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Take Action: Reject the Railway
Though China's Tibet Railway has been completed, we will continue to oppose the Chinese government's efforts to colonize Tibet. Through our actions today around the world, we are displaying our opposition to the railway and our solidarity with Tibetans in Tibet who continue to resist China's occupation.
In our campaign against the railway, Students for a Free Tibet members and supporters have campaigned to demand that western companies cease collaborating in this harmful project. Today, we'll communicate directly to the Chinese government to let them know that we will continue to resist. Please feel free to edit the following letter.
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: We Reject the Railway - Tibet will be free.
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
I am writing to express my opposition to the Gormo-Lhasa railway, a project that the Chinese government itself has acknowledged as politically motivated. The railway poses a very real threat to the survival of the Tibetan people as a nation and culture, and Tibetans inside Tibet have strongly condemned the project. In spite of the Chinese government's efforts to advertise the benefits that the railway will bring to Tibetans, the world knows that this rail link is the cornerstone of China's efforts to consolidate social, economic and political control in Tibet.
You may have completed the construction of the China-Tibet railway, but the Tibetan people and their supporters will never give up the fight for freedom and independence for Tibet.
Tibet will be free.
Sincerely,
Sincerely,
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Campaign Launched:
July 01, 2006
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As with previous railways built by China in Mongolia and East Turkestan, the Tibet railway will greatly speed colonization of the area. It will allow vastly increased numbers of Chinese settlers and military troops to be brought in, and more natural resources to be exploited and removed from Tibet, with most economic benefits bypassing the many Tibetans who live on the outskirts of Tibet's centrally controlled economy, beyond the reach of the railway. The cost of the railway is almost triple the amount Beijing spent in the Tibet Autonomous Region on healthcare and education between 1952 and 2000.
Some important points about the railway:
1. At the admission of Chinese government leaders, the Gormo-Lhasa railway is politically motivated, with a goal of consolidating China's control over Tibet. It is opposed by Tibetans both inside and outside Tibet.
2. The railway will facilitate increased population transfer of Chinese settlers into Tibet, further marginalizing Tibetans physically, socially, and economically and posing a threat to the survival of their culture and identity.
3. The railway will facilitate the exploitation and removal of natural resources that belong to Tibetans.
4. The railway will improve China's military maneuverability, enable rapid troop deployments, and facilitate the expansion of People's Liberation Army bases and increases in nuclear weapons stockpiles and missile deployments on the Tibetan plateau.
5. The railway is expected to cause widespread erosion, damage to vegetation, disruption of migration patterns, and contamination of water bodies including the Drichu (Yangtse), Ngochu (Salween), and Zachu (Mekong) rivers, sources of water for more than one billion people.
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