Special Peace Vigil For Tibet


Hello!

What follows is a complement to the current Meditation Focus #183: Co-Creating The Future of Our Choice archived at http://www.EarthRainbowNetwork.com/FocusArchives/MeditationFocus183.htm

Please help NETWORK this call for a Special Peace Vigil For Tibet to as many people as possible.

Jean Hudon
Focus Group Facilitator
http://www.earthrainbownetwork.com/FocusArchives/home.htm

P.S. Make sure to verify your local meditation time through THIS LINK for the globally synchronized meditation this Sunday, as many countries on Earth have now changed to Daylight Saving time locally.


SPECIAL PEACE VIGIL FOR TIBET

1. Summary
2. More information related to this Special Peace Vigil For Tibet
3. Solar Wave Meditation for the Equinox on March 21st from 13:20 to 13:52 at Your Local Sidereal Time.

This Special Peace Vigil For Tibet is archived at http://www.earthrainbownetwork.com/FocusArchives/VigilTibet.htm

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Also recommended to your attention:

The Cornucopia Series #8: From the Ecstatic to the Somber and Back (Posted March 13, 2008)
http://www.earthrainbownetwork.com/Archives2008/Cornucopia8.htm



1. SUMMARY

As a complement to the current Meditation Focus #183: Co-Creating The Future of Our Choice, you are invited to dedicate a part of your meditations over the coming 2 weeks to assist in fostering a positive, peaceful outcome to the current unrest in Tibet, so that both the international community and all people involved in Tibet and China in this crisis seek and implement non-violent, constructive means to reach out to the higher ground of an open-hearted dialogue so as to bring about a peaceful, long-term resolution to the long-simmering conflict resulting from 49 years of occupation of Tibet by Chinese armed forces. Both Chinese and Tibetan people have a unique opportunity to show the world how to co-create of better future for all human beings through loving compassion, respectful care for the other's concerns, as well as forgiveness and Love, and we can all assist them to get through this situation with flying colors and thus set the stage for even more Light-filled choices in the coming weeks, months and years as we approach the critical threshold jump-point into a new unprecedented era of global Peace, Love and Harmony on Earth and beyond.

It is in all of us to be wise...



2. MORE INFORMATION RELATED TO THIS SPECIAL PEACE VIGIL FOR TIBET

CONTENT

1. Tibet protests continue after day of violence
2. Dozens killed in Tibetan protests
3. Background - Q&A: Tibet and China
4. Olympic year gives nationalists chance to intensify campaign

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Also recommended...

Beijing sends in tanks as Tibet erupts (March 16 2008) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/16/tibet.china
Protesters claim more than 100 killed as violence spreads amidst mounting international protests

Tibetan Exiles Go On Hunger Strike
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/031308S.shtml
The Associated Press: "More than 100 Tibetan exiles began a hunger strike Thursday after police in northern India dragged them away from a six-month march to their homeland to protest China's hosting of the Olympic Games."

In pictures: Tibet protests
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2008/mar/14/1?picture=332974845

Eyewitness account of Lhasa violence (March 14, 2008)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/14/tibet.china4
A western tourist in Tibet describes the moment violence erupted in Lhasa

Exile Group Says 30 Killed in Tibet
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/031508A.shtml
Audra Ang, writing for The Associated Press, reports: "China ordered tourists out of Tibet's capital Saturday while troops on foot and in armored vehicles patrolled the streets and confined government workers to their offices, a day after riots that a Tibetan exile group said left at least 30 protesters dead."

Tibet govt-in-exile says 30 dead in unrest (March 15, 2008)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080315/ts_afp/chinaunresttibetrights_13
BEIJING (AFP) - Tibet's exiled government said Saturday that about 30 people had been killed during unrest in Lhasa, as Chinese troops locked down the city amid fierce international scrutiny ahead of the Olympics. (...) Tibet has taken on greater importance in the run-up to the Olympics in August, which the country's leaders hope will be a chance to show off China's rapid transformation into a modern economic power to the rest of the world. Tibetan rights groups have vowed to pile intense pressure on Beijing over its rule of the region ahead of the Games, and any perceived rights abuses now would prove unwelcome news for the Chinese leadership. The protests are the biggest since 1989, when Chinese President Hu Jintao -- who was on Saturday given a second five-year term -- was the Communist Party chief of Tibet. Hollywood star Richard Gere, one of many Western celebrities who have been vocal in their support for the Tibetan cause, called for a boycott of the Olympics if the Chinese leadership mishandled the situation. "It would be unconscionable if we continued as if things are hunky dory and everyone's happy," he told BBC radio. CLIP

IOC: Don't boycott Olympics over Tibet (March 15, 2008)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080315/ap_on_sp_ol/ioc_tibet_4
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge poured cold water Saturday on calls for a boycott of the Summer Games in Beijing over China's crackdown in Tibet, saying it would only hurt athletes. "We believe that the boycott doesn't solve anything," Rogge told reporters on this Caribbean island. "On the contrary, it is penalizing innocent athletes and it is stopping the organization from something that definitely is worthwhile organizing." Demonstrations against Chinese rule in Tibet on Friday — the most violent riots there in nearly two decades — left at least 30 protesters dead, according to a Tibetan exile group. China ordered tourists out of Tibet's capital and troops patrolled the streets on Saturday. On a six-day tour of the Caribbean, Rogge expressed condolences for the victims and said he hopes calm will be restored immediately. He declined to say whether the committee would change its stance if violence continues or more people are killed. "The International Olympic Committee has consistently resisted calls for a boycott of the Olympic games," Rogge said. He declined to comment further on Tibet during a brief news conference. IOC Vice President Thomas Bach said the committee will speak with China about human rights and condemned the crackdown, saying "every use of violence is a step backwards."But "a boycott would be the wrong way because that will cut lines of communication," he added.The committee issued a statement calling for an end to the violence. "The IOC shares the world's desire for a peaceful resolution to the tensions of past days in the Tibetan region of China," it said. "We hope that calm can return to the region as quickly as possible."

Torch still going to Tibet, organizers say (March 15, 2008)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080315/sp_nm/olympics_tibet_dc_1
BEIJING (Reuters) - Current unrest in Tibet will not affect plans to take the Olympic torch in a few weeks time through the remote mountainous region on its way to Beijing, a spokesman for the Games organizers said on Saturday.

Full coverage on Tibet
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/tibet

News media articles on Tibet
http://news.search.yahoo.com/news/search?p=Tibet&c=



1.

From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/15/wtibet615.xml

Tibet protests continue after day of violence

By David Eimer in Beijing and Natalie Paris

15/03/2008

Chinese authorities have given Tibetan demonstrators until Monday to surrender after at least ten people were killed in the largest and most violent protests against Chinese rule in Tibet for 20 years.

As Tibetan protestors continued to attack businesses and shops owned by members of the ethnic Han group in the heart of Lhasa, the Chinese army attempted to shut down the city.

"The plot of the separatists will fail," the head of Tibet's government warned as sympathy protests broke out around the world and the region's main exile group, based in the north Indian town of Dharmsala, claimed there had been 30 confirmed deaths and over 100 unconfirmed deaths.

Despite reports that Beijing was holding back from cracking down harshly on the protests for fear of damaging China's image just weeks before the Olympic Torch arrives in Tibet for its controversial passage through the region, there were unconfirmed reports that hundreds of student protestors had been arrested.
As smoke from burning buildings rose above the ancient city, eyewitnesses reported that soldiers from the PLA, the Chinese armed forces, had replaced police on the streets and formed a cordon around the Barkhor area, the old quarter of Lhasa, to prevent people from entering and leaving.

But groups of a few dozen protestors were darting in and out of the hundreds of alleys that run through the area, setting fire to Chinese-owned shops, businesses and cars.

"Pretty much everything that can be destroyed has been destroyed," an eyewitness told The Sunday Telegraph.

With monasteries surrounded by army and police, most of the protestors were ordinary Tibetans venting their anger at the Han Chinese, the country's ethnic majority group but a minority in Tibet.

Tibetan-owned shops and businesses were untouched by the violence.

The protests, which have been going on since Monday, turned violent on Friday afternoon when scores of people clashed with police outside the Ramoche Monsastery in downtown Lhasa after two monks were allegedly beaten by police.

Stones, bricks and, according to Chinese reports, knives were used against the police. Unconfirmed reports said two policemen had died.

Rumours that a group of monks had been shot outside the Jokhang Temple, the spiritual heart of Tibet, further fuelled the demonstrators' anger.

A virtual curfew was in place in downtown Lhasa. "We've been told to stay inside," a Tibetan hotel worker told The Sunday Telegraph. The airport was closed and tourists were being turned back.

Mobile phone coverage was being disrupted, while internet access to foreign newspaper coverage of the protests and all Tibet-related websites were blocked.

Thousands of troops were reported to be on their way to Tibet and to the neighbouring provinces of Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu, which are home to three million Tibetans.

The protests have been timed to coincide with the 49th anniversary of the Chinese invasion of Tibet on March 10, 1950, as well as the annual meeting of the National People's Congress.

There were unconfirmed reports that low-level Tibetan officials, unhappy at the re-election of Tibet's long-standing representative to the Congress, had joined the protests.

The Chinese authorities set a surrender deadline of Monday midnight for protestors to turn themselves in. Rewards and protection were being offered to potential informants.

In India, dozens of protesters, many of them Buddhist monks, launched a new march to Tibet today, days after more than 100 Tibetan exiles were arrested by authorities during a similar rally.

A group of 50 exiles were arrested in New Delhi after trying to storm the Chinese embassy in the Indian capital for the second day running.

Meanwhile, pro-Tibet protesters in Australia clashed with police outside the Chinese consulate in Sydney.
China's Xinhua news agency issued an unverified report that said ten "innocent civilians" burnt to death in fires but that no foreigners were harmed.

World leaders turned the spotlight on Beijing, where President Hu Jintao has been re-elected to a second five-year term and will immediately be faced with the challenge of restoring order in a way that does not further tarnish the country's reputation in the lead-up to the Olympic Games.

Britain, the US and the EU all appealed for restraint, while the Dalai Lama, speaking from his seat of exile in Dharmsala, described the clashes as a "manifestation of the deep-rooted resentment of the Tibetan people".
"I therefore appeal to the Chinese leadership to stop using force and address the long-simmering resentment of the Tibetan people through dialogue with the Tibetan people," he said.



2.

From: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/15/tibet.china3

Dozens killed in Tibetan protests

Amelia Hill and agencies

Saturday March 15 2008

Chinese riot police in Xiahe, where hundreds of Tibetans demonstrated on Friday. Photo: Andy Wong/AP

Police have fired teargas to disperse Buddhist monks and others staging a second day of protests in sympathy with anti-Chinese demonstrations in Lhasa that has left at least 30 dead. Unconfirmed reports say the figure is closer to 130.

Several hundred monks marched out of the historic Labrang monastery and into the town of Xiahe this morning, gathering other Tibetans with them as they went. Teargas was fired after the crowd, described as the largest demonstrations in Tibet for 20 years, attacked government buildings and smashed windows in the county police headquarters. A London-based Tibetan activist group, the Free Tibet Campaign, citing unidentified sources in Xiahe, said 20 people were arrested.

Tibetans exiled in the UK will hold a vigil tonight in protest at the increasing violence in their homeland. Campaigners have called on British ministers to speak out over human rights conditions in Tibet, contrasting their attitude now with that of last year when violence erupted in Burma.

The protests began on Monday to coincide with the 49th anniversary of the 1959 uprising against Chinese rule. They were initially led by Buddhist monks but have since escalated to include large numbers of ordinary Tibetans and have spread beyond Lhasa.

The protesters are complaining of heavy-handed rule from Beijing and a massive influx of Chinese migrants to the region. Tibet's Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, has called the protests a "manifestation of the deep-rooted resentment of the Tibetan people".

The authorities in Tibet have given demonstrators until tomorrow to end their protest and turn themselves in.

At 7pm tonight, around 100 Tibetans living in Britain are due to hold a prayer vigil in London. Among those attending the event will be former political prisoners now living in exile.

Ngawang Sangdrol, a Buddhist nun, was sentenced to 23 years in prison for her beliefs. In 2001 she was released after 11 years confinement. Now living in the US, she is in Britain to attend a reunion of political prisoners. "I am very worried about the situation. I was in prison for 11 years and I know how the Chinese government treat people," she said.

"We have no human rights there, governments around the world should speak out. It is about people's lives, not business. People are fighting for freedom and the truth."

Matt Whitticase, spokesman for the Free Tibet Campaign in the UK, said: "The situation really has worsened. There are very serious ongoing clashes between security forces and Tibetans.

"The British government must now pull its head out of the sand. The government must make very strong representations to China. Up to now the government's silence has only emboldened China to act with impunity."

Whitticase contrasted the government's position towards the situation in Tibet with that towards Burma. "Gordon Brown posed as a massive champion of human rights last year over Burma. While human rights with Burmese monks were quite rightly defended, it seems not so imperative when it comes to Tibet," he said.

Speaking yesterday in Brussels, Brown said: "We are very concerned about what is happening in Tibet. We have asked for more information about what is going on and we will keep this matter under review."

The foreign secretary, David Miliband, added: "I think there are probably two important messages to go out. One is the need for restraint on all sides, but secondly that substantive dialogue is the only way forward. We obviously see that there are real strains there but they need to be addressed in a way that balances restraint and dialogue."



3.

From: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/14/tibet.china2

Background - Q&A: Tibet and China

Allegra Stratton - guardian.co.uk, Friday March 14 2008

Who runs Tibet?

Tibet declared itself independent of China at the beginning of the 20th century and it wasn't until 1950 that China reasserted itself by invading eastern Tibet. A year later, the two countries signed the "Seventeen Point Agreement" guaranteeing Tibetan autonomy and freedom to practice Buddhism, but agreeing to the establishment of Chinese civil and military headquarters in the capital, Lhasa. Tibetans wrestled with this and in 1959 a full scale rebellion resulted in thousands killed and the Dalai Lama exiled to India. It is the anniversary of this rebellion that the current protests against China are marking. Despite the Chinese government establishing the Tibetan Autonomous Region in 1965, over the years, Tibetan monks felt China wasn't fulfilling its side of the Seventeen Point Agreement and there were repeated revolts. The most serious of these was in 1988, after which China imposed martial law. Though Tibet is called an "autonomous" region, Tibetans see the Chinese to be in control.

What historical claim does China have on Tibet?

Though it wasn't till 1950 that Chairman Mao's troops actually invaded, China regards Tibet to have been a part of its land since the Mongol dynasty extended into the Himalayan region some 700 years ago. This was formalised in the 18th and 19th centuries when Tibet was made a protectorate of China. Tibet achieved autonomy of sorts when it unilaterally declared independence in 1913.

How has China run Tibet?

After the invasion of the late 1950s there was large scale relocation of Han Chinese to Tibet and the rolling out of the 60s and 70s Chinese Cultural Revolution to Tibet saw monasteries and cultural artifacts destroyed. Though the Chinese government allowed "Open Door" reforms in the mid 80s with the aim of boosting investment, Tibetan monks still felt the Chinese stranglehold was too strong. In the last two years, a railway link has been opened up between Lhasa and the Chinese city of Golmud, which Tibetans fear will simply result in increased numbers of Han Chinese arriving.

What role does the Dalai Lama play in Tibet?

The Dalai Lama was made head of state at the age of 15 in the year China invaded the east of Tibet. Within a year, he was negotiating the "Seventeen Point Agreement" and at the age of 19 he was in Beijing unsuccessfully negotiating with Chairman Mao for a relaxing of Chinese involvement in the territory. Final bloody rebellion against the Chinese in 1959 left thousands dead and the Dalai Lama exiled to Dharamsala in India.

From Dharamsala, the Dalai Lama continued to work for genuine self rule in Tibet, receiving the Nobel peace prize for his efforts in 1989. Though his negotiations faltered in 1993, they were resumed in 2002. For his part, the Dalai Lama has said that he has given up the idea of actual independence for the territory but instead hopes for Tibet to be given cultural autonomy, leaving the central government in Beijing in charge.



4.

From: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/15/tibet.china

Olympic year gives nationalists chance to intensify campaign

Jonathan Watts in Beijing

Saturday March 15 2008

For President Hu Jintao the violent clashes that rocked Lhasa yesterday must bring on a feeling of deja vu. The last time Tibet's capital experienced such turmoil, in 1989, Hu was general secretary of the Tibetan communist party - the most powerful politician in the region.

Then, as now, security forces and Tibetan protesters clashed outside the Jokhang, the holiest Tibetan temple, rioters burned police cars outside the Potala palace and troops surrounded monasteries.

But it is the differences that may be more relevant in understanding why the protests are taking place today and how Hu might respond.

In 1989 the eyes of the world were distracted. It was a year of protest in which the Berlin Wall fell and the Tiananmen Square massacre occurred. The clashes in Tibet were a small part of what seemed - in the west - a bigger, global story.

Today the eyes of the world are on China. The Olympic games are focusing attention on a country whose economic and diplomatic power have made it more important than ever before.

For the Communist party, the games are an opportunity to show its success in lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty. For critics, it is a chance to bring human rights abuses, authoritarian rule and unfair treatment of minorities into the international spotlight.

Tibet is torn, more than anywhere else, by the country's development, which has brought Hu's concept of "scientific development" into one of the most spiritually rich, but materially backward places on Earth. Beijing has pumped tens of billions of yuan into the region, building Tibet's first railway, and other big infrastructure projects, which have helped the region's economy grow by 13.8% last year, faster than most other areas of China.

But Tibetan nationalists feel they are losing their identity. The benefits of investment, they say, go mostly to Han Chinese settlers rather than the indigenous population. For them, the railway to Beijing has accelerated the influx of outsiders.

The anger was all too apparent yesterday in the attacks on Han Chinese. Several witnesses reported mobs beating any Chinese they found. At least one Han-owned shop was burned and the windows of many buildings smashed.

It is unclear whether the violence was premeditated, but the timing, coordination and boldness of the initial demonstrations suggested they were more clearly planned than in 1989.

The first protests in Lhasa and other Tibetan communities around the world occurred on the anniversary of the failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule which forced Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, to flee into exile in India.

"This is a date pregnant with significance for Tibetans," said Matt Whitticase of the Free Tibet Campaign. "Given that the protests started on that date in this particular year, you have to assume that Tibetans picked it to mark the start of protests up to the Olympics."

So who is behind the latest trouble? China has no doubt, blaming the "Dalai clique" for attempting to destabilise the region. The Dalai Lama's spokesman said allegations that he was behind the protests were baseless. But he has so far done nothing to stop the demonstrations, which are growing more intense.

The 72-year-old certainly has the means to stir up protest. After nearly 50 years in exile, he is still venerated in Tibet. Although any sign of support for the Dalai Lama is illegal, locals ask tourists for pictures and some Tibetan temples in Yunnan, Sichuan and Qinghai display his photograph. His authority was evident last year when Tibetans staged mass "fur-burning" demonstrations after he spoke out against the slaughter of endangered animals for their pelts. China responded by ordering newscasters on local TV to wear fur.

Although his mantra is one of compassion and peace, the Dalai Lama is surrounded by frustration. Five years of talks between his envoys and those of Beijing have made no tangible progress. China says he is a "splittist" with a secret agenda of independence.

Many Tibetan supporters feel the talks are aimed at stringing the Dalai Lama along until he dies, after which Beijing can replace him with a lama of their choosing as they have already done with the Panchen Lama - the second highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism.

In the past year, there has been a noticeable escalation of verbal hostilities. Beijing has stepped up its rhetoric, accusing the Dalai Lama of being a feudal, superstitious figure. He has responded with plans for a referendum among Tibetans to choose his reincarnation - a dramatic change from the usually esoteric process of selection.

Earlier this year, he appeared to go a step further in a television interview, where he said peaceful protest was "worthwhile" in advance of the Olympics. Although aides later said his words were taken out of context, the events of the past week suggest many Tibetans feel otherwise.

Backstory

Tibet began to flourish as an independent kingdom in the 7th century. From the 13th to the 18th centuries it was under Mongol influence but the Chinese claimed suzerainty in 1720 until they were expelled in 1912. The 1913 Shimla agreement between the British, Tibetans and Chinese was never ratified by the latter who still claimed all of Tibet. China installed the Chinese-born Dalai Lama in 1939. In 1950, China invaded Tibet which became a "national autonomous region" of China under the Dalai Lama's rule. A revolt in 1959 was crushed by the Chinese and the Dalai Lama fled to India.

Luc Torres

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Related articles:

Games woes (March 15 2008)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/15/olympicgames2008.china
The protests in Tibet are the latest in a series of events which have threatened China's hopes of a trouble-free Olympics. A severe drought in Hebei province has been exacerbated by the diversion of water to clean out Beijing's polluted waterways and to water the grass in the Olympic park. Levels of winter rain and snow were 60% below average and officials told farmers to grow wheat instead of water-intensive rice.Earlier this month, flight attendants foiled an attack on a China Southern passenger jet by terrorists who officials said also plotted to target the Olympics. China has vowed to crack down on separatism in the far west, home to a large Muslim Uighur population. Teng Biao, a prominent human rights lawyer, went missing last week. It is thought he has been detained by the authorities amid a crackdown on dissent ahead of the games. He was last seen being bundled into a car outside his home in Beijing. In February Steven Spielberg resigned as artistic adviser to the Olympics because of China's relations with the Sudanese government, which has been held responsible for atrocities in Darfur. In August the Chinese authorities banned cars in Beijing for four days to try to lift the smog. It did not work. This month Haile Gebrselassie, holder of the world marathon record, withdrew from the Olympic event because of the pollution.

China: Darfur-Olympic link 'unfair' (FEBRUARY 14, 2008)
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/D7B8BB0F-B5D3-40DA-8123-C7A7AA6A3FDC.htm
The Chinese government has condemned efforts to link the Beijing Olympics with the violence in Darfur as "irresponsible and unfair". The statement, issued by the Chinese embassy in Washington, came as Jacques Rogge, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief, joined calls for China to do more to put pressure on Sudan.It also came as US film-maker Steven Spielberg severed his links with the Games over China's ties to Sudan's government, accused of mass killings in its Darfur region."As the Darfur issue is not an internal affair of China, nor was it caused by China, to link the two together is utterly unreasonable, irresponsible and unfair," said the statement published in Thursday's Global Times, run by the Communist party's People's Daily. Chinese 'disgust' The paper also said the decision by Spielberg and others to boycott the Olympics "disgusted" the Chinese people. China has been criticised for not putting more pressure on Khartoum [AFP]"Western exploitation of the Olympics to pressure China immediately provoked much disgust among ordinary Chinese people," the paper said. "The vast majority of Chinese people have expressed bafflement and outrage at the Western pressure. In their view, it's absolutely absurd to place the Darfur issue, so many thousands of miles away, on the head of China."

Chinese 'arming Darfur conflict' (MARCH 13, 2008)
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/7D6E98C8-B082-47E7-A52A-4C3A66857D8A.htm
Chinese sales of assault rifles and other weapons to Sudan have grown rapidly during the conflict in the western Darfur region despite a UN arms embargo, according to a US-based rights group. Human Rights First said on Thursday that a study of Sudanese and UN trade data showed that China was virtually the only supplier of small arms to Sudan. Khartoum pays for the weapons it buys from Beijing with its growing oil revenues, the rights group said."The people of Sudan's Darfur region will endure more death, disease and dislocation, and this will be due in no small part to China's callousness," the report said.The group called on Beijing to stop all arms sales to Sudan and urged the world to link that campaign to the Beijing Olympics. "We believe that China is particularly vulnerable in the lead up to the Olympics, Betsy Apple, a spokeswoman for Human Rights First, said. "We want to see China's concrete action that matches its rhetoric." Armed militia The report came as Britain's Channel 4 television's Unreported World programme interviewed Mohammed Hamdan, a commander of the Arab Janjiwid militia accused of carrying out attacks on Darfur's black African population.Hamdan said that his men had received orders and weapons from the Khartoum government, including heavy artillery which appeared to have Chinese markings. The Human Rights First report said that Chinese-made AK-47 assault rifles, grenade launchers and ammunition for rifles and heavy machine guns have all flowed into Darfur. China sold Sudan $55 million worth of small arms from 2003-2006 and has provided 90 per cent of Sudan's small arms since 2004 when a UN arms embargo took effect, according to the report. CLIP

Clooney urges Darfur-Beijing action (MARCH 11, 2008)
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/671E939C-BA88-4403-9744-278A94170A49.htm
Hollywood actor George Clooney is putting pressure on an Olympic sponsor to speak out over China's foreign policy in Sudan. The Hollywood actor promotes Omega Watches, one of the global Olympic sponsors of the Beijing Games. "I have talked with Omega (about China) for over a year and will continue to talk to Omega,'' Clooney told the BBC. "I have and will go to the places I and China do business and ask for help.''Clooney has publicly spoken several times about the crisis in Darfur, Sudan, where more than 200,000 people have been killed and about 2.5 million people displaced in three years of fighting between African rebels and government troops allied with Arab militia known as janjaweed. China is a major trading partner with Sudan, and Beijing has resisted United Nations attempts to force Sudan to accept U.N. peacekeepers in Darfur. The push to link the Beijing Games to the Darfur crisis gained wide attention last month when Hollywood director Steven Spielberg withdrew as an artistic adviser to the opening and closing ceremonies. "Last year I took Olympic athletes Joey Cheek and Tegla Loroupe to Beijing to meet with the heads of the Chinese government,'' Clooney said. "I have and will continue to ask China to use its considerable leverage with the government of Sudan.'' CLIP

Boycott called for Beijing ceremony (FEBRUARY 19, 2008)
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/87CBFBF3-D4F4-45A6-9BF4-A9CA9DCA2799.htm
A member of the Dutch government is calling for an international boycott of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics in protest at China's human rights record. Joel Voordewind, a member of the Christian Union that is a junior partner of the ruling Dutch coalition government, said he wants governments around the world to support the boycott and lean on sponsors to use their financial clout with Beijing. "It is possible to take part in the games but skip the party before hand,'' he said."Such a ceremony is only intended to glorify the host, China.''Voordewind also suggested setting up a venue in Beijing during the games where visitors can discuss human rights. He expected opposition from organisers, but said, "If the Chinese are against the plan, that means they are against human rights.'' CLIP



3. SOLAR WAVE MEDITATION FOR THE EQUINOX

From: http://www.kachina.net/~alunajoy/solarwave2008.html

Solar Wave Meditation

A Stellar Synchronized, 24 Hour, Global Equinox Event!

It's FREE - It's GREEN - and it's for all LIVING THINGS!

This is the call to the awakening masses to join together to activate a Huge Stellar Wave of POSITIVE MASS CONSCIOUSNESS to spontaneous heal all discordant energy on EARTH, and Initiate a Spontaneous Awakening of Humanity!

To Reclaim Paradise… and usher in the age of PEACE, HARMONY, LOVE, COMPASSION & IMPECCABILITY using a window of opportunity at Equinox in the multiplying potential of LOCAL STAR TIME!

This time is coming to your sacred part of the planet

March 21st, 2008 with a FULL MOON!

13:20 to 13:52 at Your Local Sidereal Time.

Exact Equinox is MARCH 20th at 5.48 am UT Time - Exact Full Moon is MARCH 21st 18:40 UT

Exact Maya New Year is Sun Rise March 21st in all time zones - BUT... your exact 13:30 LST Time... this is for you to discover through http://www.kachina.net/~alunajoy/solarwave2008.html

On MARCH 21ST, 2008 at 13:30 LST The entire global population of healers and lightworkers will work with the LST window of 13:20 to 13:52. This will create a powerful 24 hour stellar wave across the planet. Just as you may have seen "the Wave" being done at sports and concert venues, we will be doing the same thing, but across the entire planet all within harmonizing equinox energies and your star time window of 13:30. This is a tidal wave of powerful, transforming, healing light and positive vision for a brilliant future. Now get ready for PARADISE! When your local window of 13:30 LST time on March 21st arrives at your physical location on the planet, this is YOUR TIME to put to action all the healing talents and spiritual truth you have taken such great care to learn and develop. At 13:30 LST, give the world and the galaxy ALL YOU GOT! As they said in the 60's, "sock it to 'em!" Send out to humanity, the planet and the stars your knowingness that paradise is here right now and act as if that vision has been realized. Remember . . . when two or more are gathered together in a common focus, the power to change the world is multiplied a thousand times more than if one person was doing it alone. Use your highest, purest intentions, and remember that the truth is within YOU. So just follow your hearts with balance, peace and harmony. It is time to quit dreaming, affirming and praying for change. It is insane to do the same thing over and over again, and not expect the same results. We must BE the change that we want in the world! KNOW that it is so . . . And it will be.

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Ancient traditions understand that the EQUINOX is a powerful time to initiate changes in our material world and shift into new reality. On Equinox, the Earth and Sun are in perfect balance and harmony, as the sun is centered between the Northern and Southern hemispheres, and is directly overhead at the equator. All latitudes experience a day and night of equal length. This year we have a 'premier' opportunity to tune in with others at a very special time of day - as the centre of our galaxy - the milky way - passes over head.

According to tests carried out by The Cognitive Sciences Laboratory in Palo Alto, California, our abilities to "see" or predict events have 400% greater chance of accuracy at 01.30 LST and some are suggesting that this will therefore be the most powerful time to 'project' or to create the future we would like to "see".

On the 21st March 01.30 LST is in the early hours of the morning, (everywhere around the globe 01.30 LST will be in the early hours of the morning - just to be clear!)

Depending on where you are across YOUR time zone, this time of 01.30 LST could be anywhere from 01.00am to 02.20am.

More on this through http://www.newearthstar.com/solarwave2.htm

What is Local Sidereal Time and why it is important
http://www.newearthstar.com/whyLST.htm

Simple 3-step calculation
http://www.newearthstar.com/solwavexplain.htm

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Also recommended...

Synchronised Worldwide Didgeridoo Sound Meditation - 20 March 2008 -- #3 archived at http://www.earthrainbownetwork.com/Archives2008/Cornucopia8.htm

8,000 Drums March 21 '08 - 12:00 pm Mountain Time - 2:00 pm EST
http://youtube.com/watch?v=TjlR8oFPPyY
It will take place on March 21, 2008 at 12:00 noon. All you need to do is play a drum either alone, or with a group or have the whole Tribe participate. The purpose is to fulfill the OTOMI PROPHECY. The Otomi's are Mayan Olmec and Toltec descendants. The drums will be played so that the Creator will hear us and grant our wishes as we pray for help in the Healing Process of our Mother Earth. People are destroying Her and our Mother Earth needs our prayers.

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For more information, please review the material posted by the Global Meditation Focus Group at