Tibet: Exiles in Taiwan Launch Global Action
Tibetan exiles living in
Below is an article written by Loa lok-sin and published by the
As the one-year countdown to the Beijing Olympics began yesterday [8 August 2007], Tibetans living in
"Tibetans in Tibet have no freedom of religion, no freedom of speech and no basic human rights," Taiwan Tibetan Welfare Association chairman Rinzin Tsering told a press conference in Taipei yesterday [8 August 2007].
Tibetan uprisings against the occupation were brutally oppressed by the Chinese military and several religious leaders who refused to recognize Chinese rule were either imprisoned without fair judicial process or have gone missing, Rinzin Tsering said.
The Chinese government has also sought to tighten its control over
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Tibetans believe that high lamas -- or Tibetan Buddhist monks -- reincarnate after their death.
Traditionally, reincarnations of high lamas were confirmed, through a complicated process, by the Dalai Lama or other high-ranking lamas.
"No Tibetan will recognize a high lama announced by
"A country that doesn't care about human rights should not host the Olympic Games," Taiwan Friends of Tibet president Chou Mei-li (周美里) said.
"It's a shameful decision to allow
Tibetan organizations worldwide will concentrate efforts into calling for improvements in human rights in
Rinzin Tsering said: "We the Tibetan community in
A boycott of the sponsors of the Beijing Olympics is another measure the group intends to take.
"We hope [the sponsors] will withdraw their support," said Democratic Progressive Party Department of Ethnic Affairs Director Yang Chang-chen (楊長鎮), who is also a member of the Taiwan Friends of Tibet.
"We know there's one Taiwanese corporation sponsoring the Beijing Olympics. We will refrain from naming it at the moment," Yang said. "But should it become necessary, we'll call for a boycott."