Letter to the Dalai Lama on his 75th Birthday

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Letter from the Nobel Peace Laureates to His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his 75th Birthday

July 06, 2010

We would like to personally express our gratitude and appreciation to you on the occasion of your birthday. You inspire us all with your unwavering commitment to peace, equality and respect for the dignity of every person.

The leadership you have shown, teaching compassion and respect in the face of oppression, displacement, and exile is exemplary. We commend your effort to preserve Tibet's vibrant religion, language, and identity, and to protect a valuable part of our global cultural heritage.

We wish you well on this occasion and as we discussed with you in Dharamsala last October, again today we reaffirm our support for your nonviolent efforts to attain meaningful autonomy for the Tibetan people. We continue to stand in solidarity with you and the Tibetan people, so that Tibet may be as you envision: a zone of peace, where fundamental human rights and democratic freedoms are honoured and the natural environment is restored and protected.

Shirin Ebadi

Jody Williams

Rigoberta Menchú Tum

Mairead Maguire

Betty Williams

Wangari Maathai

2008 BEIJING OLYMPICS

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000

In August 2008, China will host the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games - a spectacular 'coming out party' for this emerging superpower. Behind all the glitter are China's less-than-glorious relations with the brutal regimes in Sudan and Burma.

China's potential to support a resolution of the violence in Darfur and the ongoing repression in Burma is unrivaled. China has so far defended its policies in both regions, and has accused activists of 'politicising' the Olympics. Even so, China remains more vulnerable to pressure in the months leading up to the Games.

China was granted the right to host the Olympic Games after it vowed to adhere to the Olympic charter and improve its human rights record. Instead, its human rights abuses have worsened.

The Olympics provide an opportunity to spotlight China's economic, military and political support for the regimes in Sudan and Burma, and to push its government to act for peace.

China and Darfur

Since 2003, militias backed by the Government of Sudan have waged a brutal counter-insurgency war in Darfur, targeting the civilian population. Several hundred thousand people have died in the violence, and over 2 million have been displaced.

China is the primary economic, military, and political partner of the Government of Sudan. China has significant influence over the Sudanese government, and could play a key role in the ending of the crisis in Darfur.

Energy-hungry China buys more than two-thirds of Sudan's oil exports. Chinese state-owned oil companies also have significant oil production investments in Sudan. A former finance minister for Sudan estimates that 70% of Sudan's oil revenues are used to purchase weapons.

China also sells large shipments of weapons to the Government of Sudan. While China is careful not to violate the UN embargo against selling arms directly to Darfur, analysts have confirmed that Chinese weapons find their way into the hands of armed militias and are used against Darfuri civilians.

China has continued to provide political cover for Khartoum, even as the violence in Darfur has escalated and the Sudanese government has continued to defy the international community. As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, China has blocked, vetoed, or diluted every attempt at international action against the Government of Sudan, including UN Security Council Resolution 1769 - calling for the deployment of a hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping force - a Resolution which China diluted.

China and Burma

The Burmese people have endured political repression since colonization and through the twentieth century. Students, nuns, monks and others have long been involved in an intense, courageous freedom movement with the aim of restoring democracy in their country. The most recent wave of resistance began in August 2007, and captured the attention of the international community.

China is a strong economic, military, and political partner of the oppressive military regime in Burma. China could exert its influence to push for democracy, reconciliation, and freedom for political prisoners in Burma.

China has significant economic interests in Burma in a variety of industries including construction, power production,
manufacturing, telecommunications, natural gas, and mining. These economic connections continue to get closer each year, with the Chinese presence in Burma growing increasingly strong.

China is also a significant weapons supplier to Burma. As the military regime has intensified its campaign against civilians and pro-democracy activists, China has increased its weapons sales to the regime.

In its capacity as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has propped up the military regime, using its veto power to block all international sanctions, including a proposed arms embargo. The Chinese government has also refused to call for the release of all political prisoners in Burma, including the world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace laureate, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

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Learn more about the crisis in Darfur at our Darfur Issue page.

Learn more about the crisis in Burma at our Burma Issue page.