Verity Marshall
Tibet Tibet Tibet!!!
Fundraising for Tibet Relief Fund
Story
Dear friends,
On the 26th September 2010, I will be taking part in the Berlin Marathon. Having survived the Hastings half-marathon last year despite my wholly and holey inappropriate gear : two thermal layers, jacket and woolly hat on a scorching hot day, and additionally managing to sustain a marching fracture to my right foot, I thought I'd up the action. Your encouragement and support will be a massive help! As many of you know, I have always had an interest in the plight of Tibet, so it's no surprise that the charity I am supporting is Tibet Relief Fund. I will not bore you with a treatise of complaints and lengthy list of horrible atrocities perpertrated by the Chinese to this day, but bear in mind that we do not hear much in the press about the continual systematic wiping out of Tibetan culture and religion. Governments look rather to economic convenience than to those who suffer the consequences of ruthless invasion by those who seek to exploit a peace-loving nation, rob it of resources and deny it freedom of expression and life itself. Amongst nation-leaders, President Obama in February this year demonstrated that he could step outside the box of economic interest by making a noble gesture against the deplorable history of Chinese Human Rights infringements (remember Tiannanman Square?) Obama's meeting with the Dalai Lama signalled not only his respect for spiritual wisdom and benevolent thought and action, but his integral vision of these ennobling qualities to shape the world for good. What was the result? Chinese outcry and economic sabre-rattling. Here are some points for your consideration: - Tibet was a country the size of western Europe when it was invaded by the People’s Liberation Army of China in 1950.The Chinese government increasingly encourages
Han Chinese to migrate to Tibet, offering them higher wages and other
inducements. This policy is threatening the survival of Tibetan people.
It is estimated that
since 1950, the Chinese have killed 1.2 million Tibetans. The
International Commission of Jurists concluded in its reports, 1959 and
1960, that there was a prima facie case of genocide committed by the
Chinese upon the Tibetan nation.
Every year as many as
3000 Tibetans escape into exile by making a perilous journey across the
Himalayas to reach Nepal and then India. Up to one third of those escaping
are young children who are sent into exile in order for them to receive an
education free of Chinese propaganda.
For 4,000 years
nomads have grazed herds of yak over the vast grasslands of Tibet. But
now, the Chinese government is attacking this distinctive form of Tibetan
culture. It aims to force almost one million nomads off their ancestral
lands and into desolate tenement complexes where their agricultural skills will become suddenly redundant. As nomads are forced into resettlement complexes,
their yaks and other livestock are confiscated or slaughtered.
Dr Manfred Nowak, the
United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, concluded in 2008 that "torture
remains widespread in China".
88 confirmed cases
have been reported of prisoners who died while in prison as a result of
torture. The Chinese authorities have taken steps to reduce the numbers of
prisoners dying in custody by occasionally releasing prisoners in
immediate danger of dying to the care of their families, so that their
death does not take place in prison.
A confession extracted
under torture is admissible in Chinese courts.
KNOWN METHODS
OF TORTURE:
Submersion in pits of sewage
Suspension in the air
Electric shocks
Exposure to conditions of extreme heat or
cold
Deprivation of sleep, food or water
Cigarette burns
Beatings
Rape
Attacks by Dogs
Solitary confinement
ACTS
WHICH CAN RESULT IN TORTURE:
Possessing a photo of
the Dalai Lama
Flying the Tibetan
national flag
Shouting “Free Tibet”
Escaping from Tibet
I ask for your
support not in the deluded hope of ending the Chinese invasion. The Chinese will remain in Tibet, supplanting all that is essentially Tibetan, except for an
appeasing semblance - a shadow-puppet show for the governments of the world. I
ask for your support, instead, for the Tibet Relief Fund. This gives urgent and
vital support to Tibetan refugees, and those who remain in Tibet, by providing food, clothing, medical assistance, education, career development, health
care and community building. This worthy charity is a source of both
immediate and long-term relief for Tibetans. It is currently seeking donations
to provide aid for the recent earthquake where 2,700 people died and 100,000
are now homeless. For more information, check out their website at
http://www.tibetrelieffund.co.uk
Your support WILL make a difference! Thank you SO
much lovely people!!!!!
Verity xxx
Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving
page.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and
totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you
donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid
is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most
efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for
the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now.