‘Bumps in the Road’ Should Bring Canadian Mining in Tibet to a Halt

Students for a Free Tibet Toronto took to Canada’s financial district this week to shed light on Canadian mining corporations operating inside Tibet.   The Canada China Business Council, as an effort to encourage Canadian business in China, has organized an ongoing breakfast series called “Bumps in the Road”, guiding Canadian companies on how to overcome problems they will face while doing business in China.

Standing outside the entrance to the event’s venue, we aimed to inform attendees of the financial and reputational risks one would face if they were to invest in mining operations in Chinese-occupied Tibet.  Canadian mining companies, like Continental Minerals and Jinshan Gold Mines, are leading the efforts in exploiting Tibet’s natural resources; a growing and concerning trend considering the political instability and the human rights violations which continue under China’s rule.

While facing extreme financial risks caused by weak rule of law and the political instability inside Chinese-occupied Tibet, Canadian mining companies are using these factors to mine Tibetan land without the consent of the local Tibetan communities.  This results in protests by Tibetans, where Tibetans face danger from Chinese authorities who shut down these protests and blockades by shooting those Tibetans who are standing up against these mining operations who are seen as destroying their sacred land.  Beyond the human rights abuses caused by these companies, the environmental destruction and impact is frightening.

Most mining sites are located near sources of major river systems, including the Yarlung Tsangpo/Brahmaputra, the Sutleg and the Indus.  Chemicals from mining sites can be released into these rivers, where they poison the water.  Not only does this pollute the water in Tibet, but since the Asian continent depends on the water sourced from the Tibetan plateau, this presents a threat to almost half of the world’s population;  a clear and present danger that, in itself, should sway mining companies from unethically mining Tibet.

Canadian mining companies operating in Tibet need to see that there so many “bumps in the road” that the risks far outweigh the possible rewards; information that we hope reached key decision makers during our action Thursday morning!

To learn more about SFT’s campaign against mining in Tibet, please visit: www.stopminingtibet.com.

SFT Canada Holds Vigil for the Fallen Four in Toronto

Earlier tonight Tibetans in Toronto lit candles and prayed in respect for the brave souls who defied all fear and sacrificed their lives for Tibet. Although the brave martyrs have given their lives, their sacrifice has shed light on the continuing brutality of the Chinese government towards Tibetans who voice their opinions. Lobsang Gyaltsen, aged 27, born in Lhasa; Loyak, aged 25, of Tashi Khang, Shol Township, Lhasa and Penkyi, aged 21, born in Sakya County were executed in Lhasa on Tuesday, October the 20th.

Thus, in remembrance, Tibetans from Toronto showed up in a sizeable gathering outside the Chinese Consulate in Downtown Toronto.  The vigil was respectful, heart-touching as well as re-assuring of our goal as Tibetans. One of unity, perseverance and above all our non-violent path to freedom as followers of The Dalai Lama.

The elderly and some monks sat behind praying as some youth and adults stood in front holding the Tibetan and Canadian flags. We started with the prayer ‘Jangchup Semchok Rimpoche’ (roughly translated as ‘rebirth of compassionate wisdom’) going on until 7:30, when Urgen Sangay from SFT shared the grievous news and details of the tragedy to the people gathered. This was followed by a note of thanks to SFT for organizing the vigil from CTAO by Tseten Badheytsang and finally a few words of hope from Kasang Tsomo from TWA, who mentioned our need to engage with Chinese on a proper dialogue level whenever possible.

The observation was over after we recited ‘Tsemey Younten’ (wisdom of non-violence by HHDL) and the Tibetan and Canadian national anthems respectively. As a reminder of the fire still burning within us everyone yelled “BHOD GYALO” at the top of their lungs.  Although some Toronto police came in two cars, they stayed on the other side of the street and re-assured that it was all they would do until the end of the vigil.

As we walked home on our way, some elderly Tibetans could be overheard saying ‘This is truly what freedom is, the ability to voice opinions without fear’. Bhod Gyalo!

Reported by Ugen B, SFT Toronto

Help SFT Canada Win Wednesday’s Facebook Challenge!

You can help turn $10 into $1,000 for Students for a Free Tibet Canada. It’s not magic, it’s the Facebook Causes Giving Challenge.

And, beginning at 3pm (EST) TODAY (Tuesday, Oct. 20th) until 3pm (EST) TOMORROW (Wednesday, Oct. 21st), SFT Canada is in it to win it! www.causes.com/sft

This 24hr challenge is SFT Canada’s opportunity to win $1,000 and to help SFT HQ win the 1st place challenge prize of $50,000 by Nov. 6th, when the challenge ends.

Please help us win by donating $10 once between 3pm (EST) TODAY (Tuesday, October 20th) and 3pm (EST) TOMORROW (Wednesday, Oct. 21st): www.causes.com/sft

Wednesday is an auspicious day to win! Tibetans inside Tibet have come to honor “Lhakar” or “White Wednesday” as the day on which His Holiness the Dalai Lama was born. Every Wednesday, Tibetans across Tibet are taking simple and concrete actions – such as visiting monasteries, eating in Tibetan restaurants, speaking in Tibetan, and wearing traditional clothing – to reaffirm their identity and celebrate the resilience of Tibetan culture in the face of China’s oppression.

This is SFT Canada’s day to take action!

1. Go to the Tibetan Freedom Movement’s Cause: www.causes.com/sft
2. Select donate (if you don’t have a Facebook account, choose the “Donate Without Facebook” option)
3. Donate $10 and invite all your friends and family to do the same (you can only donate once per 24hr period)

Here’s the deal: Every 24 hour period (3pm EST – 3pm EST the next day) until November 6, 2009, the cause with the greatest number of unique daily donations wins $1k. The organization with the greatest number of daily donations at the end of the challenge wins $50k. You do not need a Facebook account to take part.

If you can donate more than $10, please give $10 on different days so that each of your donations counts towards SFT’s total number – bringing us one step closer to winning $50K. You can only donate once per 24hr cycle.

Here are other ways you can help:

- After you donate, please call or text 1 friend. Tell them what you did and ask them to do the same.

- Have a telethon party tonight with a group of friends and phone everyone you know to encourage them to donate $10 to help SFT Canada win the challenge.

- Forward this message to any friends or family before the challenge ends on Wednesday at 3pm (EST)!

With your continued support, Tibet will be free!

SFT Canada Tour Update!

It’s been a whirlwind month at Students for a Free Canada. His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visit to Canada took me across the country and back and I wanted to share some highlights from the tour with you.

My first stop was in Vancouver where I met with students from the University of British Columbia, Simon Frasier University, and the University of Victoria. We tabled at both His Holiness’s public talks and spoke to dozens of students about Tibet and SFT.

My next stop was Calgary where I joined SFT Calgary members who ran a very succesful booth at the the Calgary Saddledome where His Holiness was warmly received. SFT Canada’s merchandise sold like hot-cakes!

Last but not least, I made my way back east to Montreal where we set up information tables at His Holiness’s public talk at the Montreal Bell Centre. SFT Montreal introduced our new line of French t-shirts and bilingual brochures which were widely popular. Successful fundraisers in support of SFT Canada’s important work for Tibet were hosted by both SFT Montreal and SFT Calgary.

It goes without saying that it’s always an incredibly inspiring and humbling experience to hear His Holiness the Dalai Lama speak. I’m also so happy to have met SFTers from across Canada – their passion for Tibet and commitment to SFT was felt in every city I traveled to.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all the volunteers who helped on the tour and every single SFT supporter I met along the way.

We collected hundreds of petitions calling for the release of Tibetan filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen, sold lots of SFT merchandise, and most importantly, many people told me about how energized and inspired they were by SFT’s creativity and far-sighted vision for Tibet freedom.

In hope, Tenzin Lobsang and everyone at SFT Canada

P.S. If you would like to support our work for Tibet in Canada, please donate today! Even the smallest gift makes a difference.

SFT Toronto takes part in Global Day of Action for Dhondup Wangchen

Joining in the “Global Day of Action for Dhondup Wangchen”, SFT Toronto held a protest in front of the Chinese consulate on Wednesday, September 23rd. We did not expect a lot of supporters to show up owing to the fact that it was on a weekday at ten in the morning. Our primary intent was to kick-start the day off for our friends at the Chinese consulate with a strong and uniform message, “Release Dhondup Wangchen Now!”  However, we still managed to get over a dozen supporters out who made up for the ones who couldn’t make it by shouting even louder and within earshot of those inside the building.

As most of us already know, Dhondup Wangchen was arrested and thrown in jail by the Chinese authorities simply because he interviewed Tibetans living in Tibet, asking them of their opinion on the Dalai Lama, the Beijing Olympics and Chinese legislation.

How a single Tibetan going around Tibet with a video camera threatened the great and almighty People’s Republic of China by “inciting subversion of state power” is incredibly baffling.

Please check out Dhondup Wangchen’s documentary Leaving Fear Behind if you haven’t already, and please share it with everyone you know. For ideas for petitions and letters that you can download, please click here!

Reported by Tenzing Gaychey, SFT Toronto