UN Conference organisers snub HHDL
Mary Finnigan
conference of world religious leaders has not invited HHDL to attend,
apparently because of pressure from the PRC. I have received and signed
an e-petition protesting at this and have also sent it to 70 people.
Anyone who would like to do the same please contact:
Brah...@aol.com
Mary
Borislav Delov
Can you provide more information?
Borislav
"Mary Finnigan" <ma...@pema.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:bOBb9LAOAFe5Ew$b...@pema.demon.co.uk...
Tang Huyen
Mary Finnigan wrote: <<WTN ran an item today (Fri) informing that the
organisers of a UN conference of world religious leaders has not invited
HHDL to attend, apparently because of pressure from the PRC. I have
received and signed an e-petition protesting at this and have also sent it
to 70 people. Anyone who would like to do the same please contact:
Brah...@aol.com
Mary>>
If the UN snubs the Dalai Lama, shouldn't followers of the Tibetan religion
stop using UN honorific appellations like His Holiness, His Eminence, etc.?
Such titles are borrowed directly from Christian hierarchy, not from
Buddhism and not from the Tibetan religion, and within the religious
domain, Buddhist or not, such titles are not helpful. They may mislead the
unwary to assume that the spiritual value of their bearers has some direct
correlation to them, which we know is not true.
And if their bearers have indeed religious or spiritual value, why do they
need such titles? For pomp and circumstance? Does the Dalai Lama and other
Tibetan bearers of such UN religious titles really have to cling to them as
worldly clutches?
So, if the UN snubs the Dalai Lama, isn't it high time that such UN titles
were dropped by the followers of the Tibetan religion, who presumably
respect the Dalai Lama?
Tang Huyen
Luc Novovitch
> If the UN snubs the Dalai Lama, shouldn't followers of the Tibetan religion
> stop using UN honorific appellations like His Holiness, His Eminence, etc.?
Maybe you should go check 'protocol' and 'reverence' in the Webster.
--
Luc Novovitch
mailto:l...@overland.net
http://www.sotolgallery.com
Kirt Undercoffer
Could you please post more information on this article?
We need more detail in order to send an intelligently
written message.
There is some indication in another msg that the conf.
is being held in China. Is this true? Even if it were, there
should be some accommodation for HH Dalai Lama although
I personally would fear for his safety in China in the current
climate. Accommodation could of course include video link-up
from a remote location.
At any rate, the participation of HH Dalai Lama at UN
conferences that include religious leaders should always
be guaranteed.
Kirt Undercoffer
Mary Finnigan <ma...@pema.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:bOBb9LAOAFe5Ew$b...@pema.demon.co.uk...
Tang Huyen
Luc Novovitch wrote:
Tang: <<If the UN snubs the Dalai Lama, shouldn't followers of the Tibetan
religion stop using UN honorific appellations like His Holiness, His Eminence,
etc.?>>
Luc: <<Maybe you should go check 'protocol' and 'reverence' in the Webster.>>
Which was my point. Protocol is for diplomatic situations, whereas reverence is
for religious situations. To use diplomatic honorific appellations of the UN in a
religious context, chez nous, is incongruous. It is to confuse categories -- the
diplomatic (political) and the religious.
Thank you for bringing attention to my point and corroborating it.
Tang Huyen
Mary Finnigan
>
>Could you please post more information on this article?
>We need more detail in order to send an intelligently
>written message.
read on WTN. If you need further info: please contact brah...@aol.com
Mary
Robin Faichney
It's being held at the UN, not in China. There's a website at
http://www.milleniumpeacesummit.com -- though it's not too hot.
--
Robin Faichney
Joe Zilincar
The link you gave below doesn't work.
Thanks,
Joe
"Robin Faichney" <ro...@nospam.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:embfl8...@faichney.demon.co.uk...
Robin Faichney
Kirt Undercoffer
WTN in Canada:
Kirt
****************************************************************************
*
Dear Kirt,
It is absolutely true. Here is an article from a reputable Canadian
newspaper on this.
Thubten Samdup
Montreal
__________________________________
UN religious summit a logistical nightmare
Dalai Lama excluded
Steven Edwards
National Post
July 21, 2000
UNITED NATIONS - Catering to dietary differences, numerological taboos and
varied dress codes is a formidable challenge for organizers of the world's
largest religious summit, scheduled at the United Nations next month.
But those problems are nothing compared with the political pitfalls of
bringing together 1,000 religious leaders in the hopes of spawning a new age
of ecumenical co-operation for world peace.
Organizers already admit they have bowed to Chinese pressure to exclude the
Dalai Lama, the civic and spiritual leader of Tibet, because of his stand
against Beijing's annexing of his homeland in 1958.
Other absentees will be the Pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury and Ayatollah
Khamenei, Iran's religious chief of state, who will all send high-level
delegations in their place.
The Millennium Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders is due to be
held from Aug. 28-31, just before political leaders gather for the UN
Millennium Assembly.
"Planning the conference has been a logistical nightmare," said one
official. "Just getting everyone here is hard enough. We have some Inca
spiritual leaders from Peru who didn't even have birth certificates to get
visas. We also had to buy them shoes, socks and underwear, and rent horses
to get them out of their homeland."
Numbers play an important role in some religions, posing problems in
assigning rooms at the Waldorf Astoria, where delegates will stay. "Some
have to have certain rooms, and the room number has to be a certain way,"
the official said.
But pleasing the palates has presented the most difficulty. No single menu
can satisfy the dietary restrictions of the different religions. Hindus
cannot eat beef, the Jewish and Muslim faiths forbid pork and many Roman
Catholics avoid meat on Fridays.
"The summit will be vegetarian to eliminate some of the problems," said Dena
Merriam, a summit vice-chairman. "We'll also offer kosher foods."
The idea to extend the United Nations' peacekeeping role emerged from an
August, 1997, meeting between Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General, and Ted
Turner, the media mogul, who will broadcast much of the summit live on CNN.
Mr. Annan will give the inaugural address, but who will follow has yet to be
determined. "It is a sensitive issue," admitted Bawa Jain, the summit's
secretary-general, as is the seating in the General Assembly, where 1,945
seats are arranged elliptically to reduce an appearance of hierarchy.
"We'll either sit them in alphabetical order based on religious tradition,
or put people scheduled to speak at the front, and offer free seating to the
rest," he said.
An Indian who has known the Dalai Lama since childhood, Mr. Jain personally
told the Nobel Peace Prize winner about China's opposition.
"I asked him for guidance," said Mr. Jain. "I said I would turn the matter
into a confrontation. But he turned to me and said, 'The summit is a
starting point and it must happen. My representation is secondary.' "
The Dalai Lama has never asked to speak at the United Nations because he
knows China, a member of the Security Council, would veto his request, said
a spokesperson for the New York-based Tibet Office, which represents the
Tibetan government in exile.
"You have to abide by those guidelines and protocol," added Mr. Jain. "The
Chinese can have this summit out of the UN in one minute."
Not everyone agrees. "They only have power to say who comes before the
Security Council, not a general conference," said Brahma Das, director of
the Interfaith Call for Universal Religious Freedom.
"People are incensed at this. The Dalai Lama is one of the world's
best-known spiritual leaders. His absence will be one of the main talking
points at the conference, and a spur for demonstrations outside."
____________________________
Subject: UN Snub of HHDL?
Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 09:51:32 -0400
From: Kirt Undercoffer <ki...@worldnet.att.net>
To: wtn-e...@tibet.ca
The following has been posted in alt.religion.buddhism.tibetan:
"WTN ran an item today (Fri) informing that the organisers of a UN
conference of world religious leaders has not invited HHDL to attend,
apparently because of pressure from the PRC."
This refers to the upcoming US Millennium World Peace
Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders.
However, there is no reference I can find to this at the WTN site
at: http://www.tibet.ca/wtnarchive/2000/7/
or on the non-archived paged at www.tibet.ca.
Is the report true?
Thanks!
Kirt Undercoffer
Mary Finnigan
>I have received the following reply from
>WTN in Canada:
>
>
>It is absolutely true. Here is an article from a reputable Canadian
>newspaper on this.
>
>Thubten Samdup
>Montreal
>
several days ago. I wonder why the one below was not included in their
main bulletins? Whatever the reason, I urge everyone here again -- write
to brah...@aol.com. Ask him for the petition. Sign it. Pass it on to
your friends. Make a fuss. My partner has decided not to sign the
petition because he believes petitions don't work. Instead he is writing
personally to the British Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook. Anyone else who
feels like contacting their parliamentary representatives, government
ministers, Kofi Annan etc: could do this as an alternative. One
venerable TBist I know (who was personally instrumental in launching TB
in the west) described a religious leaders conference minus HHDL as
*meaningless*. I agree with him. Another friend who is normally cool and
rational, left me an answerphone message -- spluttering with indignation
-- *they can't do this* etc: The can and they have. It is an outrage.
Mary
--
Mary Finnigan
Alex Wilding
>Make a fuss.
etc.
I tried mailing the address provided at the website for feedback
(in...@millenniumpeacesummit.com) and it bounced. Twice. That creates an
amateurish impression. Does anyone know a proper e-mail address?
YitD
Alex W
http://homepage.eircom.net/~wilding/other.htm
Mike Austin
<wil...@eircom.net> writes
I emailed to in...@millenniumpeacesummit.org - no bouncing! I got this by
clicking a link on the website - maybe a different link from the one you
clicked.
--
Mike Austin
tang_...@my-deja.com
Mary Finnigan <ma...@pema.demon.co.uk> wrote:
<<The item posted below did not appear on WTN. They ran a short notice
several days ago. I wonder why the one below was not included in their
main bulletins? Whatever the reason, I urge everyone here again -- write
to brah...@aol.com. Ask him for the petition. Sign it. Pass it on to
your friends. Make a fuss. My partner has decided not to sign the
petition because he believes petitions don't work. Instead he is writing
personally to the British Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook. Anyone else who
feels like contacting their parliamentary representatives, government
ministers, Kofi Annan etc: could do this as an alternative. One
venerable TBist I know (who was personally instrumental in launching TB
in the west) described a religious leaders conference minus HHDL as
*meaningless*. I agree with him. Another friend who is normally cool and
rational, left me an answerphone message -- spluttering with indignation
-- *they can't do this* etc: The can and they have. It is an outrage.
Mary>>
Good job, Mary.
Tang Huyen
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Mary Finnigan
brah...@aol.com
Mary
Mary Finnigan
few days ago I was no: 39!
Mary
>From: Brahma Das <Brah...@AOL.COM>
>E-MAIL PETITION FOR TIBET
>
>As a suggested guidline for this petition, please write your name and a
few
>words about who you are if you'd like to add your name to this petition
>protesting the rejection of His Holiness and of Tibet in general at the
>Millennium Peace Summit at the UN. We would like to get as many names
as
>possible on this petition - both to send to Summit organizers and to
the
>media. Again in signing the petition, it also helps if you send any
title
(if
>you have one), job (if you're working), and/or school and major (if
you're
a
>student).
>
>If you plan to forward this petition to any e-mail friends, it would
>certainly help simplify this part of the campaign if everyone just
keeps
>adding their name and info to the list and then whoever signs in at 50,
100,
>150...at that point, please send the list back to my e-mail address.Of
course
>they'll be some overlap, but we'll figure it out.
>
>Definitely individual letters to Kofi Annan are still really helpful,
so
>please write them and e-mail me a copy if you can.
>
>Thanks for your help, Brahma Das
>
>PETITION SUPPORTING THE INCLUSION OF HIS HOLINESS,
>THE DALAI LAMA AT THE MILLENNIUM PEACE SUMMIT OF WORLD SPIRITUAL
LEADERS
AT
>THE UNITED NATIONS
>
>
>We, the Undersigned, strongly protest the exclusion of His Holiness,
the
>Dalai Lama, from the Millennium Peace Summit of Spiritual leaders -
being
>held at the UN from August 28th-31st. The ones primarily responsible
for
>this Summit (UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Bawa Jain) should find
the
>moral courage to stand up against all the Chinese pressure and
inducements;
>they should reverse their earlier decision and invite His Holiness -
one of
>the most revered spiritual leaders on the planet as well as a Nobel
Peace
>Prize Laureate - to this gathering for peace of spiritual and
religious
>leaders.
>
>1) Namgyal Nangsetsang, Registered Nurse, Toronto
(namg...@hotmail.com)
>
>
>2) Linda Mancini, Coordinator of the Boston Tibet Network (BTN)
> Director of the LamRim Buddhist Center (Manci...@aol.com)
>
>3) Tsering Yangdon, M.Sc.P.H.; Instructor at the Robert Wood Johnson
Medical
>School, School of Public Health in Piscataway, NJ; Past President:
Tibetan
>Women's Association (yang...@UMDNJ.EDU)
>
>4) Arda Bishar, Co founder of the Tibetan Buddhist meditation Center
in
>Princeton, NJ (edvi...@aol.com) (609) 921 8852
>
>5) Jeffrey A. Berman, Los Angeles, CA (jabe...@mediaone.net)
>
>6) Metta McGarvey, Doctoral Student, Harvard University
(met...@gis.net)
>
>7) Matjaz Trontelj, Slovenia, Information technology manager for
Kalachakra
>for World Peace 2002 to be held in Graz Austria
>(m...@kalachakra-graz.at)
>
>8) Gregor Erjavec, President, Tibet Support Group of Slovenia
> (gregor....@NUK.Uni-Lj.Si)
>
>9) Judith A. Higgins, Long Branch, NJ (Mal...@aol.com)
>
>10) J.C. Callender, Campaign Coordinator, The Milarepa Fund
>(jc_supe...@hotmail.com)_
>
>11)Brahma Das, Director of the Interfaith Call for Universal Religious
>Freedom and Freedom of Worship in Tibet (brah...@aol.com)
>
>12) Brother Wayne Teasdale, Catholic Sanyassin, Trustee of the
Parliament
of
>World Religions (wtea...@condor.depaul.edu)
>
>13) Michael Pate RN, FNP, MPH (mwp...@flash.net)
>
>14) Thubten Samdup, Manager, Field Services, SNC-Lavalin Energy Control
>Systems Inc. St. Laurent, Quebec (sam...@cae.ca)
>
>15)Wangchuk D. Shakabpa II, government trial attorney, Washington, D.C.
>(wdsha...@hotmail.com)
>
>16) Phurbu Dondup Mentuh, Senior Importer, Ingram Micro Inc.
>Ontario, Canada (Dondup...@ingrammicro.ca)
>
>17) Jordhen Chazotsang, graphic artist, Ontario, Canada
> (jor...@primus.ca)
>
>18) Lobsang Sangay, Tibetan Scholar at Harvard Law School
>(san...@LAW.HARVARD.EDU)
>
>19) Marla Apt, Yoga Teacher, Los Angeles, CA
>(marl...@hotmail.com)
>
>20) Paul Cabanis, Yoga Teacher, Los Angeles, CA
>
>21) Babs Aydelott, Travel Agent, Manhattan Beach, CA
>(Babs...@aol.com
>
>22) Tseten Phanucharas, Director, Dept of Pathology
>Saint John's Health Center, Santa Monica, CA
>(Tseten.Ph...@stjohns.org
>
>23)John Walt, Senior Manager, Global Health Economic Strategy &
Research;
>Allergan (a global pharmaceutical company), Irvine, CA
>(Walt...@Allergan.com
>
>24) Dory Beatrice, Coordinator of San Diego Friends of Tibet,
representing
>over 700 people, "all of whom want to be considered as having signed
this
>petition" (dor...@san.rr.com)
>
>25) Anthony OBrien, MA, Artist/author/potter; Co-founder
T.S.G.Ireland;
>Co-founder ECOTibet International ( ant...@oceanfree.net)
>
>26) ) Glenn Freeman, TIBETWestMichigan, administrator
>http://tibetwestmichigan.home-page.org e-mail: (gle...@grfn.org)
>
>27) Ford Roosevelt, Grandson of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, saying
his
>grandparents were very involved in the planning and formation of the
UN,
and
>adding "It would not have been their wish I am certain to exclude any
leaders
>from such a conference, and certainly not one so esteemed in the world
as
His
>Holiness. (fo...@earthlink.net)
>
>28) Richard Nishimura, Project Coordinator, International Campaign for
Tibet,
>Washington, D.C. (richardn...@hotmail.com)
>
>29) Tenzin Dargyal, Montreal, Quebec, Internet entrepreneur
>(dar...@hotmail.com)
>30) Catherine Moore (cmo...@alcor.concordia.ca)
>
>31) Alex Lobsang, business major at Santa Monica College, CA
>(alex_l...@hotmail.com)
>
>32) Thinlay Choden, biology major at Santa Monica College, CA
>
>33) Larry Gerstein, Ph.D.; Professor, Ball State University
>Fellow, American Psychological Association, President, Internatioanal
Tibet
>Independence Movement (Ran...@aol.com)
>
>34) Jean-Marie Brodu, Editor "Tibet Info" France, cs...@francenet.fr
>
>35) Thuten Kesang, National Chairperson, New Zealand Friends of Tibet,
>(kes...@ak.planet.gen.nz)
>
>36) Douglas Yeager, Chair, Social Action Committee, Christ Congregation
>Church, Princeton, New Jersey; Member, Princeton Coalition for Peace
Action
>(Yeahi...@aol.com)
>
>37) Michael H. Bachmann, M.D., D.Sc.; Research Fellow, Dept. of
Pediatrics
>Stanford University School of Medicine; Stanford, CA, Board member,
Committee
>of 100 for Tibet (bach...@cmgm.stanford.edu)
>
>38) Nick Robson, Grand Cayman, British West Indies (ni...@candw.ky)
>
>39) Dan Haig, Executive Director, Tibet Online, http://www.tibet.org/
>(giz...@xanatoo.cyborganic.com)
>
>40) Ritva Nybacka,Aurthor and Teacher, Director of Netfriends of Tibet:
>http://home.swipnet.se/tibet Stockholm, Sweden
(ritva....@swipnet.se)
>
>41) Henrietta Bisgood, Managing Director of an Interior Decorating
Company
in
>Ireland (hbis...@indigo.ie)
>
>42) Bradford Carr, President, New Hampshire Friends of Tibet, New
Boston,
NH,
>USA (CBCG...@aol.com)
>
>43) Kai Mortensen, Secretary, Norwegian Tibet Committee
>(tibet...@os.telia.no)
>
>44) Rebecca Novick, Director, Los Angeles Friends of Tibet,
>BE...@aol.com
>
>45 & 46) Khandro Déchen and Ngak'chang Rinpoche - Lineage Holders of
the
Aro
>gTér lineage of Nyingma Vajrayana Buddhism and spiritual directors of
the
of
>the Confederate Sanghas of Aro - comprising of the registered
charities:
>Sang-ngak-chö-dzong UK, Aro Gar USA, Aro Gaselschaft Austria, and Aro
>Gemeinschaft Germany.
>
>47) Ngala Rig'dzin Dorje - London
>
>47) Ngakma Nor'dzin Pamo, Cardiff
>
>48) Naljorpa Ögyen Dorje, Cardiff
>
>49) Klemens Ludwig, free lance journalist in Germany, author of four
books
>about Tibet, (Klemens...@gmx.net)
>
>50) Lorrin McCormick M.A., M.F.T. (Lorr...@aol.com)
>
>51) Mary Finnigan, Author/journalist. Tibetan Buddhist practitioner.
>> Bristol, England. ma...@pema.demon.co.uk
>
>52) Sue Byrne, Freelance Market Researcher and Coordinator of the
Buddhism
in
>Mongolia programme for Tibet Foundation, London
>>
>53) Alexander Berzin, Author, Translator and Teacher of Tibetan
Buddhism,
>Berlin, Germany. (azbe...@aol.com)
>
>53) Ann Alexis, Bloomington IN (AAlex...@aol.com)
>
>54) Michelle De Cou-Landberg, retired ESL Teacher and author, Reston,
VA
>(ail...@aol.com)
>
>55) Rev. Cay Randall-May, Ph.D., Author of "Pray Together Now, How to
Find
>or Form a Prayer Group"; (caypr...@aol.com)
>
>56) William Lee Rand, The International Center for Reiki Training,
>(Lem...@aol.com)
>
>57) Amanda Jagger, Environmental Scientist, Point Pleasant, NJ
>(Ajmag...@aol.com)
>
>58) Ronny Novick, Documentary Filmaker, Los Angeles, CA
>BE...@aol.com
>
>59) Dr. Bobbi Nassar, Professor of Social Work, Yeshiva University,
NYC, NY
>(bobbi...@yahoo.com)
>
>60) The Rev. Dennett Slemp, Richmond, VA (dcs...@cs.com)
>61) Dorothy Oglethorpe psychiatrist and psychotherapist, Treviso Italy
and
>62) Prof. Gianfranco Mignani, Treviso, Italy (g.mi...@iol.it)
>63)Ravasio Gianbattista, Bergamo, Italy (bhu...@tiscalinet.it)
>64) Presidente Gr. Teosofico "Libera Volontà" Zogno P.Bergamo
(all...@libero.it)
Mike Austin
<ma...@pema.demon.co.uk> writes
>Here's the petition plus signatures. It has EXPLODED! When I signed it a
>few days ago I was no: 39!
>Mary
>
>>From: Brahma Das <Brah...@AOL.COM>
>
>>E-MAIL PETITION FOR TIBET
Hi Mary,
You are number 51 on this list. I was number 40 after you sent it to me.
I've also had the same petition from two other sources and your name was
on neither of these. There must be several threads going round. I think
this is just the tip of the iceberg.
--
Mike Austin
Canada Tibet Committee, National Office
by: Thubten Samdup
The Globe and Mail, Commentary, July 26, 2000
TORONTO,
We all know that Tibet has become a popular issue among young and old in
western countries. Fascination with the mystical culture and mountain
environment has developed into genuine sympathy for the plight of Tibetans
living under China's military occupation. It has also generated widespread
support for the Dalai Lama's non-violent
struggle for human rights in his homeland.
It is less known that since 1970, when the People's Republic of China became
a member of the United Nations, the very organization established to uphold
fundamental human rights around the world, has consistently shunned Tibet
and the Dalai Lama. This policy casts a dark cloud over plans for a
Millennium Peace Summit to be held in New York August 27-29 under UN
auspices. More than 100 spiritual leaders have been invited to this event,
-- but not the Dalai Lama, 1989 Nobel Peace Laureate and spiritual head to
over 15 million Buddhists across Asia, Europe and the Americas.
Clearly, omission of the 1989 Peace Laureate is not an accidental oversight
but rather a deliberate move by UN officials to appease Chinese demands.
Unfortunately, this behavior is not new.
In June 1993, the Austrian government invited the Dalai Lama to attend the
UN World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna. Under pressure from the
Chinese Government, the UN later cancelled its invitation and deleted other
Tibetan activities from the program. Protest ensued and 14 Nobel Peace
laureates boycotted the opening
ceremony. Only after the Austrian government intervened and non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) passed a unanimous resolution was the Dalai Lama able
to speak at the Forum of NGOs. Nevertheless, he remained barred from
attending the more important Governmental Forum.
In 1995, the UN denied accreditation to all Tibetan NGOs who applied to
participate in the Forth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing. Similar
refusals to accredit Tibetan NGOs to official UN conferences, resulted in
denial of the Tibetan peoples right to express themselves at the
International body established to protect their rights. In "A Vision of
Hope," a commemorative book published for the 50th Anniversary of the UN,
contributing author Richard Reoch included a short quotation from the Dalai
Lama. A UN official asked Reoch to substitute a different quotation because
the UN did not want to stir up a controversy. Reoch refused. Indeed, the
other 15
contributors, alleging "censorship and intellectual cleansing," withdrew
their names. Even so, UN editors deleted the Dalai Lama's quotation and
published the book.
In March 1999, the UN Commission on the Status of Women barred Lobsang
Rabgey, a Tibetan-Canadian woman, from testifying before its Asian regional
panel. Rabgey represented a UN-accredited NGO but was denied the right to
speak based on her ethnic heritage. According to a UN official, her
recognizably Tibetan name might offend the
Chinese. Forty NGO's sent a protest memorandum. Rabgey was allowed to speak
only after the media gave this incident extensive coverage.
The UN's deliberate efforts to shun Tibet calls for strong public outcry.
Hundreds of letters have been sent to Kofi Annan, the UN's Secretary-General
and convenor of the UN Millenium Peace Summit, asking that the Dalai Lama be
invited to attend the Peace Summit. So far silence has been the only
response.
It is appropriate that the Government of Canada take up this issue and
insist that the United Nations include the Dalai Lama on its roster of
peacemakers honoured at the Millenium Peace Summit. The Canadian people too,
should let their voices be heard by writing letters to Canada's Minister of
Foreign Affairs, Lloyd Axworthy in
support of this position. Canada should not appease China's Tibet policy by
closing its eyes to systematic discrimination within the UN system.
** Thubten Samdup is President of the Canada Tibet Committee, National
Office and a previous Member of Parliament in the Tibetan Government in
Exile in Dharmsala, India.
Mary Finnigan wrote:
--
___________________________________________________________________________
CTC National Office, 4675 Coolbrook, Montréal, Québec H3X
2K7 Canada
Tel: (514) 487-0665; Fax: (514) 487-7825; E-mail: cant...@tibet.ca; URL:
http://www.tibet.ca
Calgary - Edmonton - Golden - Montreal - Ottawa - Regina - Sarnia -
Saskatoon - St-John's
Toronto - Victoria -
Vancouver
___________________________________________________________________________
Brian Barlow
Do you know when the use of the title started. Was it used before the
Chinese invasion of Tibet for example ?
Mary Finnigan
>I've also had the same petition from two other sources and your name was
>on neither of these. There must be several threads going round. I think
>this is just the tip of the iceberg.
even this would not budge the myopic UN morons.
Cheers
Mary
Evelyn Ruut
Dear Mary and Mike,
It has nothing to do with morons or myopic ways, but plenty to do about
money. China is big business and as such has clout. Maybe the petition
will have some effect though. We can hope.
Regards,
Evelyn
Joe Zilincar
>I've also had the same petition from two other sources and your name was
>on neither of these. There must be several threads going round. I think
>this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Mary Finnigan" <ma...@pema.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:lIq0MNAf$Th5...@pema.demon.co.uk...
I hope so. I hope there are tens of thousands of names. But I fear that
> even this would not budge the myopic UN morons.
> Cheers
> Mary
It's been circulated on the Dzogchen, Palyul, Sakya, and TIBET-L lists too.
Seems to be getting worldwide interest:
_________________ WTN-L World Tibet Network News _________________
Published by: The Canada Tibet Committee
Editorial Board: Brian Given, Conrad Richter, Nima Dorjee,
Tseten Samdup, Thubten (Sam) Samdup
WTN Editors: wtn-e...@tibet.ca
______________________________________________________________________
Monday, July 31, 2000
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ISSUE ID: 00/07/31 Compiled by Tseten Samdup
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Contents:
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1. Dalai Lama's snub at U.N. Conference stirs contoroversy
2. 'Regard Tibet, Taiwan disputed territories' (TNS)
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1. Dalai Lama's snub at U.N. Conference stirs contoroversy
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By kevin eckstrom
c. 2000 Religion News Service
(UNDATED) A historic summit of world religious leaders at the United
Nations next month is drawing fire for not including the popular leader
of the world's 15 million Tibetan Buddhists on the invitation list.
The summit, which will open Aug. 28 at the United Nations, will draw
more than 1,000 religious leaders from around the world, from the Rev.
Jesse Jackson to the chief rabbi of Jerusalem.
But missing from the mix on the summit's opening day will be the
Dalai Lama, the exiled leader of Tibetan Buddhism and Nobel Peace Prize
winner.
Critics say summit organizers are bowing to Chinese pressure to
exclude the 65-year-old leader. The Dalai Lama and China have been at
odds ever since the Chinese occupation of Tibet began in 1949. The Dalai
Lama now lives in India.
Trying to stem an increasingly hostile wave of criticism, summit
leaders this week invited the Dalai Lama to speak at the end of the
conference. The Dalai Lama's supporters, however, said because that
session would be held at a hotel and not the United Nations, organizers
were still giving in to China.
``You do not invite someone with the stature of the Dalai Lama to
part of a meeting in another building,'' said Brahma Das, director of
the Interfaith Call for Universal Religious Freedom and Freedom of
Worship in Tibet. ``That's not an invitation. That's an insult.''
Conference organizers are choosing to walk gently through what has
become a political and religious minefield.
``The appropriate reply would be to say that (the Dalai Lama) is
invited as a keynote speaker for the closing ceremony,'' said Bawa Jain,
the summit's secretary-general.
Organizers are bringing together leaders of all the world's
religions and spiritual traditions to discuss ways religion can be used
to foster peace and reconciliation. Delegates are expected to sign a
peace declaration at the end of the meeting.
Among the 60 or so U.S. leaders expected to attend are Jackson,
Coretta Scott King, prominent Harlem pastor the Rev. Calvin Butts, Rabbi
Arthur Schneier of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, and the
archbishops of the Greek and Armenian Orthodox churches.
Emerging from the conference will be the International Advisory
Council of Religious and Spiritual Leaders, which organizers say will be
a resource for the United Nations for conflict resolution and peace
efforts.
While the conference is largely sponsored by private organizations,
the summit's ties to the United Nations are central and unmistakable.
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan will address the assembly Aug. 28.
The United Nations' ties to the proposed advisory council are also
drawing criticism, with some saying the religious sphere and the
volatile political nature of the United Nations should never be mixed.
``A permanent institution within the U.N. would weaken the witness
of these religious leaders because they would be ... bogged down in the
political culture of the U.N.,'' said Brother Wayne Teasdale, a trustee
of the Parliament of World Religions.
Organizers, meanwhile, say religious leaders have an important role
to play in the international body's global peacekeeping efforts.
``There is no other global body responsible for peacekeeping, and as
we move away from the age of the superpowers, it's really the U.N. that
is left to bear that role,'' said Dena Merriam, vice chairwoman of the
summit's executive council. ``We want the religious leaders to support
that effort.''
Beyond the delicate political aspects of the conference, organizers
say bringing more than 1,000 people from around the world to New York
has its own challenges.
Officials had to create birth certificates and buy clothes and
underwear for a nine-member Inca delegation from Peru. The spiritual
leaders have never seen the ocean, or an airplane, and the United
Nations will have to rent horses to get the leaders out of their remote
village.
Food is also a problem. Jews will not eat pork, Hindus will not eat
meat, Muslims will eat only Halal meat and some won't touch meat at all.
The solution? A vegetarian menu, with kosher options.
``It's been a real challenge,'' Merriam said.