Make Tibet a Zone of Peace, Tibetans to Urge at WSF
Dharamsala, 7 January 2004: A big Tibetan delegation will participate in the Fourth World Social Forum (www.wsfindia.org) to be held at Mumbai, India from 16 to 21 January this year. This will be the first time that Tibetans will join this annual global gathering of civil society movements that began in Brazil in 2001. More than 50 Tibetans, representing various organisations based in India, are hoping to create a new awareness about the grave situation in Tibet amongst the participants from around the globe.
“Another World is Possible: Make Tibet a Zone of Peace”, is the central appeal that Tibetan participants will bring to Mumbai on behalf of the six million people of Tibet. “We believe this appeal is extremely relevant for the WSF to hear because achieving a zone of peace and non-violence on the Tibetan plateau should be a common struggle of the world,” said Ms. Passang Dolma of the Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA). The TWA has planned a series of events to highlight the issues confronting Tibetan women in Tibet.
One of the highlights of the Tibetan participation at the WSF will be a panel discussion addressed by eminent international experts from Asia on the subject, “Make Tibet a Zone of Ahimsa (Non-violence)”. In 1987 His Holiness the Dalai Lama through the historic Five-Point Peace Plan for Tibet proposed to make Tibet a Zone of Ahimsa, “a refuge where humanity and nature can live in peace and in harmonious balance. It would be a place where people from all over the world could come to seek the true meaning of peace within themselves, away from the tensions and pressures of much of the rest of the world”.
At the WSF the Tibetans will also organise two photo exhibitions on Tibet, a display of Sand Mandala for worldpeace, cultural performances by Tibetan children, a human rights seminar, signature campaign on Tibetan political prisoners and engage in collaborative events with the International Union of Socialist Youth, Solidarity Network of Tibetans, Kurds and Palestinians and also with Korean participants. “The event on human rights will inform the WSF about the systematic violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Tibet and will include the testimonies from several former-political prisoners,” said Ms. Norzin Dolma of the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD).
The Tibetan youths have been active during the preparatory stages of the youth forum at the WSF, Intercontinental Youth Camp (IYC), by working with youths from around the world who wanted to make sure the WSF does not miss out their voice. “We have been received warmly at the preparatory stages of the IYC and hope to use this rare opportunity in Mumbai to let the youths from around the world know the true situation in Tibet,” said Mr. Tenzin Samphel of the Tibetan Youth Congress.
A day before the WSF opens, Tibetans will hold a peace rally in Mumbai with the support from several hundred Tibetans in Mumbai and neighbouring Indian cities where they annually come to engage in winter garment business. According to the organisers, the Fourth World Social Forum is expected to attract more than 50,000 participants from around the world.
Updates on the Tibetan participation at the WSF will be available at: www.tibet.net/wsf
Contact:
Ngawang C. Drakmargyapon
Spokesperson of the Tibetan Delegation at WSF
0091 (0) 9418029206
Email: [email protected]