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National News Flashes - Philippines
Filipino Activists Held Torch March for Tibetans
Around 70 members of the World March of Women – Pilipinas, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women – Asia Pacific(CATW-AP), Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) and Free Burma Coalition (FBC) marched on April 4th 2008 in front of the Chinese Embassy in Makati to protest the ongoing crackdown against the Tibetan protesters.
Holding pictures of Tibetan victims of the killings, the groups denounced the restriction
against international media coverage by China, preventing the world tosee the real victims
and perpetrators in the violence that followed the groundswell
of protests last March. China has blamed the Tibetans for the violence, which
pushed the Dalai Lama to threaten resignation. According to Tibetan groups, China
precisely wanted that to happen towards removing moral authority from the Tibetan
struggle and declaring them as terrorists. Already, at least
140 Tibetans were killed and 1000 imprisoned, most of them monks and nuns.
Speakers underscored the strategic interest of China in Tibet, which has deepened in
the recent years. "As China built roads, railways, bridges in and through Tibet,
the exploitation of their resources by Canadian, Australian and Chinese corporations
left the Tibetan population as among the poorest in the world. Too, China's primary
weapon research and design facility is located in the northeastern Tibetan province
of Amdo," said Jing Geaga, Coordinator of the World March of Women in the
Philippines.
Cases of violence against Tibetan women, especially torture and prostitution in the
hands of Chinese authorities, were denounced. According to Jean Enriquez, Executive
Director of CATW-AP, "Sexual torture, is applied to women political prisoners,
including the nuns. These include use of dogs, use of lighted cigarettes, stripping
prisoners naked, and penetration of the women's orifices with electrical batons."
"Prostitution has staggeringly increased in the face of economic hardship and
discrimination against Tibetan women. But the most important factor is probably the
influx of Chinese soldiers," added Enriquez. The Tibetan government in exile says
there are 300,000 Chinese soldiers stationed in the autonomous region alone Tibetan
victims of prostitution are as young as 13 or 14.
A torch, parodying the Olympic symbol, is carried by the group. It was labeled
"torch of freedom for the Tibetans."
Around 70 members of the World March of Women – Pilipinas, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women – Asia Pacific(CATW-AP), Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) and Free Burma Coalition (FBC) marched on April 4th 2008 in front of the Chinese Embassy in Makati to protest the ongoing crackdown against the Tibetan protesters.
Holding pictures of Tibetan victims of the killings, the groups denounced the restriction
against international media coverage by China, preventing the world tosee the real victims
and perpetrators in the violence that followed the groundswell
of protests last March. China has blamed the Tibetans for the violence, which
pushed the Dalai Lama to threaten resignation. According to Tibetan groups, China
precisely wanted that to happen towards removing moral authority from the Tibetan
struggle and declaring them as terrorists. Already, at least
140 Tibetans were killed and 1000 imprisoned, most of them monks and nuns.
Speakers underscored the strategic interest of China in Tibet, which has deepened in
the recent years. "As China built roads, railways, bridges in and through Tibet,
the exploitation of their resources by Canadian, Australian and Chinese corporations
left the Tibetan population as among the poorest in the world. Too, China's primary
weapon research and design facility is located in the northeastern Tibetan province
of Amdo," said Jing Geaga, Coordinator of the World March of Women in the
Philippines.
Cases of violence against Tibetan women, especially torture and prostitution in the
hands of Chinese authorities, were denounced. According to Jean Enriquez, Executive
Director of CATW-AP, "Sexual torture, is applied to women political prisoners,
including the nuns. These include use of dogs, use of lighted cigarettes, stripping
prisoners naked, and penetration of the women's orifices with electrical batons."
"Prostitution has staggeringly increased in the face of economic hardship and
discrimination against Tibetan women. But the most important factor is probably the
influx of Chinese soldiers," added Enriquez. The Tibetan government in exile says
there are 300,000 Chinese soldiers stationed in the autonomous region alone Tibetan
victims of prostitution are as young as 13 or 14.
A torch, parodying the Olympic symbol, is carried by the group. It was labeled
"torch of freedom for the Tibetans."
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Last modified
2008-04-08 11:52 AM
