Capital Area Tibetan Association (US) extends a grand welcome reception to SFT activists whose heroic act on Everest Base sent headlines across the world
Washington, DC: Members of the Tibetan community here in the nation’s capital accorded an ecstatic, yet emotional welcome to Students for Free Tibet (SFT) activist, Tenzin Dorjee aka Tendor, who along with four American supporters took part in the Olympic protest action on Mt. Everest base two weeks ago, and Lhadon Tethong, Executive Director of SFT, who worked behind the scenes to coordinate the action in Kathmandu and alert the world media of the dramatic action.
Though the reception was organised by the Capital Area Tibetan Association (CATA) at a short notice, members of the community turned up in large numbers, many with children, to hear Tendor speak. Tendor talked about how he and his colleagues unfurled banner and sang the Tibetan National Anthem to let the world know the truth about Tibet and, their dramatic experiences inside Tibet following their arrest by the Chinese authorities.
With jokes and humor, Tendor tried to make light of the tensions, fear and anxiety he and his team members felt in the days leading up to the D-day. When everything was finally in place on the morning of April 25th, the team was nearly left in panic when a thick cloud of fog almost enveloped the areas around Mt. Everest, which could have made the activists impossible to convince the world that they were actually doing the protest at the base of Mt. Everest. Frantically, Tendor started saying a prayer in praise of Goddess Tara and had his American colleagues do the same. Miraculously, the fog lifted to show the radiant peak seen on Youtube around the world, said Tendor here.
The Chinese security officers detained and interrogated members of the team separately for over two days, and threatened them with severe consequences. If not for their American passports, the activists’ lives surely would have been in grave danger notes Tenzin.
SFT leader Lhadon Tethong noted that this is only the first of a series of such actions planned to spoil China’s Olympics 2008 party and highlight its brutal occupation of Tibet. “This is an opportunity we must not miss and one on which the world media is waiting to write about, provided we get it right”, says Lhadon.
Lhadon also appealed to all Tibetan Associations and groups, especially in the US, Canada and Europe, to raise funds and contribute to the Olympics Action Fund. She said that SFT has a number of excellent strategic plans in line to be unleashed at appropriate times, but is also facing severe financial shortcomings in carrying them out.
The small local Tibetan community of approximately 250, in a staunch support and solidarity move, donated about US $5,000 during the night. CATA Board members here remarked that raising fund of such an amount is unprecedented in the association history, which is a clear expression of the Tibetan community’s support for the bravery and courage shown by the SFT activists, and a clear acknowledgement that their action made a difference to our cause.
Besides enthusiastically preparing food for the dinner, members offered use of their homes for the meeting. During the dinner meet; children served dessert (one was a peak shape cake with a flag on top with slogan-“One World, One Dream, Free Tibet 2008”.
CATA President, Lhundup Amdo said “Tibetans have successfully created awareness of our cause over the last many years, and the need now is to focus on actions with clear-cut results”. “When an action like the one on Everest generates headlines like-‘Activists turn up heat on Beijing Olympics’ in Wall Street Journal, China will start getting nervous”, he added.
The members thanked and honoured all the activists; Kirsten Westby, Lauren Mac Sutherlin, Shannon Service, Jeff Friesen, and Lhadon Tethong and team whose well coordinated action campaign highlighted the issue of Tibet and its people.
To view Capital Area Tibetan Association’s website, visit www.dctibetan.org
