Tibetan independence advocates rallied outside Taipei

[patman]

group of Tibetan independence advocates rallied outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday amid preparations for the annual Tibetan Uprising Day march on Sunday.

About 20 people shouted “Free Tibet” as they arrived on bicycles streaming Tibetan flags as part of a weekly cycling trip around downtown Taipei to promote the march.

“We in Taiwan should not do nothing in the face of the continuous stream of protests we see coming out of Tibet,” said Lee Peng-hsuan (李芃萱), a specialist in the East Asian branch of the International Tibet Network.

She compared the abortive March 10, 1959, uprising by Tibetans against Beijing’s rule to the 228 Incident in 1947 against the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration.

The Dalai Lama fled to India following the 1959 rebellion’s suppression, establishing a Tibetan government-in-exile.

“Putting on events around the world to commemorate the Tibetan Uprising is important because the 6 million Tibetans who continue to reside in Tibet have no way to publicize their plight,” Taiwanese Tibetan Welfare Association head Tashi Tsering said.

New Power Party (NPP) Legislator Kawlo Iyun Pacidal, who is an Amis and former Hualien County Council member, compared the cultural, political and environmental damage suffered by Tibetans to the experience of Taiwan’s Aborigines.

“The fact that we are no longer able to protect our rights in this land makes it all the more imperative that we support Tibetans’ freedom and independence,” she said.

NPP Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) called for opening up opportunities for Tibetans to come to Taiwan for work and study, adding that the Tibet Uprising Day march would serve as an opportunity to promote an effort to have the Dalai Lama visit Taiwan again.

“The timing for a Dalai Lama’s visit should be determined by Taiwanese, not China,” he said.

The Dalai Lama has visited several times in the past and Lim invited him to come again when the lawmaker met the Buddhist leader during a trip to India in September last year.

Taiwan Association for Human Rights secretary-general Chiu E-ling (邱伊翎) reiterated calls for the passage of refugee legislation to provide a formal mechanism for the admittance of Tibetan refugees, stating that there are still at least 18 undocumented Tibetan refugees in the nation, even after the passage of special legislation granting residency rights to those who entered the country prior to June last year.



http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2017/03/02/2003665979

 

[bobsm]

As Tsai takes American's orders, the result will be the same as below.

Tibet women's soccer team denied US travel visas
By JOE REEDY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mar 1, 2017, 2:49 AM ET

A Tibet women's soccer team has been denied U.S. visas to participate in a tournament in Dallas.

Cassie Childers, a coach and executive director for Tibet Women's Soccer, said that 16 members of the team were told at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India, that they "have no good reason to visit the U.S.," during their visit on Feb. 24. They were seeking travel visas to participate in the Dallas Cup soccer tournament scheduled to take place April 9-16

Childers, who is from New Jersey, said in an email from India that embassy officials did not glance at the documents nor provide any other reasons or explanations.

All but two of the 16 who visited the embassy hold Indian Identity Certificates, which are issued by the Indian government for Tibetan refugees. They function as passports even though they do not represent citizenship to India. The other two, which includes the head coach, hold Indian passports.

Four players, who live in Nepal and have Nepal passports, had interviews in Kathmandu on Feb. 4. Childers said those cases were put under administrative processing and they have not heard a final decision.

"There is no opportunity for them to defect, and the thought of shaming themselves, their team, and their country in that way sickens them," Childers said. "This is not an anonymous soccer team that no one would notice if they never came back."

A State Department official said they do not discuss the details of individual visa cases. The records are confidential under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The official did say that the U.S. Government's position on Tibet has not changed under the Trump administration and that they recognize Tibet to be part of the People's Republic of China. Tibet is not one of the seven countries affected by the administration's travel ban on Muslim-majority nations.

The team from Tibet participated in a tournament in Germany two years ago without any issues obtaining visas. But Childers has since parted with the Tibetan National Sports Association and runs Tibet Women's Soccer as a registered charity in New Jersey. The latest visa situation may be related to confusion over sanctioning.

"Cassie Childers' team is neither recognized by the TNSA nor by the Tibetan government-in-exile. Even though the players in her team are Tibetan, the team does not officially represent Tibet," TNSA executive secretary Kelsang Dhondup said in a telephone interview. "TNSA is the only sports authority recognized by the Tibetan government and all invitations to our official teams are processed through the relevant TNSA and government authorities. We did not know about the invitation from Dallas."

Childers said the Dallas Cup organizing committee was sponsoring the tour, including flights, accommodations, gear and activities. The team was scheduled to lead the procession during the opening ceremony at the Cotton Bowl, then play three exhibition matches against local teams during the week.

The trip was also scheduled to include sightseeing, visits to Southern Methodist University and local high schools.

In the past, the tournament has staged similar events for an Israeli-Palestinian team, a mixed South African team, a mixed Protestant-Catholic Irish team, and a team from Iraq. Childers said they were set to become the first sports team of any sex to represent Tibet in the United States.

"This is an event of historical proportions for Tibetans throughout the diaspora. This is the biggest opportunity of these young women's lives," Childers said. "It's an even bigger opportunity for the United States to play host to one of the most inspiring teams in the world, who have overcome so much just for the right to kick a ball."


http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/tibet-womens-soccer-team-denied-us-travel-visas-45813075