Pro Tibet!!!

1. Tibet was invaded by China in 1950. Since that time, over 1.2 million have lost their lives, 6000 monasteries have been destroyed, and thousands of Tibetans have been imprisoned. 2. In Tibet today, there is no freedom of speech, religion, or press and arbitrary arrests are widespread. 3. The Dalai Lama, Tibet's political and spiritual leader, fled to India in 1959. He now lives among over 100,000 other Tibetan refugees and heads their government in exile. 4. Mass campaigns of forced abortion, and sterilisation of Tibetan women and Chinese colonisation threaten the survival of Tibet's unique culture. In some Tibetan provinces, Chinese settlers outnumber Tibetans 7 to 1. 5. In China massive human rights abuses continue. According to Chinese researcher, Dr Harry Wu, there up to twenty million Chinese citizens working in a vast network of slave-labour camps, known as Laogai. 6. Most of the Tibetan plateau lies above 4000 m and the region is the source of five of Asia's greatest rivers, which over 2 billion people depend upon. Since 1959, the Chinese government estimates that they have removed over $54 billion worth of timber. Over 80% of their forests have been destroyed, adding to the enormous problems of flooding in Bangladesh. Large amounts of nuclear and toxic waste have been dumped in Tibet. 7. Despite this catalogue of oppression and environmental destruction the British, and other governments, continue to support China economically. This commercial agenda shows a blatant lack of respect for such issues. Tibet can be used as a mechanism for change in human rights, women's rights, political, religious, and cultural freedom world-wide. Through a collective effort people can stand up and say "NO!" to governments and the business community who continue to ignore the suffering of Tibetans or exploit its resources.