On September 30th Chinese border troops opened fire at a caravan of seventy-three Tibetans fleeing to Nepal through Nangpa Pass. Kelsang Namtso, a seventeen year-old nun from Nagchu prefecture, was killed and twenty year-old Kunsang Namgyal is also feared dead. The Chinese government's perpetration of human rights abuses in Tibet was exposed to the global community at a time when China is trying so hard to show a respectable face to the world.

Despite all the media attention and foreign diplomatic pressure, thirty-two Tibetans from the group, including fourteen children, are reported to have been detained by the border patrol. Chinese officials have yet to release information about of the detainees' whereabouts or well-being. SFT is stepping up the campaign for their release and demanding an immediate end to the attacks by Chinese border patrol on Tibetan refugees. Please join this effort now by sending the urgent appeal below.

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I am appalled to learn that over thirty people, including fourteen children, are still missing after Chinese border patrol troops opened fire on a group of seventy-three Tibetan refugees crossing Nangpa Pass on September 30th, 2006. At least one Tibetan, Kelsang Namtso, a young nun from Nagchu prefecture, was killed in the incident, which has been condemned by the international community. The video footage captured by foreign mountaineers clearly shows Chinese soldiers taking aim and shooting at unarmed Tibetans and discredits the Chinese government's claim that the soldiers acted in self-defense.

The following are the names of some of the individuals known to be missing, including children as young as seven years old. It is believed they are being detained by the Chinese authorities in violation of Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees, and most notably the Convention on the Rights of the Child to which China is a signatory.

Tenwang, age 7 Lhakpa Tsering, age 8 Dhondup Lhamo, age 9 Dechen Dolma, age 10 Wangchen, age 11 Tsedon, age 12 Sonam Wangdue, age 12 Ming Shomo, age 13 Lodoe Nyima, age 15 Jamyang Tsetan, age 16 Karma Tsetan, age 16 Lodoe Namkha, age 16 Karma, age 19 Samten, age 19 Sonam Palzom, age 20 Dhondup Palden, age 21 Kusang, age 22 Lobsang Paljor, age 35

The Chinese government must immediately release these Tibetans and any others who have been detained in conjunction with the shooting at Nangpa Pass. Furthermore, China's leadership must rescind all orders that allow troops to open fire on unarmed Tibetans and allow an independent investigation into the incident.

This shooting once again exposes the brutality of China's occupation of Tibet and it is unconscionable that you continue to defend this attack. For China to be recognized as a member of the global community, it must immediately take steps to find a lasting solution to the Tibet issue and end all human rights abuses in Tibet.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
November 10, 2006