FREE TIBET

Dear friends,

After decades of repression under Chinese rule, the Tibetan people’s frustrations have burst onto the streets in protests and riots. With the spotlight of the upcoming Olympic Games now on China, Tibetans are crying out to the world for change.

The Chinese government has said that the protesters who have not yet surrendered “will be punished”. Its leaders are right now considering a crucial choice between escalating brutality or dialogue that could determine the future of Tibet, and China.

We can affect this historic choice–China does care about its international reputation. China’s President Hu Jintao needs to hear that the ‘Made in China’ brand and the upcoming Olympics in Beijing can succeed only if he makes the right choice. But it will take an avalanche of global people power to get his attention–and we need it in the next 48 hours.

The Tibetan Nobel peace prize winner and spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama has called for restraint and dialogue: he needs the world’s people to support him. Click below now to sign the petition–and tell absolutely everyone you can right away–our goal is 1 million voices united for Tibet:

http://www.avaaz.org/

China’s economy is totally 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 China, respected as a leading world power. China is also a very diverse country with a brutal past and has reason to be concerned about its stability — some of Tibet’s rioters killed innocent people. But President Hu must recognize that the greatest danger to Chinese stability and development comes from hardliners who advocate escalating repression, not from Tibetans who seek dialogue and reform.

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

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’s a Link to a Twitter User reporting about the latest events:

http://twitter.com/spinncafe

The chinese government is currently blocking cellphones and several websites on the internet such as youtube through their giant national firewall. All international organisations have been sent out of the tibetan territory and a gagging order has been imposed. The chinese government acts in a neo-imperialistic and dictatoric way to supress the buddhist culture and community. The chinese government further wants to assure, that the olympic games in Peking can take place this year. Therefore the IOC (International Olympic Commitee) has not yet answered to the “tibetan cause”.

Many people are worried that the chinese government engages hackers such as the “titan rain” group to hunt down and hack international websites that try to inform about the chinese genozide in Tibet.

I urge you internet users, who want to support the Tibetans in their freedom fight, to use anonymiser Software such as TOR so that tibetian informants can access the internet anonymously and bridge the chinese firewall.

Further I urge Tibetan supporters, activists and informants to use encryption solutions such as GPG and s/mime to encrypt their messages.