On Thursday the the 26 years old Namgyal Fakhang set himself on flames in front of the Chinese embassy to protest for freedom and peace for Tibet. He got rescued and brought to the hospital in the last moment. 2 years ago he had to escape from Tibet via Nepal because the Chinese government wanted him for distributing flyer’s.

Tibet was their home, their country, the Tibetans where always peaceful and didn’t invade other countries. Then the communist government of China annexed it because of the ground resources. And the Dalai Lama had to leave too. In German you can read it at the Tagesspiegel.

And if you like to know how reporters were treated, you should read Reporters without Borders . Like the story about the US documentary filmmaker who was sequestered in his hotel room on March, 14th to prevent him from seeing Tibetan protests. Or about the Finnish TV crew that was arrested five days just ago. But I guess that this will not happen there anymore. The reporters are gone now…

Today I received a mail from Avaaz, and, instead of only forwarding it, I posted it here too, and hope, that many of you will sign the petition like I did.

Dear friends,
In just 36 hours, 253,553 of us have supported the Dalai Lama’s call for dialogue and human rights in Tibet. This is an incredible response–if each of us can get 4 more of our friends to sign the petition, we’ll hit 1 million this week! Just quickly forward the email below to your friends and family with a personal note from you-

Dear friends,
After decades of suffering, the Tibetan people have burst onto the streets in protests and riots. The spotlight of the upcoming Olympic Games is now on China, and Tibetan Nobel peace prize winner the Dalai Lama is calling to end all violence through restraint and dialogue–he urgently needs the support of the world’s people.

China’s leaders are lashing out publicly at the Dalai Lama–but we’re told many Chinese officials believe dialogue is the best hope for stability in Tibet. China’s leadership is right now considering a crucial choice between crackdown and dialogue that could determine Tibet’s–and China’s–future.

We can affect this historic choice–China does care about its international reputation, and we can help them choose the right path. China’s President Hu Jintao needs to hear that the ‘Made in China’ brand and the upcoming Olympics in Beijing will succeed only if he makes the right choice. But it will take an avalanche of global people power to get his attention. Click below now to join 250,000 others and 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/21.php

China’s economy is 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 and respected China. China is also a sprawling, diverse country with much brutality in its past, so it has good reasons to be concerned about stability — some of Tibet’s rioters killed innocent people. But President Hu must recognize that the greatest danger to Chinese stability and development today comes from hardliners who advocate escalating repression, not from those Tibetans seeking dialogue and reform.

We will deliver our petition directly to Chinese officials in New York, London and Beijing, but it must be a massive number first. 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 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

Here are some links with more information on the Tibetan protests and the Chinese response:

Crackdown in Tibet, but protests spreading:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/19/tibet.china
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/crackdown-on-protests-widens/2008/03/17/1205602289349.html

Dalai Lama calling for dialogue and restraint, and an end to violence:
http://www.dalailama.com/news.216.htm
http://www.agi.it/world/news/200803191258-pol-ren0032-art.html

Leaders across Europe and Asia starting to back dialogue as the way forward:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7300157.stm

Chinese Prime Minister attacks "Dalai clique", leaves door open for talks:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-03/18/content_7813194.htm

Other Chinese signals:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/China_looks_at_India_to_talk_to_Dalai_Lama/articleshow/2875142.cms

There is a genocide that has literally been going on for decades. The fact that genocide is being committed in Tibet every day by the Chinese Communist government is indisputable. China has for 44 years been engaged in a relentless program to destroy the Tibetan people, their culture and religion. Little or nothing has been done about it by UN.

But what is the Pope doing? Well, commentators in Italy have criticized the failure of Pope Benedict XVI to express his concern for the violence in Tibet. At (Sunday’s) Angelus Benedict opted to speak about Iraq but remain silent on Tibet.

Even the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights strongly condemns the Chinese government’s recent brutal crackdown on peaceful demonstrations of Buddhist monks, nuns and lay-followers in Tibet, and calls for an urgent UN inquiry into the violence. But nothing happens.

Yet again the Chinese government is trampling on the promises it made linked to the Olympics and has preparing the ground to crackdown on the Tibetan revolt in the absence of witnesses. Thats the reason why foreign journalists, members of NGO’s and tourists were ordered to leave Tibet, and Internet communication was cut down. So no one can tell the truth to the world

As long as the world is content to make money in China and ignore its human rights violations and the commission of genocide, China will thumb its nose at the UN. But appeasement can be dangerous.

Sources: Radio Free Asia, Transnational Radical Party

The Tibetan government-in-exile yesterday demanded the UN intervene to end rights violations in Tibet following deadly protests and said it had received confirmation that about 30 people had been killed in clashes.

Beijing said yesterday it would give rioters until midnight tomorrow to turn themselves in as protests continued in China both in and outside of Tibet.

"The Tibetan parliament urges the UN to send representatives immediately and intervene and investigate the current urgent human rights violations in Tibet," the administration said in a statement.

"We are confirming approximately 30 deaths and we are even hearing numbers of over 100 dead, but this number we are unable to confirm," Tenzin Taklha, a senior official said.

Tanks and armored vehicles were out in force in the Tibetan capital Lhasa yesterday, a day after the worst protests against China’s rule in the vast, Himalayan region in nearly 20 years, witnesses said.

China has said that 10 people were burnt to death in the protests. Source: Taipei Times . But Radio Free Asia writes: Tibetans report even more deaths.

Please read also the the Economist and the New York Times , which has also a video of the worldwide protests.

          Well, and what is the UN doing? Nothing, like always!

    That reminds me, what Carl Zuckmayer once wrote:

„The bad in the world does not exist because of those who do bad, but those, who tolerate bad!“