Tag Archives: Ann Noonan

Ann Noonan’s Speech at the 34th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre in NY

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Ann Noonan                      6-4-2023

 

Event commemorating the 34th anniversary of June 4 in Flushing, New York

Venue: In front of Queens Public Library at Flushing on Main Street and Kissena Blvd

 

(Ann Noonan giving a speech with pastor translating next to her.)

Thank you for inviting me to attend this event today to lend my voice, on behalf of the Committee for US International Broadcasting, in memory of the thousands of students and freedom fighters who tragically lost their lives in the pursuit of democracy in China 34 years ago.

 

In the words of the late Claudia Rosett, who reported from Tiananmen Square in June, 1989: “With this slaughter, China’s communist government has uncloaked itself before the world.”

 

It sure did.

 

The world watched these events unfold on our televisions. We prayed for the students who only wanted the same freedoms and democracy and human rights that we here in the United States enjoy and often take for granted.

 

I invite everyone gathered today and those who have outreach to the US Congress Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party to strengthen and reinforce the mission of the US Agency for Global Media by better funding and utilizing all of the resources available at Voice of America Cantonese, Mandarin and Tibetan Services, as well as Radio Free Asia.

 

This soft diplomatic power can help people in Mainland China, in Hong Kong, in Tibet and in the Xinjiang Province, formerly known as East Timor. We can give people in these various regions of the world hope by supporting democracy and basic human rights, including freedom of speech.

 

This US international soft power, which our taxpayer dollars support, can be extremely effective in preserving the history of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, and keeping hope alive for the Tiananmen Mothers, and for those who survived June 4th.

 

The Committee for US International Broadcasting supports ongoing efforts to prevent China’s government from pressuring and regulating news reports from Voice of America and Radio Free Asia.

 

We are proud of recent efforts to open the world’s only Tiannamen Square Museum here in New York and congratulate its founders.

 

I pray that the memory of June 4 will remain in the hearts and minds of Americans, and that our efforts as a nation will help to address the injustice that we all witnessed.

 

Thank you.

 

CUSIB Statement for Roundtable Discussion with Members of US Congress

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Ann Noonan                                                02-25-2023  ( New York, NY）   

As the Executive Director of the Committee for US International Broadcasting, I would like to thank Members of Congress for participating in today’s round table discussion at Columbia University. Our nonpartisan, not for profit organization supports media freedom and journalists who work in areas of the world that restrict or deny media freedom.

 

USAGM, formerly known as BBG, serves an important role in our nation and our world. The soft power of international media that USAGM has can be extremely effective in China and Hong Kong and needs your immediate help.

 

This sleepy federal agency, which falls under your oversight, needs help ensuring the replacement of staff in Voice of America Cantonese, Tibetan and Mandarin Services. When people retire or leave their jobs, their vacancies take too long to fill. This is partially due to shift in necessary employment background searches that now take place in the President’s Office of Personnel.

 

Radio Free Asia and Voice of America serve two different purposes. RFA helps to report news from nations such as China and Hong Kong that don’t allow media freedom. VOA’s purpose is to share news from America and promote our values and goals. These are vital sources of soft power.

 

CUSIB respectfully implores you, Members of Congress, to prevent budgetary cuts in these VOA Mandarin, Tibetan and Cantonese Services, as well as prevent cuts in Radio Free Asia’s budget.

 

We implore you to require short-wave radio, medium-wave radio, and television services in these agencies to remain active. Please don’t let the bureaucrats eliminate these services. Poor people throughout the world cannot all afford cell phones or computers. Radio frequencies are harder to interfere with and radio listeners can’t be tracked and monitored as easily as internet users.

 

Finally, we have been advised by reputable sources that both VOA China Service and RFA have been effectively pressured by China’s government to censor and regulate news. This needs your prompt investigation. CUSIB’s suggestions to support Radio Free Asia and Voice of America will go a long way to counter and contrast the effort China is attempting on US college campuses.

 

Thank you.

 

Ann Noonan is the executive director of the Committee for US International Broadcasting. Contact info: annnoonan@hotmail.com

Forum on the China “Chained Woman” ——and in Recognition of Zhao, Lanjian for Exploring the Truth

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WRIC                                                                         09-5-2022

 

At the end of January 2022, the “Chained Woman” case broke out in Xuzhou, China. The tragic experience of the “Chained Woman”, such as being abducted and sold, chained all the time, beaten, pulled all the teeth, raped and group-raped, and living a life inferior to livestock has aroused the deep sympathy and concern of hundreds of millions of people. Under the pressure of the public media, the governments of Jiangsu Province and Xuzhou City successively published five investigation reports, and lightly punished the responsible persons and several low-level officials while avoiding the important and high-level officials, and falsely claimed that the “Chained Woman” was Xiao Huamei from Yunnan Province. But Chinese netizens disagreed with the government’s conclusion, pointing out that the five reports were contradictory and full of loopholes.

 

Then Zhao, Lanjian, a reporter, broke through many barriers and found Xiaohuamei’s uncle in Nujiang Village at the southwestern border of China. Having interviewed Xiaohuamei’s uncle, he published the interview video and a written report Xiaohuamei’s Uncle: The Chained Woman Is Not Xiaohuamei, directly refuting the lies of the CCP government with factual evidence. The report immediately became viral, and received tens of millions of views. Then Zhao, Lanjian became the CCP’s target. He received dozens of telephone warnings, harsh questioning and intimidation from the police of five provinces and cities. In August of this year, Zhao, Lanjian successfully came to New York. He has been constantly speaking for the “Chained Woman” and telling his own experience and the truth.

 

Women’s Rights in China, Christian Alliance for Righteousness and other NGOs jointly organize this forum to voice for the countless “Chained Women” in mainland China, and to commend Zhao, Lanjian for his courage to explore the truth without fear of the pressure. We hope that Zhao, Lanjian will join us in the new environment and continue fighting for the rights of the Chinese women and children and social injustice. We cordially invite all with conscience to join us. Let us speak out for the voiceless who are suppressed at the bottom of society!

 

Theme:

Forum on the China “Chained Woman”  ——and in Recognition of Zhao Lanjian for Exploring the  Truth

 

Time/Venue:

September 17th, 2022, 2:00pm–4:00pm Taiwan Center

137-44 Northern Blvd, Flushing, NY 11354

 

Guest Speakers:

-Ann Noonan, Executive Director of Committee for U.S. International Broadcasting

-Ann Lau, Chair of Visual Artists Guild

-Reggie Littlejohn, President of Women’s Rights without Frontiers

-Ilshat H. Kokbore, Director of Uyghur Human Rights Project

-Tsultrim Gyatso, Chinese Liaison Officer at the Office of Tibet Washington DC

-Chen, Pokong, self-media commentator

-Zhou, Fengsuo, President of Humanitarian China

-Zhang, Lin, self-media commentator

-Wang, Juntao, President of China Democracy Party

-Reporter, Zhao, Lanjian (will share his experience and spiritual journey)

 

Presiders:

Zhang, Jing, President of Women’s Rights in China

Shao, Jun, President of Christian Alliance for Righteousness

 

Women’s Rights in China Ten Years Anniversary Forum

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By WRIC                                        September 23,2017

 

             In 2005, a series of pictures of children and elderly cooking and feasting on an infant’s corpse was spread on the internet: a tiny body washed, the serene body laid upon a chopping board with expensive Chinese medicine, an grotesque man next to a small pot placed on the fire…the last picture was the whole family sitting around the table chewing on the meat with the skin, and drinking the soup…experienced journalist Jing Zhang was in great shock. Not long after, she came upon the reports of two girls who had their uterus forcibly removed by Nantong Orphanage. The orphanage supervisor justified his actions by claiming it was a burden to clean up during their menstruation and that it would prevent them from getting pregnant. He said the same practice was common throughout the country. Journalists subsequently uncovered lists of female orphans who had been victimized by the procedure. Jing, working in the media in New York at that time, vowed to fight with all she could for the rights of girls like them in China. After a chance conversation with human rights activist Gao Yu, Jing was inspired in 2007 to found Women’s Rights in China, an NGO devoted to defend the rights of persecuted women and children in China and advocate for their welfare and a more just society.

 

After extensive research, WRIC  found that the cruel, systemic and long-lasting Family Planning Policy was at the root of the disastrous state of women’s rights in China. It has led to widespread gender imbalance, population aging and child trafficking. It has produced in effect the greatest massacre by casualty count in human history. It is therefore, the job of Women’s Rights in China to assist women, children and their families who were in the crosshairs of the government policy, particularly in the Chinese countryside, to fight against forced abortions and human trafficking in the past decade.

 

 

Ann Noonan(Right 2), Executive Director Committee for U.S. International Broadcasting presented WRIC with a commemorative plaque.

 

Writer Eva was speaking.

 

 

Ann Noonan was speaking.

 

Lawyer Teng Biao was speaking.

Yao Cheng was speaking.

Chen Liqun was speaking.

Jing Zhang was speaking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our efforts were worth it!

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Article: WRIC Jing Zhang                             Translator: Cai Shiwen                                       All images from WRIC

 

 

Last Sunday (December 18, 2016) we went to see little Annie Zhang’s piano performance in Carnegie Hall. She only has started playing piano in 2013, and now is competing against peers with 10 years of practicing. She is an intelligent, artistic student with a kind heart. At Carnegie Hall we also met Annie’s elder sister Ruli Zhang. She is an independent, confident and beautiful young woman. Seeing the sisters made us recall what happened three years ago.

 

Those protests day and night in China 2013.

 

In 2013,Our Women’s Rights in China organized the protests in Hefei City, Anhui Province of China. Hundreds of our supporters gathered for two weeks, in support of the daughter of Lin Zhang, Little Annie Zhang, to have the right to go to school. Later, many of us were detained and questioned by Hefei Police. Yao Cheng , Zhou Weilin and Zhang Lin were sentenced to prison because of their participation. In New York I worked closely with  Ann Noonan of CUSIB Executive Director and Reggie Little John of Women’s Rights Without Frontiers founder. With help in and outside of China, little Annie and her sister Ru Li  finally escaped the Communist regime. Reggie adopted Annie and has been providing her with only love and care. Ann and me helped Ru Li when her came to NY. We rescued a teenage genius who was deprived of the basic right to receive education. Zhang Lin, a leading pro-democracy activist who had been tortured by CCP for many years, is now relieved from his greatest concern. We are so proud of little Annie and her growth in the past three years. All our efforts were worth it!

 

Please click the link below to see the scene of our solidarity gatherings in Hefei. Many familiar faces are among the group pictures. At least ten people after helped Anne who suffered severe political persecution, included the founder Xu Zhiyong of New Citizens Movement, and are now still in prison in China.

 

        

Jing Zhang picked up Ruli from JFK airport Sep 11,2013./ Ann Noonan and Ruli Zhang were with WRIC’s members and got together for dinner Sep  13, 2013.

 

            

 

Reggie Littlejohn and her husband with adopted daughters, Ruli and Annie./  Jing Zhang hugged Annie befor watched Annie’s piano performance in Carnegie Hall New York.

 

 

 

 

 

BBG CEO-Designate Andy Lack Meets CUSIB Supporters of U.S. International Media

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                    October 8, 2014

 

Journalist and media executive Andrew Lack, who had been selected by the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) to be the agency’s CEO, met in New York Tuesday with members of the NGO Committee for U.S. International Broadcasting (CUSIB – cusib.org), which advocates for better management and more funding for U.S. international media outreach. The meeting was chaired by CUSIB Executive Director Ann Noonan and included Chinese writer and democracy activist Wei Jingsheng who spent a total of 18 years as a political prisoner in China.

 

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Photo (R-L) Joey Noonan, Jing Zhang, Wei Jingsheng, Ciping Huang, Andy Lack, Ann Noonan, Justin Yu.

 

Andy Lack has been Chairman of the Bloomberg Media Group for the past year. He joined Bloomberg in October 2008 as CEO of its Global Media Group. Prior to joining Bloomberg, Lack was Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment. A BBG press release noted Lack’s strong journalistic credentials in addition to his accomplishments as a media executive.

“Before joining Sony Music Entertainment, he was president and chief operating officer of NBC, where he oversaw entertainment, news (including MSNBC and CNBC), NBC stations, sales and broadcast and network operations. He was responsible for expanding the Today show to three hours and creating the show’s street-side studio in New York’s Rockefeller Center. From 1993 to 2001, Lack was president of NBC News, which he transformed into America’s most-watched news organization through NBC Nightly News, Meet the Press, Today and Dateline NBC. Before going to NBC, Lack spent much of his television career at CBS News. After joining in 1976, within a year, he became a prominent producer for 60 Minutes and subsequently, senior executive producer of CBS Reports. Lack’s broadcasts at CBS earned numerous honors, including 16 Emmy Awards and 4 Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Journalism Awards.”

The New York meeting with Andy Lack was organized by CUSIB Executive Director Ann Noonan. She co-founded the organization in 2011 to successfully oppose the previous BBG Board’s decision to cut all Voice of America radio and satellite television broadcasts to China and later VOA radio broadcasts to Tibet. CUSIB member, Justin Yu, the former President of the New York Chinese Journalists Association and the Chair of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of New York, hosted the meeting.

Wei Jingsheng and some of the other participants at the New York meeting on Tuesday shared with Andy Lack their experiences of living under authoritarian regimes and their views on the importance of U.S. international media outreach for those who are denied freedom of expression and access to uncensored news. Wei Jingsheng authored the essay, “Fifth Modernization,” which was posted on the “Democracy Wall” in Beijing in 1978. He was deported to the United States in 1997. He was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award in 1996, the National Endowment for Democracy Award in 1997, the Olof Palme Memorial Prize in 1994, and the International Activist Award by the Gleitsman Foundation.

Wei Jingsheng spoke about his meeting with John Kerry 20 years ago. He stressed the need for all forms of media in China – including shortwave and medium wave radio. He stressed how poor people and people in the countryside cannot afford cell phones or internet.

Jing Zhang presented Andy with a newly published book, “The Orphans of Shao.” The book was published by Women’s Rights in China.

CUSIB Executive Director Ann Noonan said that her organization is primarily interested in management reforms to improve the work of BBG journalists providing uncensored news to some of the least privileged and the most oppressed individuals, groups and societies. These media programs are a lifeline to people who are still in China and in other countries without free media, Noonan said.

CUSIB members include former political prisoners, such as journalist and human rights activist Jing Zhang, president of Women’s Rights in China, who had suffered five years in prison for her belief in freedom and democracy, and Harry Wu, founder of the Laogai Research Foundation, who had spent 19 years as a political prisoner toiling in the factories, mines, and fields of the Chinese Laogai forced labor camp system. Ann Noonan presented Andy Lack with Harry Wu’s book, “Laogai.” CUSIB also has among its Advisory Board members former BBG Governors, including Victor Ashe who was U.S. Ambassador to Poland and served as mayor of Knoxville, TN. CUSIB members also include current and former leaders of BBG employee unions.

CUSIB Director Ted Lipien, journalist, writer and former Voice of America acting associate director, who participated in the meeting with Andy Lack by phone from California, said that CUSIB sees all three provisions of the VOA Charter as “equally important” and as the best guide for Voice of America’s mission. He explained that the third provision of the VOA Charter does not call for promoting U.S. foreign policy, but it does require VOA to report on U.S. foreign policy and on any significant views in support and in opposition to these policies. He also stressed the importance of cultivating strong support for U.S. international media among members of Congress and constituent groups and organizations advocating for media freedom abroad. Lipien noted that the BBG has primarily a public mission rather than a commercial one.

Ann Noonan talked about the need for better treatment of BBG journalists and the importance of keeping radio for those audiences that have no access to other media platforms, can’t afford them, or can’t use them without the risk of being monitored by repressive governments. She noted the continued plight of Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB) journalists whom judges found to have been illegally fired by the management and who have still not been reinstated despite legal orders.

While advocating for management reforms, better treatment of journalists and more resources for those who produce programs, CUSIB does not suggest news coverage or program content decisions, a CUSIB member told BBG Watch, but the organization calls for accuracy and objectivity. Some CUSIB members helped to launch BBG Watch, which serves as a watchdog outlet, but the website is run by volunteers and has no official connection with CUSIB.

CUSIB believes that management reforms would result in better journalism at the BBG and in savings that could pay for more programs and more program delivery platforms, including radio, television, Internet, social media, and mobile phones.

Noonan and Lipien described to Andy Lack the tremendous growth in bureaucratic positions within the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) and the Voice of America in the last few several years while numerous programs and journalistic jobs were being cut. They talked about the current disconnect between the central federal bureaucracy in Washington and BBG entities, particularly the surrogate ones, and their audiences. They argued for more independence and more resources for BBG media outlets and their journalists. They also mentioned dismal employee morale among the federal entities of the BBG.

CUSIB members told BBG Watch that it is difficult to ask Congress for more money for the BBG while the agency is badly managed, but they also said that more funding from Congress is needed to make it truly successful under a new and improved management, which they hope Andy Lack will provide.

According to some of the participants in the meeting with Andy Lack, he made an excellent impression, appearing highly engaged, asking numerous questions, and expressing strong support for the mission of U.S. international media.

Andy Lack is not expected to take up his position at the BBG until all the administrative procedures are completed, which may include some of the legislative changes proposed in the bipartisan H.R. 4490 bill still pending in the U.S. Senate. Sources told BBG Watch that it may be several weeks before Andy Lack arrives at the BBG headquarters in Washington, DC to assume his new job as CEO.

 

 

WRIC Held an Event in NYC “Hold on Liu Xia”

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WRIC report / video                                        03-18-2014

 

 

Every March is Women’s History Month in the United States.

During this year’s Women’s History Month, the American NGO organization Women’s Rights in China co-hosted a solidarity event for Liu Xiaobo’s wife, Liu Xia, at the Museum of Tolerance in New York City on March 18 with the Committee for U.S. International Broadcasting, the Visual Artists Guild NYC.

Libby Liu, director of Radio Free Asia, Jing Zhang, founder and director of WRIC, and Ann Noonan, executive director of the CUSIB, attended the meeting and delivered speeches. They collectively appeal to the Chinese government to return Liu Xia to freedom as soon as possible.

Liu Xia, 53, is the wife of Chinese dissident and Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo. In 2008, Liu Xiaobo was arrested by the Chinese authorities for drafting “Charter 08”. In December 2009, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison for inciting subversion of state power. After Liu Xiaobo won the award, Liu Xia has been under house arrest by the Chinese government for nearly three years. Jing Zhang said , “Liu Xia has become a symbol of silent resistance to power, and we stand with her.

 

 

 

 

HOLD ON, LIU XIA Event News Release March 18, 2014

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HOLD ON, LIU XIA Event

Tuesday, March 18, 2014 from 3:00-5:00pm
Museum of Tolerance located at 226 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017
During Women’s History Month, we celebrate the lives of women who have made outstanding contributions to the global Advancement of Women.  Even more, we are concerned about women who are mentally and physically tortured under authoritarian governments.

Liu Xia, a women of conviction, has been under arbitrary house arrest for three years under orders from China’s government, solely due to the fact that her husband was the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. Her health is deteriorating day by day as she suffers political persecution and human rights abuses under China’s Regime.

Women’s Rights in China, the Committee for U.S. International Broadcasting, the Visual Artists Guild’s New York Chapter, and civil NGO’s in China and in the United States of America are organizing “Support  Liu Xia” to raise concerns for Liu Xia at a special event at the Museum of Tolerance New York City.  This event will include a video, photography slide show, and poetry readings.

Organizers and participants hope to raise international attention and gain public support for Liu Xia through this open and free discussion, so Liu Xia can break free from China’s brutal regime and be allowed to live with dignity and basic human rights to which all women and all members of the human family are entitled.

 For further information, please contact :
Jing Zhang, Executive Director of Women’s Rights in China
 Email: wrchina2007@gmail.com
Ann Noonan, Executive Director of Committee for US International  Broadcasting,
Email:annnnoonan@hotmail.com
Peggy Chane, President of Visual Artists Guild New York Chapter
 Email: chane@cpcentertainment.com

Please see original post at: https://crchina.live-website.com/index.php/page/4470

CUSIB Executive Director Ann Noonan Speaks at BBG Meeting

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WRIC Dec 19, 2013

CUSIB Executive Director Ann Noonan spoke at the BBG meeting as a member of the public and noted some of the areas of CUSIB’s past and current concerns with the management of IBB and the Voice of America (VOA). They include continuing news handling problems and poor employee morale at VOA and still unresolved cases of Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB) employees who were dismissed or RIFed.

Statement by CUSIB Executive Director Ann Noonan

BBG Meeting
December 18, 2013
Washington, DC

“I’d like to be sure that everyone here knows that CUSIB is a non-partisan organization that came about at the request of people who work on matters involving journalism for media freedom and human rights. All of our work is done on a volunteer basis. We have no budget — so we are beholding to nobody.
I’d like to share CUSIB’s Christmas wish list of 8 things we hope will happen in the spirit of peace on earth and good will to all:

1. For the BBG to fully fund and not hinder Voice of America’s Cantonese, Mandarin and Tibetan services — especially radio broadcast services. These vital broadcasts provide desperately needed information for people who are being crushed out of existence in Tibet and China by China’s government. These broadcasts are cheap, they help poor people receive news, and unlike the internet or satellite television dishes — they cannot be monitored. We implore the IBB to stop its efforts to effectively shut down the Voice of America broadcasts to China by insisting it transition to Internet only.

2. For Radio Free Asia — to continue to keep the world apprised about the case of Chinese dissident Zhang Lin, whose trial began today and whose daughters, Anni and RuLi now live in California with CUSIB Board Member Reggie Littlejohn.

3. For VOA to remain fully funded, and for the BBG Governors to break the bureaucratic resistance at VOA and carry out immediate management reforms both at VOA and at IBB. We applaud BBG for the change of management at RFE/RL. We applaud CEO Kevin Klose for his efforts to restore high journalistic standards to RFE/RL and for his outstanding coverage of events in Ukraine. We also applaud VOA Ukrainian Service for its outstanding coverage. But VOA as an organization and VOA’s central newsroom continue to fail. VOA English media’s coverage of Vice President Biden and US Senator McCain were especially deficient. There are personnel changes that need to be made immediately. Experienced journalists with managerial experience should be hired to fulfill VOA’s mission to bring news, information and opinions for worldwide audiences — this includes reporting on U.S. foreign policy.

4. For the BBG to resolve its lawsuits that were brought against RFE/RL by its discriminated foreign employees in Prague. We also appeal to BBG and to Kevin Klose to rehire women journalists who were fired by the previous management from the RFE/RL Kazakh Service after they objected to offensive and inappropriate program content.

5. For the BBG to resolve the lawsuits that were brought by illegally fired RIF’ed employees who worked for the Office of Cuba Broadcasting. Let these people be reinstated. Their stories demonstrate tremendous injustice by IBB executives.

6. For the IBB to revise its December 16th press release that boasts research showing a growth in their audience. We consider this particular press release to be to be highly deceptive. The BBG has lost audiences in the Middle East and in other critical regions for the United States, and that needs to be addressed. Most of the reported gain appears to be in Latin America, where IBB probably counted an already existing audience.

7. For the BBG Governors to realize the value and independence of surrogate broadcasters. We need them to continue to coexist with VOA, which needs to be reformed to fulfill its own news mission and to start serious reporting of U.S. news and opinions.

8. For the BBG to send CUSIB the documents that we asked for on September 19, 2013 in two Freedom of Information requests. We expect that any of the information that may be redacted in these US government documents will have be done for genuine legal cause, and not because the information turns out to be embarrassing to any current or former IBB employees.

Thank you, and may you all have a blessed Christmas.”

WRIC Memorial for Tibetan and Han Self-immolation’s Protests on Human Rights Day

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    By YANG YU, Women’s Rights in China                         12-12-2012

Sponsored by Women’s Rights in China and joined by several activism organizations, the New York Memorial for Tibetan and Han self-immolation protests was held on Dec. 11, 2012, to show the concern for those dead and wounded Tibetan and Han people for defending human rights, and to pay last respect to all who sacrificed their lives. At the opening of the memorial, all participants stood in silence to pay last respect for the dead rights defenders and to express condolences to their families. The participants urged to make the crisis of self-immolations an international issue and enjoined the new leadership of the Chinese Communist Party to squarely face the important issue, to adopt policies that defend the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations and that show its respect and kindness to Tibetans and all ethnic groups. The participants also demanded that the Chinese government treat the two Nobel laureates with fairness, by freeing Liu Xiaobo and welcoming Dalai Lama.

Tenzin Dolkar, USA Grassroots Director of Student Free Tibet, with Mr. Yu Yang interpreting into Chinese, said that in the past 3 years, at least 95 Tibetans died from self-immolation, including monks, nuns, peasants, young students, and mothers, representing various societal classes in Tibet. “All they request are two things: freeing Tibet and allow Dalai Lama return to his homeland.” Tenzin Dolkar indicated that during the 60 years when the CCP controls the Tibetan area, there have been basically three modes of domination, i.e., military rule, colonial policies, and fear and intimidation. She supported the claim with numbers: the CCP deploys 500,000 police in the Tibetan area, making police to Tibetan people ratio 1:6 (assuming a Tibetan population of 3,000,000). In Ngawa of Sichuan province, the heart of the wave of self-immolations of ethnic Tibetans, 3oo monks in a temple went missing after being transported away by military trucks. The local Tibetans’ collective protest against troop’s persecution of young monks also faced military suppression.

Ann Noonan, Executive Director of Committee for U.S. International Broadcasting, stated that China’s reaction to the self-immolations exposed the true face of the regime – flooding Tibetan streets with troops, arresting protester staging peaceful gatherings, and banning tourists and journalists from Tibet, knowing that their reaction in unjustified. She said, the Chinese government is held responsible for the anti-humanitarian incidents all over Tibet and must allow independent investigators and journalists to report in the Tibetan area.

Peggy Chan, President of Visual Artists Guild of NY gave a speech on supporting Tibetan and Chinese Han who have self-immolated for sake of their basic rights.

Jeremy Taylor, Executive Director of Free Burma Alliance, said that in the past year, there were 180,000 disputes between the government and its people over land acquisition. Many Han people, like Tibetans, set themselves on fire as a means of protest; some would resort to local U.S. consulate or embassy for relief, while Tibetans don’t even have such access.

Former Tian’anmen Movement leader, Wu’erkaixi said, “What is currently absent and needed in China is conscience and wakening of conscience. Witnessing these self-immolations without any reactions from China is a proof of lack of conscience. It is indifference.”

NYS Senator Rev. Ruben Diaz also submitted his statement, which was read by the president of U.S. Visual Artists Association. He expressed his puzzlement and rage of CCP’s anti-humanitarian treatment of the Tibetan people. He once met His Holiness the Dalai Lama and understood Tibetan people’s yearning for peace while the CCP’s denigrating the image of the Dalai Lama. Due to persecution of the Chinese government, there have been more than 94 ethnic Tibetan self-immolation protests. He also mentioned three examples of non-violent protesters, Gandhi from India, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement, and the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc who set himself on fire in 1963. He stood in Solidarity with Tibet and prayed that China’s government would defend the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations and give freedom to its people.

Zhang Jing, Director of Women’s Rights in China, indicated that the self-immolation protests were the most tragic rights defending incidents among all of both Tibetan and other ethnic groups in China in recent years. This is not only a political economic problem between governments and states, but also a universal value issue of human rights. The protests were the last resort the people chose after a prolonged combat against authoritarianism and corruption. They chose to sacrifice their lives in an attempt to awaken the government and officials’ conscience, after repetitive failure of communication with them.

At closing of the meeting, about 50 participants read “Song for Human Rights Fighters” with candles in their hands, hoping to light up the darkness in China with freedom and democracy.

 People in silence to remember the dead on this day.