[Rawlist] URGENT ACTION: Support Tibet NOW!

[Orion Trist]

	Dear friends,

Tibetans have exploded onto the streets in frustration--call on China to 
respect human rights and enter dialogue with the Dalai Lama now:
*Sign the Petition!* 
<http://www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_end_the_violence/6.php?cl=62147407>

After decades of repression under Chinese rule, the Tibetan people's 
frustrations have burst onto the streets in protests and riots. With the 
spotlight of the upcoming Olympic Games now on China, *Tibetans are 
crying out to the world for change.*
**

The Chinese government has said that the protesters who have not yet 
surrendered "will be punished". Its *leaders are right now considering a 
crucial choice between escalating brutality or dialogue* that could 
determine the future of Tibet, and China.

*We _can_ affect this historic choice--China _does_ care about its 
international reputation.* China's President Hu Jintao needs to hear 
that the 'Made in China' brand and the upcoming Olympics in Beijing can 
succeed only if he makes the right choice. But it will take an avalanche 
of global people power to get his attention--and we need it in the next 
48 hours. 

The Tibetan Nobel peace prize winner and spiritual leader, *the Dalai 
Lama has called for restraint and dialogue: he needs the world's people 
to support him.* Click below now to *sign the petition*--and tell 
absolutely everyone you can right away--our goal is 1 million voices 
united for Tibet:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_end_the_violence/6.php 
<http://www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_end_the_violence/6.php?cl=62147407>

*China's economy is totally dependent on "Made in China" exports that we 
all buy, and the government is keen to make the Olympics in Beijing this 
summer a celebration of a new China,* respected as a leading world 
power. China is also a very diverse country with a brutal past and has 
reason to be concerned about its stability -- some of Tibet's rioters 
killed innocent people. But President Hu must recognize that the 
greatest danger to Chinese stability and development comes from 
hardliners who advocate escalating repression, not from Tibetans who 
seek dialogue and reform.

We will deliver our petition directly to Chinese officials in London, 
New York, and Beijing, but it must be a massive number before we deliver 
the petition. *Please forward this email to your address book* with a 
note explaining to your friends why this is important, or use our 
tell-a-friend tool to email your address book--it will come up after you 
sign the petition.

The Tibetan people have suffered quietly for decades. It is finally 
their moment to speak--we must help them be heard.

With hope and respect,

Ricken, Iain, Graziela, Paul, Galit, Pascal, Milena, Ben and the whole 
Avaaz team

PS - It has been suggested that the Chinese government may block the 
Avaaz website as a result of this email, and *thousands of Avaaz members 
in China will no longer be able to participate in our community.* A poll 
of Avaaz members over the weekend showed that over 80% of us believed it 
was still important to act on Tibet despite this terrible potential loss 
to our community, if we thought we could make a difference. If we are 
blocked, Avaaz will help maintain the campaign for internet freedom for 
all Chinese people, so that our members in China can one day rejoin our 
community. 

Here are some links with more information on the Tibetan protests and 
the Chinese response:

BBC News: UN Calls for Restraint in Tibet 
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7301912.stm>

Human Rights Watch: China Restrain from Violently Attacking Protesters 
<http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/03/15/china18291.htm>

Associated Press: Tibet Unrest Sparks Global Reaction 
<http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gSSpPcDOPMoAiRLhPUyezuCRiXBQD8VFDD680>

New York Times: China Takes Steps to Thwart Reporting on Tibet Protests 
<http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/18/world/asia/18access.html?ref=world>
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*ABOUT AVAAZ*
Avaaz.org is an independent, not-for-profit global campaigning 
organization that works to ensure that the views and values of the 
world's people inform global decision-making. (Avaaz means "voice" in 
many languages.) Avaaz receives no money from governments or 
corporations, and is staffed by a global team based in London, Rio de 
Janeiro, New York, Paris, Washington DC, and Geneva.

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<http://www.facebook.com/pages/Avaaz/8340223883> and Myspace 
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To contact Avaaz, please *do not reply to this email.* Instead, write to 
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