[Open letter] from Tibetan immigrant refugees in Taiwan

Respected ROC government and kind people
who care about the human rights of Tibetans,

With due respect, we are here to request and appeal for your urgent help. Here about 110 Tibetan illegal immigrant refugees under a very bad situation, We have nothing to do at this moment and only seek your help to refuge in Taiwan.

It is very clear to all over the world that Tibet is under China and Tibetans ae facing very big problems in and outside Tibet. Especially inside Tibet, we don't have human right, freedom of religion, freedom of speech and there is no human value for Tibetans. So at this situation, Tibetans are force to flue to nearby countries such as India, Nepal and Bhutan for better life and better education for coming generations. Even in those countries, we are facing basic problems to survive. So finally we bought Indian and Nepalese fake passport and legally enter this beautiful island for better life. We heard that Taiwan is democratic state, have human respect, human right, freedom of religion and land of equality to all cast and
tribes. But now we are in Taiwan and facing very big problem of survival. We never aspect such thing will happen in Taiwan.

We already appealed many applications to your presidential office and other related your department. Even on 12th Aug 2008, we all refugees came to your presidential office for help and even to ministry of issue. But till now your government didn't find any solution for our issue. So we are here again today for your kind help. We only seeking refugee asylum in Taiwan. We don't have country and we don't have
place to go back. Today thousands of Tibetans are all around the world
as refugees.

So last but not the least, please…please help us to give certain identification to stay legally in Taiwan. We hope that you will take this a serious matter.


With best regards
Tibetan immigrant refugees in Taiwan
====
The original complete letter:

滯台西藏難胞請願書

致關心西藏人權的台灣中華民國政府和社會善心人士：

當我們的鄉土自1959年被中共武力鎮壓統治後，幾十萬藏族同胞包括我們的精神領袖達賴喇嘛被逼流亡異國，開始艱苦的流亡生涯如今每年仍有許多藏胞為了爭取自由和人權離鄉背井翻越喜馬拉雅山流亡到印度、尼泊爾等世界各地，在僑居地因沒有國籍，永遠過著難民的生活。為了生存，我們這群西藏難胞舉債使用印度或尼泊爾護照來中華民國台灣尋求生路，不料因不識華文華語也不瞭解法律規定，雖然以合法身份入境，卻因逾期居留面臨被逮捕遣返的命運，一旦被遣返回印度、尼泊爾，又將面臨一場牢獄之災，更不幸的極可能被遣返回西藏，喪失寶貴生命。


依聯合國國際人權組織難民的定義，國際間公認將流亡海外藏胞視為國際難民（International Refugees），處理國際難民的最重要原則為「不予遣返」，依照人權的標準來看，遣返國際難民相當於意圖謀殺。我們這一群逾期居留滯台難胞，若貴政府依相關法令處理，則必須遣返西藏，若遣返印度、尼泊爾等原發照國，則服刑後依然要面臨遣返西藏的命運。

如今我們來到嚮往已久民主自由和繁榮的中華民國台灣，希望能在貴國為了維持基本生存而奮鬥，但不幸的貴國尚未有庇護國際難民相關法令，使我們從滿懷希望轉變為極度失望和挫折。身在貴國卻時時刻刻擔憂會被逮捕的惡夢，想找一份工作又因為沒有合法身份而無能為力加上沒有任何經濟來源，令我們舉步維艱，甚至日常生活都有困難。我們這一群滯台難胞衷心期盼基於人道與人權的關懷，台灣中華民國政府和社會各界善先人士能夠伸出援手給我們一條生路。這是發自滯台西藏難民的至誠心聲，希望台灣中華民國政府能夠給予我們生存的空間，使我們看到未來的陽光。為盼！

http://annpohugo.wordpress.com/2008/12/14/tibet/

[The Huffington Post] Wild Strawberries: Taiwanese Student Movement Stirs Anew

Taipei, Taiwan - A defiant, peaceful march by 5,000 protesters to the grounds of the Presidential Palace yesterday marked the first month's anniversary of a renewed and re-invigorated national pro-democracy student movement.

The protesters, some wearing mocking costumes of former emperors and current mainland Chinese Communist officials, demanded that the current Taiwanese government of President Ma Ying-jeou abolish a law that requires protesters to see and obtain prior permission for all public protests. They made their point by merely notifying local officials of the march but not waiting for approval.

Along the route they were briefly warned and stopped by Taiwanese security officials but without incident. The march was punctuated with a mock funeral for human rights, just two days before celebration of International Human Rights Day.(Read More)

[Dec 9 concert in support of Wild Strawberries] Music Trumps Nationality. Human Rights Know No Borders.

Dear Friends,

I would very much appreciate your passing on to your friends in Taiwan (and anyone else for that matter) this urgent appeal to turn out in a show of international support for what the Wild Strawberries have been able to achieve. This is a straight-up human rights issue, and green/blue issues are banished for the night of Dec 9, when we have some musicians from Japan, Canada, the US and elsewhere coming out to show the Wild Strawberries that theirs is a movement that has the support of the world.

I hope that everyone recognizes that the Taiwan government's human rights roll-back of the last several months has serious implications for all of us in Taiwan, foreigners included, and especially those of us who have made the Taiwan struggle for human rights, freedom and democracy our own. Mr. Ma is quite clearly going by the PRC playbook, so, if we don't rise up and put a stop to it, well, PRC-style repression will not be long in coming. Think of this as Taiwan's answer to the Tienanmen Massacre!

We have a good musical line-up, some speeches, and we will have prepared a world map, without any national borders showing, by which we wish to say that (1) music knows no borders, just as human rights is universal, and (2) in solidarity with Taiwanese, who are being denied the right to decide whether or not they can even have a country, then we will forego our nationalities for the evening.

We wish to give graphic, camera-ready expression to this using a map, and each international guest is invited to come up and give their name, and say where they are from -- without mentioning country. The more places we have represented, the more powerfully we can make the point that the Wild Strawberries enjoy international support.

Several representatives from international human rights organizations will also be present.

Sure hope to see you there. Please pass the word, bring friends and so on.

All this takes place at downtown Taipei's Liberty Square, 5 minutes' walk from the MRT CKS Memorial Hall station.

That's tomorrow night, Dec 9, beginning at 7pm and running until 11.

Thanks much.

Peace. Lynn

[Support] Detroit activity Support WSM

2008.12.07 Detroit is currently snowing and the temperature is blow freezing. About 100 people from Detroit, Lancing, Flint, Ann Arbor, and several from Toledo, Ohio and Toronto, Canada, gathered in Novi Town Center to show support to the Wild Strawberry Movement.

[Support from Paris, France] Alerte aux droits de l'homme à Taiwan

More information in French can be found in Club des Taiwanais

Statement about President Ma's violation on Human Rights and a series of issues: Alerte aux droits de l'homme à Taiwan

On December 7th, Taiwanese in PARIS protests Taiwan government led by Ma violates human rights
Where: Human right plaza: Trocadéro
Time: 15:30
Where to meet: Parvis des Droites de l'Homme (You will see the flag right on metro exit)

[Taipei Times] Amnesty warns against excessive force

WORLD IS WATCHING: Amnesty International’s statement will draw global attention to the government’s response to tomorrow’s ‘Wild Strawberry’ protest, one diplomat said
By William Lowther
STAFF REPORTER , WASHINGTON
Saturday, Dec 06, 2008, Page 1

Amnesty International has issued a thinly disguised warning to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), urging him not to use excessive police force to control and break up the unauthorized protest march planned for tomorrow by the “Wild Strawberry” student movement. (more)

[Taipei Times] EDITORIAL: Now we’re really being watched

... When it comes to international opinion from people with a personal or institutional connection to Taiwan, an easy majority supports Taiwan’s ability to determine its own affairs, and not China’s agenda of ingratiation, intimidation and violence.

The sequence of events is quite predictable. Organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders determine that there is a consistent pattern of inappropriate governance or other misuse of power. Letters and reports are written, politicians are lobbied and media outlets report and dissect the resulting debate. These labors set the stage for intervention by governments of influence or their envoys, most of whom act quite conservatively until a battery of facts is available.

Taiwan has now reached the unfortunate point of being on the watch list for rights groups, and not just those interested in the fate of a former president. ... (more)

On protest and human rights in Los Angeles

On Protest and Human Rights from abe on Vimeo.

A parade held on 21st November for human rights.

A brief transcription on Mr. Jiang's talk (a Taiwanese lawyer in the States):
On Nov. 20th, the mayor of L.A. apologized publicly for the police violation when Mexican protested against the new Immigration Law last year. The amount of compensatory that police officers beat people, including the journalist and people, during the protest is approx. 13,000,000USD. How about us?

Read more on
L.A. to pay nearly $13 million over May Day melee, sources say
The settlement would mark one of the largest payouts ever made to resolve LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department) misconduct. Department has sanctioned officers and trained force to prevent another such incident.
By Joel Rubin
November 20, 2008

Call for Taiwan Police to Stop Pressuring Media for Protest Information

2008 Nov 19
Press Release from International Federation of Journalist

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) urges Taiwan's National Police Agency (NPA) to stop asking media personnel for information about protesters at a recent public demonstration.

According to the Association of Taiwan Journalists (ATJ), an IFJ affiliate, members of the Taiwan police have reportedly asked media workers to provide photographs of demonstrators who participated in the "Yellow Ribbon Siege" protest against a meeting between Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou and chairman of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) Chen Yunlin on November 16. The protest was reportedly organised by the Democratic Progressive Political Party.

The ATJ said there were concerns that police would seek to pressure photojournalists who refused the request for information by approaching their employers.

"The police have put the reporters in grave danger by demanding that they rat on their interviewees," ATJ president Leon Chuang said.

On November 18, Leon Chuang and several reporters requested a meeting with NPA Director-General Wang Cho-chun to resolve the issue, but the request was declined.

"The duty of a journalist is to report the truth and to protect his or her sources. Journalists must not be compelled to act as agents to collect information on behalf of government authorities. Police interference of this kind places freedom of the independent press in jeopardy," IFJ Asia-Pacific said.

"The IFJ urges Taiwan's authorities to respect press freedom and ensure that they do not compromise journalists' integrity. All media outlets are also urged to defend press freedom and refrain from handing over photographs."

Increasing police pressure on Taiwan's media has been reported since early November. An independent documentary film-maker was detained by police while she was filming Chen in a hotel on November 4.. In a separate incident, a television reporter was assaulted by police who reportedly mistook him for a protester during the November 16 rally.

For further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +612 9333 0919

The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 120 countries worldwide

Ma responds to student protestors

Radio Taiwan International about the student movement:

English

Deutsch

Francés ???

Castellano ???