Everest Protest Draws Attention to Chinese Oppression
Filed Under China | Posted on May 25, 2007
On April 24, 2007, three Tibetan independence activists, including one Tibetan-American, Tenzin Dorjee, Deputy Director of Students for a Free Tibet, were detained by Chinese authorities after demonstrating at Mount Everest’s main base camp in Tibet, unfurling a banner reading “One World, One Dream, Free Tibet 2008″ in English, and “Free Tibet” written in Tibetan and Chinese. The activists were released after 2 days in Chinese captivity.
Tenzin described the event as follows in an e-mail sent to SFT Supporters today:
Exactly one month ago today, I found myself trekking breathlessly in the pre-dawn cold towards Mt. Everest Base Camp along with four friends, all supporters of the Tibetan independence struggle. We had been preparing for months and traveling for weeks to get to that beautiful, desolate spot.
When sunlight turned Mt. Everest’s peak a blazing orange against deep blue sky, we unfurled a large handmade banner that read “ONE WORLD, ONE DREAM, FREE TIBET 2008″ and lit a torch for Tibetan freedom. As I sang the Tibetan national anthem in the thin morning air, all my fear and anxiety vanished; I felt proud and calm. It was the first time in many years that the Tibetan anthem was sung publicly on Tibetan land.
It wasn’t long before we were accosted by Chinese police, and detained by force. Jeff Friesen, Shannon Service, Laurel Sutherlin, Kirsten Westby and I were held by Chinese authorities for two days. We were subjected to hunger, sleep-deprivation, aggressive interrogation and physical threats - but we knew this was nothing compared to the punishment that Tibetans inside Tibet suffer for voicing their opinions. After 55 hours we were suddenly driven over mountainous roads to the Nepal-Tibet border and expelled from Tibet.
A video of the protest was posted on YouTube:
The Students for a Free Tibet Blog tracks the protest, detention, and continuing impact of the event. The SFT site also includes a sampling of the “Massive Worldwide Media Coverage” that the event garnered.
Tenzin’s e-mail concludes with a plea for support:
With a budget that is infinitesimal compared to China’s propaganda machine, a group of committed, nonviolent Tibet activists have shown the world that Tibetans and supporters continue to resist China’s occupation of Tibet, and will frustrate China’s attempts to use the Olympics as a platform to erase the Tibetan cause from global conscience.
We’re thankful to everyone who supported us and very glad that our action was effective. But our work is hardly over. Due to the security risks of Tibet activists even traveling in occupied Tibet, we were unable to publicly raise funds ahead of time for this expensive project. And with the Beijing Olympics still 15 months away, we’re only getting started.
I am asking everyone who was inspired by the Everest Protest to be a direct part of Students for a Free Tibet’s Olympics campaign by making a contribution today. Together we can make history for Tibet.
Go to https://secure.ga4.org/01/sftolympics to support SFT’s Olympics Action Fund.
China has a historic opportunity to show the world that it is a worthy host of the 2008 Olympics, but time is running out on that chance. China’s Communist regime continues its brutal oppression not only of Tibetans but of their own Chinese citizenry, as well. Forced abortion and sterilization, detention without trial, torture, summary execution, religious oppression are the tools used by the Chinese government to control dissent and suppress the basic freedoms of the peoples under its rule. Indications are that Chinese brutality is increasing as it attempts to present itself as a country worthy of playing in the international arena.
Unfortunately, the economic power that China wields over the U.S. and Europe limits traditional media coverage of the ongoing and escalating abuse of human rights in China and Tibet. Students for a Free Tibet and other grassroots activist groups are playing major role in bringing these issues to the forefront. They deserve our gratitude and our support.
Leave a Reply
RSS
