MADISON STUDENTS AND TIBETAN COMMUNITY RALLY IN PROTEST OF TIBETAN REFUGEES SHOOT BY CHINESE POLICE

Madison, Wisconsin. – Nearly 100 members of the Tibetan Community, Students for a Free Tibet, and supporters of international human rights gathered on Saturday in resounding protest against the shootings of Tibetan refugees attempting to escape into Nepal on September 30, 2006.

Video footage shot by foreign mountaineers at Cho Oyu advance Everest base camp, shows Chinese border guards opening fire on a group of approximately 70 Tibetans attempting to cross through the Nangpa Pass into Nepal. It has been confirmed that the shootings killed at least two Tibetans including a young nun. At least nine Tibetan children who were part of the group were captured by Chinese soldiers at gunpoint; their whereabouts remain unknown. More than 40 of the original group are reported to have safely made it to Nepal.

“The Chinese government in Beijing has tried to cover this incident with lies and propaganda,” said Hilary Edwards of Students for a Free Tibet. “Only when faced with photographic and video evidence from the international community do they begin to back paddle. For over 50 years, Tibetans have been subjected to illegal occupation of their country by the Chinese government. In the midst of this cultural genocide, when Tibetans seek to flee in search of hope, they face instead an impromptu execution.”

Backed by graphic photographs and video footage, the activists demanded a full investigation into the shootings and sanctions against China. Jampa Khedup, of the Wisconsin Tibetan Association, urged the participants to contact their legislators and urge them to join with international organizations and governments worldwide in demanding justice for these crimes. He further insisted that if those guilty of those crimes were brought to the United States, they would face full criminal prosecution.
"I strongly condemn the brutal killing of innocent Tibetan refugees by the Chinese army,” stated Lobsang Tenzin, President of the Wisconsin Tibetan Association. “This action calls for full criminal investigation and also the immediate release of those Tibetans still in Chinese custody".

This is a critically important issue for Tibetan exiles, including the thousands of Tibetan refugees who themselves escaped from Tibet in a similar fashion. Tibetans and supporters of Tibetan independence and human rights have already staged protests in Washington D.C., San Francisco, London, New York, Toronto and Vancouver. Similar protests are planned for New Delhi, Zurich, Paris, Hong Kong and Dharamsala.

For footage and more photos of the Nangpa-la Pass Shooting go to: www.studentsforafreetibet.org | www.wistib.org | www.savetibet.org

Short Videos of Demonstration 1 | 2 | 3
Pictures of Demonstration