Newsletters

Support Tibet and the Dalai Lama sign the petition

March 19, 2008

Dear friends,

Tibetans have exploded onto the streets in
frustration--call on China to respect human rights and
enter dialogue with the Dalai Lama now:
Sign the Petition!
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.

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/6.php

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

Human Rights Watch: China Restrain from Violently Attacking
Protesters

Associated Press: Tibet Unrest Sparks Global Reaction

New York Times: China Takes Steps to Thwart Reporting on
Tibet Protests
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