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Canada Tibet Committee Calls on Canadians to Contact Chinese Ambassador

The Canada Tibet Committee (CTC) is calling on the Canadian government to immediately demand that the Chinese government cease its increasingly violent crackdown on Tibetan protesters which has resulted in at least four deaths this week alone and countless injuries.

Reports from inside Tibet indicate that at least four Tibetans have been killed since Monday after Chinese police opened fire on Tibetan protesters.

At least one Tibetan was killed on Tuesday when police fired on protesters in Serthar (Chinese: Seda) in Kardze.

This followed the Chinese New Year's deaths of three Tibetans after police opened fire on Tibetans who had gathered to protest in Drango, Kardze (the Tibetan area of Kham). Several others were injured in the police shooting.

The escalating crackdown in Drango follows the circulation of leaflets in the area saying that Tibetans should not celebrate the New Year in 2012 because of the self-immolations, and declaring an intention by the unnamed author of the leaflets to set fire to themselves at the time of Tibetan New Year (Losar falls on February 22).

Since February 2009, 17 Tibetans have self-immolated, including 15 men and two women. Twelve of the 17 died following their protest. Ten of the 17 were monks or former monks at the Kirti monastery in Ngaba and one was a nun from Mame Dechen Chokorling nunnery in Ngaba.

In addition to calling upon the Chinese government to cease its violent crackdown, the CTC is also calling upon the Prime Minister to make the plight of Tibetans a priority issue when he meets with President Hu Jintao is a little over two weeks.

As the first western leader to visit China since the crackdown began, Harper has a unique opportunity to convey not only Canada's abhorrence at the escalating violence but also the shared revulsion of western governments. The CTC wrote the Prime Minister on January 16th, 2012 (copy below).

The CTC is also calling on Canadians to act today by contacting China's ambassador to Canada at:

Ambassador: Zhang Junsai Address:

515 ST. Patrick St,
Ottawa, ON KIN 5H3
Tel: 613-789-3434 791-0511
Fax: 613-789-1911 789-1414
E-mail: chinaemb_ca@mfa.gov.cn

The Canada Tibet Committee is an independent, non-governmental organization of Tibetans and non-Tibetans living in Canada, concerned with the continuing human rights violations and lack of democratic freedom in Tibet.