JOIN!!! RTYC NY&NJ on HUMAN RIGHTS DAY 2011
WHEN: Saturday, 10th Dec, 2001
WHERE: Meet at Jackson Heights (Between 8am to 8:30am). We will cover the major areas in New York City such as Times Square, Herald Square, Union Square, Flushing, China Town, and Columbus Circle.
WHY: To distribute fliers around the city:
- To let the world know that we have had enough of the Chinese government’s lies and propaganda, that is taking the lives of innocent Tibetan people through violation of human rights.
- To urge the global community to help us put an end to the repression and discrimination.
“If we accept that other have an equal right to peace and happiness as ourselves, do we not have responsibility to help those in need? The aspiration for democracy and respect for fundamental human rights is as important to the people of Africa and Asia as it is to those in Europe or the Americas. But of course it is often those people who are deprived of their human rights who are least able to speak up for themselves. The responsibility rests with those of us who do enjoy such freedom.” - His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama
On December 10 the world will observe the 63rd anniversary of the United Nations Human Rights Day: a day to mark the adoptation and proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948. On this day we remember those who have sacrificed their lives, and honor those who continue to defend human rights at the face of repression and brutality. On United Nations Human Rights Day we draw inspiration from those legendary souls such as Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandala, and Dao Aung Sang Su Kyi.
Of course human values have increased in some parts of the world since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but a large part still remains under medieval regimes of the colonial power. People’s Republic of China is but one of these regimes. 2011 have seen more than 15 counts of self-immolations by Tibetans from both inside and outside of Tibet protesting the illegal Chinese rule of their country. 7 have died. It’s unfair to look upon Tunisian Mohamed Buazizi’s self-immolation as an act of martyrdom but not the Tibetans. These monks and nuns must have drawn inspiration from the spark that swept across the Arab Nations.
It’s crystal clear that things are not as stable in Tibet as the Chinese government claims. Human rights violations are at its peak: nomads are being forcefully relocated, Tibetan language is banned in schools, monks and nuns are restricted from practicing their faith, and most unfortunate yet, those who protest are severely punished. In Tibet today, every aspect of Tibetan identity is under massive attack both politically and militarily from Beijing. Tibetans are at the verge of being eradicated from the face of earth.
The wave of protests that the world witnessed in Tibet in the spring of 2008 is still on-going. Everyday Tibetans, both inside and outside of Tibet are struggling for an opportunity to speak their minds. But freedom of speech costs lives on the Tibetan plateau. There is absolutely no right to freedom of opinion and expression in Tibet as enshrined in Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.