Beijing Wide Open

On Wednesday night, a lone Tibetan, with two supporters at his side, flew the Tibetan flag near the Bird’s Nest stadium as the men’s 200 metre dash finals were ending. Norbu, a Tibetan from Germany, raised the flag while two American men, John and Jeremy, raised their fists in the air and bowed their heads […]

My thoughts on the latest action and ongoing detentions in Beijing as well as the latest news from Tibet and China.

There are some incredible people in detention in Beijing right now. It’s been 50 hrs since they were taken into custody and we still have no word on them. James Powderly has to be one of the most righteous and visionary people I’ve ever met. He is an artist and an activist and was detained […]

Chinese forces killed two more Tibetans in eastern Tibet. A nun named Sonam Yungzom is reported to have been shot while shouting slogans in Kardze town on August 10th. One source says she yelled out: “There are no human rights in China, there is brutal oppression in Tibet, still the Olympics go on in China.” […]

Here is a piece from the New Statesman by the Tibetan writer and poet Woeser. Woeser lives in Beijing and is fearless. She is even suing the Chinese government. This piece pretty much says it all.

Banning Tibet
Published 31 July 2008
A great cry, a noise that can be produced only by those who live in the […]

Question: Did SFT think about applying for permits to protest in the Chinese government’s specially designated “protest zones” in and near Beijing during the Olympics?

Answer: No. The so-called “protest zones” are at best a cynical public relations ploy on the part of the Chinese authorities and, at worst, a trap to catch and silence those […]

Here’s my second Olympics blog for FT08.tv where I discuss the Tibet protests in Beijing and around the world and why they matter. I also respond to those few observers who like to suggest that our protests are “missing the point.”

This afternoon eight SFTers, including Pema Yoko a national coordinator of SFT UK, conducted a dramatic multi-part nonviolent direct action at the entrance to the Chinese Ethnic Culture Park. A group of protesters locked down at the entrance of the park by chaining bicycles together and holding a banner that said “Tibetans are dying for […]

I did this video blog a few days ago for FT08.tv but with all the action happening I haven’t had a second to post it here until now. Please check out Han’s message about the launch of FT08.tv below.
From Han-shan:
Friends–
I’m pleased to introduce Students for a Free Tibet’s new channel broadcasting throughout the worldwide uprising […]

Tiananmen “Tibet Die-in” Protest 080908 from Students for a Free Tibet on Vimeo.
Please watch this video. Five free Tibet activists staged a dramatic die-in today in Tiananmen Square, in the shadow of Chairman Mao’s famous portrait. Tiananmen Square was, of course, made infamous in 1989 when the Chinese government unleashed a massacre against pro-democracy demonstrators. […]