and internet access blocked to prevent news getting in and out of the area. A Tibetan in the area told Radio Free Asia “a kind of martial law has been imposed.” and another “Tibetans are confined to their homes as the Chinese police fire on anyone who ventures outside in the streets.”

Yonten, who died on 23rd January and Tharpa, arrested on 26th January as his friend Urgen was killed

On 26th January, a young man named Tharpa put up a leaflet which stated why 17 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in protest against Chinese rule and the lack of basic human freedoms in Tibet today; 16 of them in the past year. The note called for freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama. Knowing he would face reprisals for this simple action, Tharpa added his own name and photo to the leaflet and a note that authorities could come and arrest him if they wished. They did so, surrounding his house, where local Tibetans gathered, saying if Tharpa was arrested they would protest. Chinese forces responded by firing into the crowd, killing a 20-year-old man named Urgen, a school friend of Tharpa, and injuring several others. On the same day, 25-year-old Namkha Gyaltsen was arrested in the central Barkhor Square in Lhasa after distributing pamphlets calling for freedom for Tibet. Like so many others, he was badly beaten before being taken away by Chinese security. The authorties have continued to flood Tibetan areas with troops, adding to the pressure cooker atmosphere rather than progressively discussing Tibetans’ genuine grievances. Lhasa is now also reportedly under lockdown, and journalists are being banned from covering the crisis.

A Tibetan man being beaten in Serthar, 24th January and troops lining the streets

On 4th February, three further self-immolations have been reported in Serthar. An unnamed Tibetan is said to have died while 60-year-old Tsering and 30-year-old Kyakri are thought to have survived. The news comes as shocking photos of Chinese brutality in Tibet continue to filter through, showing a huge military presence in Tibetan areaa, beatings being carried out on unnarmed Tibetans in Serthar on 24th January and victims sporting horrific gunshot wounds.

UK Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne expressed his concern on 25th January, saying “I am deeply concerned at reports that Chinese security forces have fired upon protesters on two occasions in Tibetan areas of Sichuan, resulting in casualties. I urge the Chinese government to exercise restraint, to release full details of the incidents, and to work to resolve the underlying grievances.” Meanwhile US State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said “We have repeatedly urged the Chinese Government to address its counterproductive policies in the Tibetan areas, which have created tensions and threatened the unique religious, cultural, and linguistic identity of the Tibetan people.” The US has stated it will raise the issue of recent tragic incidents with China’s next leader Xi Jinping when he visits Washington in February.

Recently posted photos of Chinese troops patroling Lhasa

The shootings came just over a week after Chinese forces killed at least one woman who was peacefully protesting in Ngaba on 14th January as local Tibetans protested against the beating of Lobsang Jamyang, who set himself on fire in protest against Chinese rule and died later. Again, Chinese forces also used tear gas on protesters, and on this occasion also beat them with nail-lined sticks and heavy metal chains.

Tibetan Government-in-Exile leader Lobsang Sangay said that the international community must end their silence and “intervene to prevent further bloodshed.” and added “how long and how many tragic deaths are necessary before the world takes a firm moral stand?” Protests had also occured in Serta on 16th January, in Drasar, Amdo Golok Chikdril Dzong, Pema Town and Draggo on 16th and 17th January, while Chinese aurthorities also killed unarmed Tibetans in Achog, Labrang on 8th January and at least two are known to have died through torture this year.

SFT UK Director Pema Yoko said “Tibetans are continuing to put their lives on the line to reject China’s oppressive rule, and are asking us as Tibetans and supporters in exile to make their calls for freedom heard… Tibetans need not just the UK government but governments across the world to take urgent multi-lateral action for Tibet.”

Protest in Kardze, 16th January and monks put up a solidarity banner in Ngaba reading ‘sharing the joy and sorrow’

PLEASE TAKE 5 URGENT ACTIONS TODAY:

1. Call your MP (or if you already have, make a follow up call) to alert them to the growing crisis in eastern Tibet and ask for their support. Contact your MP here.
If you’ve already called your representatives, please call again to update them on the current crisis in Draggo and Dzamtang, Ngaba. Please follow up your call with a thank you email and an update telling them about these latest shootings. You can also pass on this Radio Free Asia article about the current crisis in Tibet.

2. Call the UK Embassy in China (during the morning or daytime) to express your concern and request them to take action. Contact information can be found here. Ask them to contact the Chinese authorities urgently to ascertain the current situation in Ngaba, Golog, Draggo and Dzamtang, including details of casualties and detainees, and to obtain assurances that medical treatment has been provided to all who need it, urge them to request permission to visit Ngaba, Golog, Draggo, Dzamtang and other affected regions and to press the Chinese government to respect the right of Tibetans to peaceful protest.

3. Call the Chinese government offices in Ngaba, Golog, Draggo and Dzamtang (during the morning or daytime) to alert them to the fact that the world is watching the situation in eastern Tibet with great concern. List of contacts here.

4. Join the Solidarity Vigil taking place every Wednesday from 6pm at the Chinese Embassy, Portland Place, London W1B 1JL, near Great Portland Street or Warren Street tube. Invite people to the Facebook event.

5. Sign and share the Enough! petition for Global Intervention to Save Tibetan Lives and help reach 1 million signatures for Avaaz petition. Now is a critical time to get as many people, including influential figures to sign the pledge to stand up for Tibet.

These incidents come after over a year of continuing self-immolations by Tibetan monks and laypeople, most of young people, and most having lost their lives after setting themselves on fire to protest against Chinese rule. They’ve done so while shouting for freedom, for the return of the Dalai Lama and some for independence for Tibet. And they have been beaten or detained, their families refused permission to their bodies to perform funerals and those who’ve shown support for these simple messages treated with equally brutal force. Sadly it seems that the self-immolations will continue.

It’s clear that the Chinese state has no interest in addressing the grievances of the Tibetan people as any developed country would. Cohesive, robust and unified multi-lateral action from truly developed countries is needed to bring an end to the crisis in Tibet. The US expressed it’s serious concern about recent events, with United States Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues Maria Otero saying “I am gravely concerned by reports of violence and continuing heightened tensions in Tibetan areas of China, including reports of security forces in Sichuan province opening fire on protesters, killing some and injuring others… We call on the Chinese government to safeguard the universal human rights of all of China’s citizens. We urge Chinese security forces to exercise restraint, and we renew our call to allow access to Tibetan areas of China for journalists, diplomats and other observers.” China likes to play divide and rule with its trading partners, so concerned nations must work together to demand China respects Tibetans’ rights. It’s clear that the protests, the crackdowns and the brutality of the Chinese regime will continue unless substantive action is taken to call for it’s end.

Protest in Golog after authorties prevented people attending the funeral of Sopa Rinpoche, who self-immolated this year and photo of troops said to be from the 14th January incident

China’s violent repression of peaceful dissent in Tibet and it’s paranoid approach to information access, barring foreigners, journalists and independent observers from the region, is an embaressment to China’s rich and diverse history, culture and people. China’s propaganda about harmony and unity in it’s so-called ‘motherland’ becomes more and more implausible with every shot that’s fired and every Tibetan who falls. Lama Sopa, who died after setting himself on fire in protest against Chinese rule in January, said in his last message that Tibetans should “unite and work together to build a strong and prosperous Tibetan nation.” More and more Tibetans are stepping up to echo his words.

Tibetans are crying out for freedom, and China is responding with the brutality which has characterised over sixty years of occupation. It’s time for governments across the world, who know the kind of regime they are dealing with whenever the deal with China, to protect both Tibetans and themselves by getting their support behind the Tibetan people.

It appears the 14th January demonstration began when 21-year old Lobsang Jamyang self-immolated in protest against the oppression in Tibet. Chinese officers beat him while he was alight, distressing local Tibetans who then protested. Email Chinese leaders here

The January 14th incident is one of an increasing number of protests in Tibet, where despite tightened controls on information access, news continues to filter through of protests, some of large numbers, occuring in various areas, such as in Serta on 16th January and in Drasar, where around 10 Tibetans protested for two hours with a banner reading “we should struggle for equality and freedom as human beings. We call for democracy, equality, nonviolence, and peace. Protests also occured on 16th and 17th January in Amdo Golok Chikdril Dzong, Pema Town and Draggo in Kardze. 500 Tibetans are thought to have protested in Golok on 15th January. The protesters are calling for the same things which Tibetans who have self-immolated are calling for; freedom and the return of their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. Some have begun to ask Tibetans to avoid celebrating New Year (Losar) on 22nd February.

Tibetans protesting in Pema County, 18th January 2012

The layman who self-immolated on 14th January, now identified as 21-year-old Lobsang Jamyang, shouted slogans such as ‘may His Holiness the Dalai Lama live thousands of years’ after setting himself alight near Kirti monastery, a hotbed of protest in recent years. He was set upon by Chinese security, who beat him and other Tibetans who had gathered around him with iron rods and chains while he was still alight. Some reports say he died on the scene and police took his body away, others than he was alive when taken away and died a few days later. Around 700 Tibetans are said to have surrounded the police station after authorities refused to hand Lobsang Jamyang to them; a common theme with those who has died during earlier self-immolations in 2011, as the Chinese state knows that if locals are able to carry out a funeral service, many will attend, showing that Tibetans support the calls for rights and freedoms. This is when the Chinese authorities reacted with violence.

Eyewitnesses reported that tear gas was used on the crowds, with one saying that the Chinese authorities used ‘a strong gas’ after which ‘many had fallen to the ground’. The authorities opened fire, and it seems large numbers of people were then beaten by Chinese forces. At least one woman was killed, possibly with an iron chain after being struck in the eye, though some reports put the number at three dead, ‘many’ seriously injured and up to 40 arrested. Some suggested a large number of Tibetans had been shot, but actual numbers of fatalities and injuries is unknown, but three women are thought to be in critical condition, another woman has been blinded and two youths severely wounded after beatings. Some background has emerged about Lobsang Jamyang; he spent time as a monk and was a scholarly individual and linguist who was involved in a cultural association which worked to preserve the Tibetan language; another issue which Tibetans have been protesting about in recent years as China attempts to make Chinese the language of education, industry and commerce in Tibet, gradually pushing native speakers out of the workforce. Since the initial information was shared in the morning of 14th January UK time, phone and internet lines to Ngaba have been sporadic as the Chinese state attempts to contain the flow of information.

Photo posted on 14th January; it seems this is from the 14th January incident but this has not been confirmed.

SFT UK Director Pema Yoko said “Tibetans are continuing to put their lives on the line to reject China’s oppressive rule, and are asking us as Tibetans and supporters in exile to make their calls for freedom heard. The tragedies of these self-immolations and brutal crackdowns like we’ve seen in Ngaba today expose the Chinese state’s brutal treatment of the Tibetan people. Tibetans need not just the UK government but governments across the world to take urgent multi-lateral action for Tibet.”

On 15th January, there have been reports that monasteries in the area have been expressing their solidarity with the protesters. This page will be updated as more details emerge. Please keep up with the latest news on our Facebook page.

Monks in Ngaba showing solidarity; the banner reads ‘sharing the joy and sorrow’

This latest self-immolation follows the cases of of monks 18-year-old Tenkyi and 22-year-old Tsultrim of Kirti on 6th January and 42-year old Sopa Rinpoche of Darlag in Golog on 8th January. The incident on 14th January means 16 Tibetans have now self-immolated in the past year, with at least 8 known to have died. Rather than discussing and finding workable solutions to the issues which are causing Tibetans to take this drastic action, the Chinese authorities continue to worsen the situation by beating self-immolating Tibetans and those who support their demands, refusing to hand over bodies to families to carry out funerals and preventing locals from attending funerals when they are able to go ahead. On 14th January, a large number of Tibetans protested after authorties prevented them from attending the funeral of Sopa Rinpoche, a respected religious figure to many. Some did attend, and it is believed that an elderly man attempted to set himself on fire at the funeral.

Also in January, 19-year-old Norbu Damdul, who self-immolated in late 2011, succumed to his injuries in a military hospital in January. Like a growing number of Tibetans, he had called for “complete independence for Tibet”. Other familiar slogans have included calling for the Dalai Lama to return to Tibet and for human rights and religious freedom. Tibetans again showed their support for the Dalai Lama on Monday 16th January, when dozens in Seda county held aloft a picture of the spiritual leader, often punishable for detention and torture. New cases of self-immolations, large protests and state brutality in Tibet are being reported on almost a daily basis; the crisis in Tibet is worsening and we need governments across the world to unify to get behind the Tibetan people.

SFT Executive Director Tenzin Dorjee said “This unprecedented wave of self-immolations is the ultimate rejection of Chinese rule in Tibet. In each of these incidents, the individual carrying out the act of self-immolation has demanded freedom for Tibet and the return of the Dalai Lama.”

Sopa Rinpoche, Norbu Damdul and Lobsang Jamyang

The 14th January incident is the second time Chinese authorties have used tear gas on Tibetan demonstrators in the same week, and is only the latest case already this year of Tibetan deaths at the hands of the Chinese authorties. Gurgo Tseten of Nanba town in Achog, Labrang was reportedly shot dead by Chinese police entering he and Gonpo Kyab’s home on 8th January, after being under suspicion of stealing tents Chinese workers were using while building a military airport; a project which local Tibetans had been protesting against. Hundreds of locals, already angry at the death of another man in custody after he was arrested for speeding on a motorbike, responded by ransacking the police station. The authorities used tear gas on the crowd and an unknown number were injured and arrested.

Meanwhile Ashtsang Norlha succumed to wounds inflicted through torture on 27th December and it was reported on 15th January that in Kham, a Tibetan prisoner named Bulug was also killed through torture by Chinese authorties, while fellow prisoners Gonpo Dargye, Tseten and Jampa were left crippled. A man named Kalsang given a 3 year term after beatings and torture, one of many Tibetans likely to be receiving such treatment. It is unknown how many Tibetans have been arrested and tortured over the past few months as details about such incidents are generally kept secret by the Chinese police, with details not even released to prisoner’s families.

Protest in Golog after authorties prevented people attending Sopa Rinpoche’s funeral, protest thought to be in Kardze, 16th January

It’s vital that the rest of the world listens to the messages Tibetans are giving. Tibetans have had enough of Chinese rule and all the brutality it brings. China’s violent, backward approach to these tragic protests is making things worse and worse, creating a pressure cooker effect of instability and discontent. As responsible, democratic and developed nations, we must call China to task for what is happening in Tibet today in a co-ordinated, constructive, firm and unified way.

SFT and others are continuing the Enough! campaign, calling for global action for Tibet, and so far we’ve seen encouraging signs from governments, with strong statements from the US and EU, condemnation of the crackdowns from high ranking Japanese ministers and the first UK parliamentary debate on Tibet since 2008. But it’s clear more is needed.

TAKE ACTION!.

Send an email to Chinese decision makers
Click here to send an automated email to Chinese policy makers, demanding that they address Tibetan grievances now.

Contact representatives
Please call the Chinese Embassy or consulate in your country and Write to your MP telling them about what’s happening in Ngaba and demand they take action to press China to seriously and progressively address Tibetan grievances.

Sign and share the Enough! petition
Tibet groups around the world have united for the Enough! campaign, and are attempting to gain 50,000 signatories for the Stand Up For Tibet petition, which was launched at the G20 summit, has been given directly into Barack Obama’s hands and currently has over 40,000 signatories.

The oppression in Tibet has become so unbearable that more Tibetans are taking this tragic action, drawing attention to the occupation of Tibet, often at the cost of their own lives. Pamphlets seen in Eastern Tibet suggest more are willing to take this action. Email Chinese leaders here

18-year-old Tenkyi and 22-year-old Tsultrim of Kirti self-immolated in Ngaba County on 6th January 2012, and 42-year-old Sopa Rinpoche, the most senior monk to self-immolate so far, set himself ablaze in the town of Darlag in Golog. The news of the first two immolations was broken when an attendee at the Dalai Lama’s teachings at the Kalachakra in India called family members in Amdo, Tibet so that they could hear the Dalai Lama’s voice over the phone. His relatives informed him of the self-immolations which had taken place earlier that day, saying “with folded hands they faced towards Kirti Monastery and raised a number of slogans amongst which the audible ones were- ‘Long live His Holiness the Dalai Lama’ and ‘We want the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet’.” They also told him that officers of the Chinese People’s Armed Police and Public Security Bureau arrived at the scene, doused the flames and took the pair away to an unknown location. The caller’s relatives said “the flames were huge and the layman might have probably died and there is less chances for the monk to survive”. It has also been reported that the young monk Norbu Damdul, who called for “complete independence for Tibet” when he self-immolated in late 2011 has also now passed away in a state hospital.

On Sunday, the sad news came that another monk, 42-year-old Sopa Rinpoche of Darlag, where he ran a orphonage, had also died after self-immolating. Witnesses reported that prior to the incident, he distributed pamphlets which read that the act he was about to undertake was “not for his personal glory but for Tibet and the happiness of Tibetans,” and that “Tibetans should not lose their determination. The day of happiness will come for sure. For the Dalai Lama to live long, the Tibetans should not lose track of their path.” Like others who self-immolated before him, Sopa Rinpoche drank keronsene before setting himself alight. Extremely graphic photos of Sopa Rinpoche after the self-immolation have been smuggled out of Tibet- please think carefully before viewing them as they are very disturbing images, but are posted here.

Sopa Rinpoche, photo from Radio Free Asia and Norbu Damdul

Following the incident, Chinese police took Sopa Rinpoche’s badly damaged body away, but hundreds of Tibetans came to the police station to demand it back so that they could perform a funeral for him. Sources reported that when authorities refused to return the body, protesters broke windows and doors at the police station, and eventually the police handed over the body. Protesters then put posters up in the town praising Sopa Rinpoche and calling for a boycott of Chinese goods. This demand has not been seen in relation to self-immolations before, but Tibetans did successfully boycott in Nangchen last year by buying vegetables from Tibetan sellers to avoid the hiked-up prices charged by Chinese sellers, putting state-supported Chinese shops out of business. Thousands of local Tibetans defied controls to attend a funeral ceremony for Sopa Rinpoche, while around 50 military vehicles arrived to increase state security in the area and phone lines were cut by authorities; a common reaction designed to prevent the outside world seeing both Tibetans’ sense of community and Chinese crackdowns.

There have been conflicting reports about the self-immolations, with some sources saying that the two who set themselves on fire on 6th January did so in seperate incidents which occured around the same time and a report saying that one of the individuals wrapped himself in barbed wire before setting himself alight to prevent Chinese authorities grabbing him during the self-immolation (in other such cases, Chinese police have set upon and beaten those who self-immolated). Some reports stated that one was a layman, others that they were both still practicing monks. Only the younger man was reported dead by the Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

Stark contrast: Tibetan monks and laypeople listen to the Dalai Lama’s teachings at the Kalachakra, India and arrested monks are herded into military trucks to face punishment in Tibet.

When Xinhua confirmed the self-immolations on Saturday, it again blamed the incidents on what it calls the ‘Dalai-clique’. The Chinese regime uses this blanket term to describe any Tibetan resistance to Chinese rule in order to push the propaganda line that the Dalai Lama somehow controls all anti-state feeling rather than admit that such feeling is caused by the Chinese state’s oppressive policies. It said that one of the men, an 18-year-old, died in a hotel room, that the other, a 22-year-old, was in hospital and that the incidents occured seperately but that both men had ‘confessed’ to having ‘conspired’ to self-immolate. The regime did not explain how the 18-year-old could have confessed to anything, having apparently died at the time of the self-immolation. Xinhua also claimed that the men were ex Kirti monks and ‘theives’ who had stolen a Buddha statue. The Tibetan government-in-exile stated “the People’s Republic of China government is solely to be blamed for these incidents of self-immolation. It must take full responsibility and immediately take measures to end these unfortunate incidents by adopting liberal policies for Tibet and Tibetan people.”

It’s difficult for us living in free societities to properly understand the actions of the young Tibetans who have self-immolated over the past year. In Tibetan history, there is only one known case of such a self-immolation, that of the young monk Tabey in 2009, who has recently revealed to still be alive, probably imprisoned in a Chinese jail or state hospital. But since 20-year-old monk Phuntsog Jarutsang’s self-immolation on 16th March 2011, there have been a further 13 known self-immolations in Tibet, most in Eastern Tibet, with at least seven known to have died. The situation in Tibet has clearly deteriorated significantly for Tibetans to be taking this step.

Military flooding the streets of Ngaba in response to self-immolations in 2011

It’s vital that the rest of the world listens to the messages Tibetans are giving. They are calling for freedom, for human rights, for the return of their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and for Tibetan independence. The messages are varied but they all underline one thing; Tibetans have had enough of Chinese rule, and as responsible, democratic and developed nations, we must call China to task for what is happening in Tibet today in a co-ordinated, constructive, firm and unified way.

China’s response to these self-immolations, generally to arrest large numbers of Tibetans, lay seige to monasteries, beat protesters and flood Tibetan streets with military, is not an acceptable reaction to public discontent in the 21st century. And it hasn’t worked; not only are Tibetans continuing to take these actions, laying down their lives to demand freedom, but thousands of Tibetans are coming out into the streets to protest and take part in vigils for those who have died as they did for the nun Palden Choetso, who self-immolated in late 2011. China is powerful, but ‘internal stability’ is its number one concern. China is not stable, and will never be stable until it begins to address the problems the Chinese Communist Party has created rather than worsen them by imposing draconian controls and brutal crackdowns.

News of these three deaths come alongside that of two other deaths of Tibetans by the hand of Chinese security forces. Gurgon Tsering of Achok in Amdo was reported shot dead by Chinese police entering he and Gonpo Kyab’s home on 8th January after the pair were accused of stealing tents being used by workers to construct a military airport nearby. Local Tibetans have been protesting against the airport’s construction since 2009. And Ashtsang Norlha succumed to wounds inflicted through torture on 27th December. He was serving a 2 year sentence for organising civil disobedience, including a farming boycott and refusal to comply with ‘patriotic re-education’ sessions. He had been released in 2011 into a medical facility following torture while imprisoned.

Picture of Palden Choetso’s sel-immolation from smuggled footage and the launch of the Enough! campaign during the G20 in Cannes

It’s already been a hard year for Chinese state security, with tensions in occupied East Turkestan flaring up again last week, where Chinese authorities are being accused of detaining five children who were apparently injured during a shoot-out between authorities and what the state calls a ‘terrorist group’ in late December. The detained include 9-year-old Memet Ablikim and four other primary age children. Meanwhile, the new year began with Chinese workers at two state-run steel works, a toy factory and another factory in Wuxai taking to the streets to protest against low wages, wages being left unpaid and a lack of rights to speak up against these conditions. Commentator Jung Chu said “China offers low wages and scant protection of human rights. These workers have expended their blood, sweat, and tears in labor, but they get very little money in return… they have no rights to speak of; they are treated like slaves in the factories” The strikes are thought to have been influenced by the successful resistance in the Chinese town of Wukan in December.

And in Ningxia, there have been clashes between Chinese police and Hui Muslims after the authorities attempts to demolish a mosque led to protests. Police are said to have beaten and rounded up protesters, killing at least two. One resident said “they told us that the mosque was illegal, and they said our gathering was an illegal activity. They beat us with police batons and bayonets, and the villagers gave no resistance. My grandmother, an old lady of 80, had already stopped breathing when they were done beating her.” It looks like 2012 will be another year of growing instability in China, with the state’s insistance on brutal responses contintuing to breed further instability rather than calm it.

SFT and others are continuing the Enough! campaign, calling for global action for Tibet, and so far we’ve seen encouraging signs from governments, with strong statements from the US and EU, condemndation of the crackdowns from high ranking Japanese ministers and the first UK parliamentary debate on Tibet since 2008. It is clear the crisis will continue in 2012; action is now needed to properly address the greivances of the Tibetan people.

Tibetans in Tibet need our support, and they need global action. China often plays divide and conquor when faced with demands that it respects rights and freedoms, putting on a charm offensive or offering business incentives or flimsy explanations about why Tibetans are taking these drastic actions. But with multilateral action, China can be challenged. The propaganda isn’t working; educated public opinion is on the side of the Tibetan people. Our governments need to show they are on their side to by challenging China to end the crackdowns and oppression in Tibet.

You can help us do this:
Send an email to Chinese decision makers
Click here to send an automated email to Chinese policy makers, demanding that they address Tibetan grievances now.

Write to key representatives
William Hague has made a strong statement; help us press for him to follow it up with robust action by taking this email action or write to EU Representative Caroline Ashton.

Sign and share the two petitions
Tibet groups around the world have united for the Enough! campaign, and are attempting to gain 50,000 signatories for the Stand Up For Tibet petition, which was given directly into Barack Obama’s hands and currently has over 40,000 signatories.

We’ve also been working with Avaaz on the Tibet’s Cry for Help petition, with a 1 million target. SFT UK and Avaaz will be meeting Foreign Office representatives in January about this issue. Please sign and share both!

Come to our lobby training sessions and mass lobby
SFT UK will be holding lobbying training sessions with the Tibetan community on the weekend of 28th January to get people ready for the annual mass lobby of UK parliament on 7th March. Look out for further details or contact us.

Write to your MP
It’s easy to write to your MP and as your political representative they are required to respond. Just go to writetothem.com and tap in your postcode; you can then fill in an email form. Tell them what’s happening in Tibet and ask them to write to the Foreign Office demanding action for Tibet.

Joing SFT’s rangzen circle
Making a small monthly donation to SFT UK will enable us to continue pushing for Tibetan freedom at this vital time. It’s easy and safe to setup online and by just giving £3, the price of a coffee, every month you can make sure we can keep up this work.

You can read more about the series of self-immolations in 2011 in SFT UK’s online magazine below:

He is one of a growing number of Tibetans using the arts and technology to spread their message of freedom and to call on Tibetans to defend their culture. It’s part of a new renaissance in Tibetan culture which China sees as a threat to it’s control of the region.

Kalsang Tsultrim is thought to have recorded his video message in 2009, and was first detained in July 2010, accused of a making a ‘political error’ by the Chinese authorities. The arrest came after his message had been distributed across Tibet on VCDs. Though he was initially released with a warning, he was re-arrested in December 2010 and has been held ever since. Kalsang has said he made the video message “to educate primarily the illiterates and general Tibetan public (with the) true history of Tibetan struggle for freedom” and that his message was designed to counter “the daily dose of government-sponsored propaganda”. It was not the first time he had challenged state controls, after writing about the Tibetan people’s aspirations for freedom in previous years.

The Chinese state is desperate to clamp down on any expressions of political and cultural ideas from the Tibetan people, and it’s treatment of cultural figures like Kalsang Tsultrim underlines the regime’s deep fear that if it allows free expression, it’s authority will be under threat. The same is true of Chinese dissident intellectuals such as Ai Weiwei and Liu Xiaobo, showing that the issue is not solely one of ethnicity; China is afraid of it’s own people’s wish to express themselves too.

But Tibetans receive particularly harsh treatment from the regime. Tibet’s long history and distinct culture exposes the fallacy of China’s attempts to promote the idea of a ‘Greater China’. Tibetans who express that culture demonstrate that China and Tibet are different nations and we are seeing a growing movement within Tibet of people using art, music, literature and film to underline what they are; Tibetan.

Also detained: Pema Rinchen and Hortsang Lhalung Tso

China is known to have arrested around 65 Tibetan intellectuals in 2011 alone, and has handed down sentences to some key Tibetan figures such as writers Tashi Rabten, who received a 4 year term and Pema Rinchen, who was arrested and badly beaten and magazine editor Jolep Dawa, who is now serving 3 years. Writers Jangtse Donko, Bhudha and Kalsang Jinpa received sentences of 3-4 years earlier in 2011, while Dhondup Wangchen’s case remains of high prominence in the international media, with more and more people watching his film Leaving Fear Behind.

Others are being detained without charge for many months just as Kalsang Tsultrim was, such as singer Hortsang Lhalung Tso, who was arrested on her way to sing at an event, the writer Choepa Lugyal and even CD shop keeper Kunsang Choegyal, who was arrested for selling CDs of talks by the Dalai Lama. The continuing crackdown on the arts comes as Tibetans utilise new ways to express themselves, which was particularly pin-pointed last year by the release of the song ‘New Generation’ by rap group Yudrug and the work of singers like Lhakyi and Sherten, whose music is seen as such a threat by the state that it arrests Tibetans who have his tracks downloaded on their phones and MP3 players.

Though China is powerful, though it has flooded Tibetan areas with more and more troops and though it imprisons Tibetans to dare to express their political views about their own land, the fact remains that such dissent continues. In recent years, it has in fact continued to grow. We’ve seen the tactics employed by the Chinese government in play in former Soviet states and in other oppressive regimes; the fact is that dictators feel threatened by the arts, and when dictators feel threatened, political change eventually happens.

It’s important that we continue to share Tibetans’ music, videos and art to make sure their message is heard and that the Chinese state is shamed by the fact that it is afraid of free expression; one of the basic cornerstones of any developed society. And as Tibetan poet Son of Snow wrote in 2010, “We have been waiting for too long, we have been voyaging too far, Tibetans, carrying dignity on their backs, bearing pain, are gradually rising.”

SFT UK has been proud to be a part of the Tibet movement in 2011; a year where dictators have fallen like dominos across the world. Read about our year here, and let’s carry on advancing the struggle in 2012!

Thank you to everybody who has supported Tibet this year, from UK-based Tibetans who’ve attended successful events like the parliamentary debate on Tibet to celebrities among the 40,000 people who signed the Stand up for Tibet petition. And thanks to SFT UK supporters who attended Action Camp and our training conference or who gave donations and joined the rangzen circle in 2011. Without your help, we at SFT UK would not be able to push both ourselves and the Tibet movement forward in the UK. Read about what we’ve done together in 2011 below.

But there’s still a long fight ahead of us. The Tibet movement has diversified in 2011. Tibetans in Tibet are getting smarter by the day, using new methods of civil disobedience to challenge Chinese state control and assert their national and cultural identity. But they’re also on the edge, demonstrated by the tragic spate of self-immolations this year and the continuing desperation of the Chinese authorities to crack down on dissent at the cost of innocent Tibetans’ lives.

Tibetans in Tibet are leading this movement. As the Dalai Lama said in 2011, they are our boss, we’re here to support them. It’s a real resistance movement in Tibet right now, while more and more young Tibetan leaders emerge in exile. The mountain we have to climb is great, but that never stopped Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela… and it didn’t stop the Tunisians, the Egyptians, the South Sudanese and so many other resistance movements in 2011!

The resistance movement in Tunisia and political theatre in London

We’re looking forward to another landmark year for Tibet in 2012, and SFT UK are looking to really establish ourselves more as well. We’ve developed as an organisation in our own right and intend to have a permanent staff position this year, enabling us to be more streamlined and strategic. But we also know there’s likely to be more tragedy in 2012; this is the reality for Tibetans living under the oppressive Chinese rule.

A year of contrasts; prayers at Kirti monastery and troops flooding Tibetan streets in 2011

In 2012, look out for some of these key events and opportunities:

-The mass lobby of parliament, 7th March
Mark Lhakar by joining the mass lobby; it’ll be during the day so please book the day off work if you need to. After the parliamentary debate on Tibet in December, we’re in a good place to urge MPs to take things forward. SFT UK will be holding lobby training sessions within the Tibetan community in January so please come along.

-Uprising Day march, 10th March
10th March is on a Saturday this year, and it’s also 100 years since Tibet’s last official declaration of independence. In 1912, the Dalai Lama was living in exile in India when Chinese troops attempted to invade. Tibetans pushed them back, forcing them to surrender and leave Tibet. We don’t expect China to leave Tibet in 2012, but we need as many people there as possible to show that we in the UK want them to get out of Tibet.

-The Enough! campaign
Sadly, it’s quite possible we’ll see more self-immolations in Tibet in 2012, as pamphlets seen in Ngaba say more are willing to take this extreme act. That’s why we’ll be building on our success in 2011 to push for multi-lateral action from world governments to end the situation which is driving Tibetans to breaking point.

-Dalai Lama UK visit, June
The Tibetan spiritual leader is likely to be giving teachings in London, Manchester and Glasgow this year. As always, this is a great opportunity both to meet new supporters at the teachings and to talk about the situation in Tibet in the media.

Nomad rights
The Nomad Rights campaign will also kick into gear in 2012. Time’s running out for Tibet’s nomads; China aims to force them all into reservation-style tenement housing by 2015. For the sake of Tibet and the global environment, we need to stand up for nomad rights just as we have over the self-immolations.

-The Lhakar movement, every Wednesday!
Look out for Tibetans in Tibet launching more new, inventive ways of resisting Chinese rule in 2012, and Tibetans in exile continuing to stand in solidarity by observing Lhakar themselves.

-More hard times for China
2011 has seen an unprecedented scale of protests in China and occupied territories, including not just Tibet, East Turkestan and Inner Mongolia but a huge amount of protests by Chinese people against the state, including massive acts of defiance in Dailan and Wukan. ‘Stability’ is the buzz word in China, but how long can the CCP hold off this kind of popular discontent?

-New Chinese President Xi Jinping, around October-November
It’ll be time to start thinking up new chants in 2012 as Xi Jinping takes over from Hu Jintao as China’s next President. He’s an interesting character who’s father treasured a watch given to him by the Dalai Lama and who dissapeared after denouncing the Tiananmen massacre, but we expect Xi himself to be as much of a hardliner as Hu Jintao. He’s sure to be making overseas trips soon, so we’ll be making our voices heard.

-SFT UK training conference
In around October we’ll be staging our annual training conference at a UK university. We’ll also be stepping up our training of students in seperate sessions. If you’re a student, or even if you’re not, we encourage you to come along for a weekend of fun, interactive and informative hands-on activist training! Watch this space for more details.

So thanks again for helping us push the Tibet movement forward in 2011, and let’s keep the ball rolling in 2012, making it ever harder and more costly for China to hold on to Tibet. Happy new year from the SFT UK team, and Tibet will be free!

The debate comes at a crucial time for Tibet, as on 1st December, Tenzin Phuntsok became the 12th Tibetan in 2011 to set himself on fire in a desperate attempt to draw attention to Tibet, and as new photos and footage of China’s brutality in Tibet has emerged.

At the end of the debate, Minister of State Henry Bellingham, representing the government, explained the UK government’s stance on the issue, declaring that the government has serious concerns over the recent self-immolations, which it agrees have been caused by the conditions in which Tibetans live in and the repression of Tibetan Buddhism, in stark contrast to the Chinese Embassy official Dai Qingli’s claim that the self-immolations have been orchestrated by external forces and the ‘Dalai clique’. He backed up Foreign Secretary William Hague’s previously made point that “we should urge the Chinese government to work with local monasteries and communities to resolve the grievances that have led to these self-immolations.”

He also stated the UK government’s concerns over a variety of other issues, including the whereabouts and well being of monks arrested at Kirti this year, Dhondup Wangchen, Karma Samdrup and his brothers, the Panchen Lama Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, education and language rights for Tibetans and the forced resettlement of Tibetan nomads. The government’s view is that the Tibet’s environment has broad significance, that Tibetan nomads know how to live sustainably on the land and should be allowed to continue this lifestyle rather than be forced to resettle.

You can watch the debate on the UK parliament channel online here.
(The section on Tibet starts at around 16:00- there is a 15min break during the session)

Tibetans and supporters outside parliament and inside the central lobby hall with MPs

Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party Simon Hughes MP, who led the debate, addressed the gathered Tibetans and supporters in the main lobby afterwards, saying that the government’s statement was robust, and that there are now new opportunities to take the issue forward in parliament and gain greater support. You can see a full video of his address here. It was great to see so many UK-based Tibetans attend, especially during the day on a week day, and was very positive to see that the government understands that the self-immolations have not taken place in isolation and are a part of the much larger Tibet issue; they were not asked to speak about political prisoners, language rights or nomads, but put these issues forward as part of the bigger picture. SFT and other Tibet groups have been gaining support from other governments, including in Japan, while representatives of the European Union have also voiced support. But there’s still a long way to go to gain multi-lateral action from governments for Tibet, so please continue to sign and share the www.standupfortibet.org petition and the Avaaz petition to build on the almost 700,000 signatories we have. And please continue to write to your own MP to get them to join Simon Hughes and members of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet.

Harsh reality: Tibetan monks being arrested and paraded on military trucks in these undated photos

The debate comes in another disturbing week for Tibetans and supporters. Recently released, undated photos from Ngaba and other unconfirmed locations show the draconian approach the Chinese state takes to dealing with monks, with pictures of them with signs around their necks denoting their names and ‘crimes’, many saying ‘splittism’; the blanket term the CCP uses to detain anybody who it suspects of opposing the regime, their ‘crimes’ ranging from refusing to denounce the Dalai Lama to owning Tibetan flags or MP3s of so called ‘subversive’ songs or conducting peaceful protests. The way the monks are lined up, dragged through the streets and crammed onto trucks is reminiscent of Cold War era regimes, not the kind of thing you would expect from a ‘developed’ country.

The Chinese government continues to avoid questions about human rights and freedoms, instead focusing on the amount of money it has ploughed into Tibet, as in Dai Qingli’s letter to the Guardian recently. Supportive MPs wrote this response (second letter), pushing the Chinese Embassy yet again to adequately answer the actual and serious questions it is being asked. The footage, photos and witness accounts coming out of Tibet, coupled with the regime’s continued refusal to allow journalists and independent observers into Tibet answers the questions on human rights and freedoms for them; these things do not exist in Chinese-occupied Tibet.

The military build-up in Tibet is not in keeping with China’s claims that Tibetan is ‘harmonious’ and that Tibetan enjoy ‘freedoms’.

More disturbing footage has also emerged, this time a leaked security video showing police brutality in Tibet in 2008. It includes disturbing footage and again shows the true face of the regime; bursting into Tibetan civilian’s houses, surrounding defenceless people and openly beating them in the face and recording close-ups of the damage done before arresting them; their ‘crimes’ unknown. The idea of innocent until proven guilty is clearly not part of China’s ‘developed’ and ‘civilised’ justice system. This footage comes a week after SFT released disturbing film of the self-immolation of the nun Palden Choetso, who died in November. Tenzin Phuntsok, the 12th to self-immolate in Tibet in 2011, sadly passed away on 8th December.

The British government’s response to the current crisis in Tibet reaffirms again that the outside world sees through China’s lies, and the more China and its Embassies peddle these fantasies about harmony and freedom in Tibet, the more they embarrass themselves on the international arena. The Chinese government is also an embarrassment to the Chinese people, especially those abroad who can find out the truth about the Chinese state; the truth which propaganda mouthpieces like Dai Qingli continue to hide behind.

We have to keep pushing, keep advocating for Tibetan rights and keep remembering Tibetan freedom and independence. And those of us living in countries which have human rights and freedoms need to keep using them to back Simon Hughes and other supportive MPs and to get our own MPs to join the call for global action on Tibet. The US, EU and other nations have recently released supportive statements; it’s time for China’s backward, brutal regime to stop embarrassing itself and it’s own people and start taking real, genuine and meaningful measures to address the legitimate grievances of the Tibetan people. And the more we can built multi-lateral action to press them to do so, the better.

This large protest in Dailan, China in 2011 and Uyghur protests in 2009 show why ‘stability’ is a buzz word to the CCP; current policies are failing to secure it.

SFT UK and other human rights groups in the Chinese, Uyghur and Tibetan Solidarity group organised a protest at the Chinese Embassy, London on Human Rights Day. December 10th. Acting in solidarity with others who are supressed by the Chinese regime, can put the true picture of China’s oppression into focus. Chinese democrats, Uyghurs and Tibetans are united, and are urging our governments to push China to address the real issues- the propaganda which says otherwise about ‘overseas groups’ is wearing thin.

This Human Rights Day, we were spurred on by the message which is continuing to emerge from Tibet alongside the horrifying images and footage. That message is summed up by Tenzin Phuntsog, who wrote and distributed leaflets just before his self-immolation. They read “when monks and nuns suffer so much under detention with beatings and excruciating interrogations, I would prefer to die than remain alive. How can we trust this totalitarian regime who forbids us from practicing our Buddhism? Mere thinking about those monks is futile. We should rise up.”

Representatives of the Chinese, Uyghur and Tibetan causes deliver a joint letter to the Chinese Embassy, protesters from all the causes unite to highlight the oppression of the CCP.

Together, we must rise up. And we must support the Tibetans, the Uyghurs and the Chinese human rights activists who are rising up in a diverse range of peaceful ways from protests to using the arts to developing civil resistance movements. If we carry on pushing this cause and exposing the international embaressment which is the CCP, we can gain substantive action for Tibet, and make human rights a reality.