Past Campaigns

The Holiday Inn out of Tibet campaign was intended to send a message to U.S. corporations that consumers won't stand for their support of governments that commit human rights abuses. After a powerful boycott involving SFT and other Tibet support groups, the Holiday Inn pulled out of Lhasa.

The Tibet Resolution is intended, through moral pressure, to encourage Tibetan's control of their economic development, to end human rights abuses by the Chinese government, and to support a peaceful negotiated solution to the Tibetan conflict.
The Tibet Resolution calls upon individuals and companies doing business in Tibet to follow the economic development guidelines of the Tibetan Government-in-exile, which has stated that development in Tibet should be small scale, decentralized initiatives controlled by Tibetans. The Resolution supports the conclusion of the U.S. Congress that Tibet is and occupied country under international law, whose true representatives are the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government-in-exile. It calls on the Government of China to negotiate a solution to the question of Tibet based on the will of the Tibetan people. This resolution is based on the selective purchasing Resolutions and Laws which first became popular in the U.S. during the 1970's and helped end apartheid in South Africa. They are currently being used on federal, state and local levels in the U.S. to promote democracy in Burma.

The Resolution was submitted by Smith SFT with assistance from the International Committee of Lawyers for Tibet, and was sponsored by the Northampton Human Rights Commission. It passed on April 22, 1999.

Ongoing Campaigns

Free Ngawang Choephel
A Tibetan Fulbright scholar from Middlebury College, Ngawang Choephel traveled to Tibet to document traditional music and dance and was arrested on false charges of "espionage" in 1995. He is currently serving an 18 year prison sentence and is reputed to be in poor health.

Free the Panchen Lama
Nine year old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima is  the 11th Panchen Lama of Tibet, the second highest lama in the Tibetan tradition and the world's youngest political prisoner. He was taken captive by the Chinese government shortly after he was recognized as the reincarnated Panchen Lama in 1995. Currently his whereabouts and health are unknown.

Negotiations between Tibet and China
We are urging U.S. government officials to push Chinese leadership to enter negotiations with the Dalai Lama of Tibet with the hope of moving towards some relief for the Tibetan people and eventually a resolution of the issue.

Spank the World Bank
In June, the World Bank approved a loan that will fund for the population transfer of Chinese farmers into Tibetan land in order to create an agricultural society. This decision came amidst much opposition, with main points being that the project will bring about environmental and racial problems. The bank agreed to delay funding until an inspection panel reviewed the implications of the project. The panel is currently preparing to present their report in February.

PetroChina
China has offered stock in PetroChina, its state-owned oil company, in order to raise money that would be used to extract Tibetšs oil and gas resources from the Tsaidam basin, and to help China further colonize northeastern Tibet. Goldman Sachs put PetroChina on the stock market and they are currently trying to sell shares to investors. BP Amoco has bought a large chunk of the stock and are in negotiations with PetroChina to design pipelines, but it is not known just how clear the commitment from PetroChina is. SFT has been working very hard on this campaign writing letters and emails to urge various groups not to invest in PetroChina.
Sample Letter for Universities and Pension Funds
Letter to Senators and Representatives
Letter to the Security and Exchange Commission
Contact BP Amocošs Chief Executive Officer "Sir John Browne" and ask him to cancel BPšs involvement with PetroChina. Go to "ask Sir John" at http://www.bpamoco.com/alive <
 
 

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