Before
Chinese occupation Tibet was a country politically isolated and
relatively untouched in
environmental terms being sparsely populated and in western terms
technologically undeveloped. In the 56 years since the Chinese invasion
in 1949 an extra-ordinary devastation has been wreaked not only on the
Tibetan people and
culture but on Tibet's natural environment as well. Deforestation,
widespread mining, nuclear waste dumping, poaching of large animals and
the importing of millions of Chinese migrants have taken a very heavy
toll on Tibet. There are now more Chinese in Tibet than ethnic Tibetans
and the imbalance continues to worsen yearly. The World Bank is
currently funding a $100 million railway building scheme to import
further Chinese immigrants into Tibet. All this is set against supposed
concerns throughout the western nations about human rights and
the need to develop democratic systems in the non-western nations.
However, as anyone who has an open mind can see, this rhetoric is also
set against the countervailiing exonomic rationale of the wes which
requires ever increasing expansion of economies via trade, So, China as
the world's fasterd expanding economy/market is hard to turn one's back
on regardless of its appalling human rights record internally and
externally.
The BM Free Tibet Group formed early in 1998 at the
instigation of then
migrant outreach worker Phil Davey. A strong core group of 10-20 people
quickly formed and regular monthly meetings were held throughout the
year. A close association with the Australia Tibet Council, of which
some local people were also members, developed and the local group
found a ready market for merchandise supplied by ATC. This allowed a
rapid build up of funds and during 1998 direct donations were made to
the local Tibetan community association, Burma Support Group and
Jabiluka Alliance totalling over $1160 and a further $1950 worth of
merchandise was purchased from ATC thus boosting ATC finances. Features
of the 1998 activities were a very successful Winter Magic Festival
stall and sell out fund raising screenings of "Kundun", the film about
the life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, at Mt Vic Flicks and the
Glenbrook Cinema.
The local group has a broad outlook as the support of other
human
rights and environment groups suggests and also has, as Blue Mountains
groups often do, a distinctly individual character. Not content to
simply support political action within Australia and a narrow focus of
lobbying the Australian and Chinese governments the local group sought
ways to make direct links with Tibetan refugees in India and even to
provide support which reaches inside Tibet. To this end contacts have
been made with the Tibetan Torture Survivors Program and the Tibetan
Children's Village in Dharamsala, India, and donations totalling $1500
made to these two organisations in 1999. Close contact s with the
Sydney Tibetan community and with Blue Mountains Buddhist groups are an
important source of guest speakers for local meetings, which usually
feature a guest speaker (often Tibetan) and/or video, and up to date
information about Tibet and Tibetan refugees.
During 1999 BMFTG has used its contacts to explore further
means to
offer assistance to Tibetan refugees. The recently opened Tibetan
Emporium at 330 Illawarra Rd, Marrickville, provides traditional
Tibetan hand crafted wares made by Tibetans in India and Nepal, thus
providing direct benefit to those people. Purchases of $1975 by the
local group from the emporium thus represent a significant contribution
to support of Tibetan refugees. The purchase of these beautiful
traditional Tibetan artefacts such as incense burners, wind chimes and
prayer flags and wheels, and more modern articles such as T-shirts with
Tibetan designs embroidered on them is important for the local group.
Many shops in Sydney and the local area sell Tibetan wares that are
obviously plundered from Tibet, another way in which Chinese occupation
leads to the destruction of Tibetan culture.
The group conducts ongoing street stalls in Katoomba and other
activities around the Blue Mountains whenever opportunities present
themselves. The most recent was taking part in a Human Rights Tree
Planting in Springwood in December 1999.
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