Its (HRTR’s) basic premise is that The Olympics and crimes against humanity cannot co-exist in China.
Sydney, October 27: Tibetan community, Tibet Support Groups, and friends in Australia joined The Global Human Rights Torch Relay (HRTR)” as it arrived in Sydney on Saturday.
Burmese Community, Darfur Support Network (Sudan), Chinese Democracy groups, Young Student Representatives from Falun Gong, Vietnamese Community, Former Olympians, Sport representatives – National Level, and Politicians are other groups participating in the relay around Australia.
Inspired by the Olympic torch, the HRTR is an international campaign that seeks to put human rights on the Beijing Olympic agenda. The twelve month journey of the Human Rights Torch Relay calls for support to demand an end to all human rights violations supported by the Chinese regime, including the plights of Tibetans, Christians, Falun Gong, democracy campaigners, and the fueling of oppression and slaughter in Darfur, Burma, Zimbabwe and North Korea.
Its basic premise is that The Olympics and crimes against humanity cannot co-exist in China.
The HRTR flame was first lit in Athens, Greece on August 9, 2007. It is scheduled to visit more than 100 cities on five continents. The Torch was handed over from the UK, the last destination of its two month European passage.
The Sydney leg of the torch relay went from Sydney Town Hall through Sydney to the Opera House and Circular Quay, then by water across to Manly to meet the next relay of torch carriers and supporters.
The torch was carried for the Tibetan community contingent by Tenzin Tsedop, a Tibetan ex-political prisoner, who now resides in Warringah shire, and by Tibetan human rights supporters from The Spastic Centre in Allambie.
The Tibetan spokesman, Mr Tenpa, spoke at First Fleet Park in Sydney, and later at the Corso in Manly.
Tenpa said the Tibetan community and its supporters would like to see the Chinese Communist Party live up to the Olympics values of peace and mutual respect within our global family. He said that Tibetans are getting sick of China telling the rest of the world that Tibet enjoys freedom and would like to ask the CCP “What freedom?”
He said that during his recent visit to Tibet, he did not see any freedom and, that people are too scared to discuss politics or religion. He said that there are hundreds of police posted outside the monasteries and that people there cannot make a move without having to obtain permission from Chinese authorities, even to become a monk or nun. Monks and nuns are also required to denounce the Dalai Lama. Those who are deemed by authorities of committing crimes considered to be “un-Chinese” are often arrested and incarcerated in prisons, which do not comply with global human rights basic requirements. Sometimes prisoners are lost. Those prisoners who are eventually released are often in poor health following inadequate and brutal treatment whilst in prison. Tibetan children as young as six years old have been known to be detained by Chinese authorities.
Tenpa addressed his next comments to the Chinese leadership: “China, your propaganda promoting your supposed protection of Tibet’s environment is complete hypocrisy. You continue to mine indiscriminately, raze the forests and pollute Tibet’s water supply, which is a global concern, as 47% of the world water supply is sourced from the headwaters in Tibet. The temperature is rising faster in Tibet than anywhere else in the world, and the environment continues to be ravaged. Please tell me how you are protecting Tibet’s fragile environment”.
He added “China. The world is watching you in 2008. We are asking for freedom for all human beings and an immediate end to the violations against basic human rights”.
From Sydney the torch relay will move to Brisbane (3 November), Melbourne (16 November), Adelaide (3 December), Perth (9 December) and Canberra on 11 December 2007.
The HRTR is initiated by the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG) which consists of over three hundred legislators, religious leaders, lawyers, medical doctors and human rights advocates from Europe, Asia, North America and Oceania.
Established in 2006 its aim is to go into China to independently investigate the persecution of Falun Gong, especially the reported crimes of organ harvesting: www.cipfg.org
The HRTR is sponsored and supported globally by Asia-Pacific Human Rights Watch Charitable Trust and All-China alliance for protecting human rights & opposing violence, and in Australia by Free China, Darfur Australia Network (DAN), Democracy for Burma (D4B), Tibetan, Vietnamese and many other community groups and organisations as well as the Chinese pro-democracy movement.
For further press release information or photographs, contact:
Sue Bloom; sue.bloom@optusnet.com.au, mob: 0414 739 462 or,
Tenpa; thsbatch2002@hotmail.com, mob; 0434 322 449
Based on report filed by Sue Bloom from Australia
