Hey Everyone,

Check out SFT's press release in response to Obama's Tibet comments made
during his meeting with Chinese president Hu Jintao. Also read our former
SFT board member, Josh Schrei's, brilliant letter to Obama here:
http://schreiwire.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/an-open-letter-to-my-favorite-president-ever-with-a-pointed-message-from-a-dead-cartoon-lion-you-can-do-better/



TenDolkar
______________________________________


STUDENTS FOR A FREE TIBET

For Immediate Release
November 19, 2009

Contact: Tenzin Dorjee, +1 646-724-0748
Kate Woznow, +1 917-601-0069

Tibet Activists Call on President Obama to Live Up to His Promise of Change
by Making Real Progress on Tibet

New York – In response to U.S. President Obama’s brief reference to Tibet
during his visit to Beijing this week, Students for a Free Tibet is calling
on the Obama administration and other democratically elected governments to
move beyond verbal statements of support to press China for real change on
the ground inside Tibet. By calling for the resumption of dialogue between
the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama's representatives, President Obama
indicated that the issue remains a concern for the U.S. government. But his
statement, which also recognized Tibet as a part of the present-day People’s
Republic of China, failed to address the reality of the Chinese government’s
ongoing, violent repression of the Tibetan people.

“President Obama’s remarks on Tibet failed to embody the messages of hope
and change that Americans elected him on. The Tibetan people need more than
the same old statements from governments; they need America to lead with
concrete actions that will actually pressure China to sit down at the
negotiating table.” said Tenzin Dorjee, Executive Director, Students for a
Free Tibet. “In March 2008, Tibetans rose up in a clear rejection of Chinese
rule, showing once again that they do not see themselves as part of China,
but as citizens of a formerly independent nation. It is well past time for
leaders of the world's democracies to stand up for the Tibetan peoples'
right to freedom.”

In the lead up to President Obama’s much-anticipated visit to China,
Tibetans and people of conscience across the United States and around the
world sent thousands of letters to the White House calling for concrete
action on Tibet. President Obama’s decision not to meet with the Dalai Lama
last month drew widespread criticism and was viewed by Tibet activists as a
dangerous concession – one that has brought no visible return for the U.S.’s
foreign policy, economic, or climate goals with regards to China.

“The Obama administration is pursuing a flawed strategy of appeasement with
the Chinese government, which will only embolden Chinese leaders to crack
down harder on Tibet and issues of human rights,” said Kate Woznow, Deputy
Director, Students for a Free Tibet. “Democratically elected governments
must not shy away from pressing China’s leaders to peacefully negotiate a
just and lasting resolution for the Tibetan people.”

President Obama’s China visit came on the heels of the Dalai Lama’s highly
publicized visit to Arunachal Pradesh, India. In what may be a litmus test
for China's approach to international disputes, Beijing vehemently opposed
the visit, claiming the Himalayan state as a part of China based on the
region's historical ties to Tibet. Further tensions along the Indo-China
border are expected as long as the Tibet issue remains unresolved.

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