Stand With Tibet
Dear friends,
After decades of repression under Chinese rule, the Tibetan
people's frustrations have burst onto the streets in protests and
riots. With the spotlight of the upcoming Olympic Games now on
China, Tibetans are crying out to the world for change.
The Chinese government has said that the protesters who have not
yet surrendered "will be punished". Its leaders are right now
considering a crucial choice between escalating brutality or
dialogue that could determine the future of Tibet, and China.
We can affect this historic choice--China does care about its
international reputation. China's President Hu Jintao needs to hear
that the 'Made in China' brand and the upcoming Olympics in Beijing
can succeed only if he makes the right choice. But it will take an
avalanche of global people power to get his attention--and we need
it in the next 48 hours.
The Tibetan Nobel peace prize winner and spiritual leader, the
Dalai Lama has called for restraint and dialogue: he needs the
world's people to support him. Click below now to sign the
petition--and tell absolutely everyone you can right away--our goal
is 1 million voices united for Tibet:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_end_the_violence/97.php/?cl_tf_sign=1
China's economy is totally dependent on "Made in China" exports
that we all buy, and the government is keen to make the Olympics in
Beijing this summer a celebration of a new China, respected as a
leading world power. China is also a very diverse country with a
brutal past and has reason to be concerned about its stability --
some of Tibet's rioters killed innocent people. But President Hu
must recognize that the greatest danger to Chinese stability and
development comes from hardliners who advocate escalating
repression, not from Tibetans who seek dialogue and reform.
We will deliver our petition directly to Chinese officials in
London, New York, and Beijing, but it must be a massive number
before we deliver the petition. Please forward this email to your
address book with a note explaining to your friends why this is
important, or use our tell-a-friend tool to email your address
book--it will come up after you sign the petition.
The Tibetan people have suffered quietly for decades. It is finally
their moment to speak--we must help them be heard.
With hope and respect,
Ricken, Iain, Graziela, Paul, Galit, Pascal, Milena, Ben and the
whole Avaaz team
PS - It has been suggested that the Chinese government may block
the Avaaz website as a result of this email, and thousands of Avaaz
members in China will no longer be able to participate in our
community. A poll of Avaaz members over the weekend showed that
over 80% of us believed it was still important to act on Tibet
despite this terrible potential loss to our community, if we
thought we could make a difference. If we are blocked, Avaaz will
help maintain the campaign for internet freedom for all Chinese
people, so that our members in China can one day rejoin our
community.
Here are some links with more information on the Tibetan protests
and the Chinese response:
BBC News: UN Calls for Restraint in Tibet -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7301912.stm
Human Right Watch: China Restrain from Violently Attacking
Protesters -
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/03/15/china18291.htm
Associated Press: Tibet Unrest Sparks Global Reaction -
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gSSpPcDOPMoAiRLhPUyezuCRiXBQD8VFDD680
New York Times: China Takes Steps to Thwart Reporting on Tibet
Protests -
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/18/world/asia/18access.html?ref=world
--------------------------------------------
ABOUT AVAAZ
Avaaz.org is an independent, not-for-profit global campaigning
organization that works to ensure that the views and values of the
world's people inform global decision-making. (Avaaz means "voice"
in many languages.) Avaaz receives no money from governments or
corporations, and is staffed by a global team based in London, Rio
de Janeiro, New York, Paris, Washington DC, and Geneva.
Don't forget to check out our Facebook and
Myspace pages!