Tibetans Create "Direct Line to Wen Jiabao"

In New York Wednesday night, Tibetan activists held an activity meant to bring people's voices to the Chinese premier during his visit to the U.S. They wanted him to hear the kinds of comments that are censored in China. Matt Gnaizda has more.

It started September 8. That's when China's state-run People's Daily launched this Internet message board called the Direct Line to Zhongnanhai. It's supposed to allow anyone to send a message or complaint directly to the Chinese leadership—their headquarters being the Zhongnanhai compound in Beijing.

[Tenzin Dorjee, Executive Director, Students for a Free Tibet]:
"It was meant to be publicized as a platform where anyone can send their messages and complaints and concerns to the Chinese leadership. But at the same time, it also came with 26 different kinds of restrictions—content prohibitions."

Prohibitions like: You can't post anything that, quote, "discloses state secrets, subverts state power," or, quote "harms the state's honor or interests." These poorly defined rules could cover almost any negative comment.

[Tenzin Dorjee, Executive Director, Students for a Free Tibet]:
"It's a hypocritical attempt at putting a good face forward to the world."

That's why Students for a Free Tibet organized this event during Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to New York this week.

[Tenzin Dorjee, Executive Director, Students for a Free Tibet]:
"[We're] introducing this thing called 'A Direct Line to Wen Jiabao. What we are saying is the Chinese government's Direct Line to Zhongnanhai is a sham... Let us give you a direct line to Zhongnanhai by giving you a direct line to Wen Jiabao... We are encouraging people to send messages to us through Twitter... Using a projector, we are actually going to project the image of the Twitter page onto a wall that is next to the Waldorf-Astoria, which is the hotel where Wen Jiabao is staying during these three days."

Here are some of the messages they hope Wen will see:

"Allow them to live and practice their religion. Do not persecute them. Free them from prison and torture."

"If this repression continues, people will be driven to repeat another uprising like 2008."

[Tenzin Dorjee, Executive Director, Students for a Free Tibet]:
"We believe that not only the Tibetan people, but the Chinese people, have a right to express their mind, have a right to complain to their government, have a right to speak the truth, and we want to dedicate this effort to taking their voices to the Chinese leadership through the Chinese Premier."

Students for a Free Tibet seeks to end what they say is the Chinese regime's "illegal and brutal" occupation of Tibet since 1949, and end the regime's suppression of Tibetans' culture and religion.

Matt Gnaizda, NTD News, New York.

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[DrPork4freedom]

Yes I wish to complain too...

[MrSonam83]

Thank you guys for being active all the time. i have been following You guys everywhere. just keep fighting. all the best. Free Tibet

[SFTHQ]

Thanks for covering this!