dorjeshugden.com
About Dorje Shugden => General Discussion => Topic started by: kelsang on February 15, 2008, 01:21:04 PM
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Press Release
February 6, 2008
Dorje Shugden Devotees' Charitable & Religious Society
Today we would like to request the attention of all unbiased people in this world, and particularly the attention of the people and the government of India, to whose kindness we are deeply indebted.
Unfortunately, we have no other choice than to express the following heartfelt words of truth, as His Holiness the Dalai Lama is most unbelievably causing us immeasurable grieve through forcefully impeding our religious faith, taking away our human rights, and inciting repression against our minority.
Since many years now, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his government have not let us, the devotees of deity Dorje Shugden, allowed to live in freedom and peace, by spreading manifold unjustified allegations against us, and using his power to bully our people.
On the 9th of January of this year for example, His Holiness the Dalai Lama declared: "You (Dorje Shugden devotees) go back to China, China will take care of you!" To hear such words from the mouth of His Holiness Dalai Lama, is deeply heartbreaking for all of our people, because these words spoken from a standing of might and power express a complete disregard for our rights and our freedom (1), they denote an obvious contempt against us (2), they implicate a heavy accusation for which there is no base at all (3) and they are thus deceptive for the world (4). Besides, we feel such words also disregard the government of India (5).
So His Holiness, far from seeing us with compassion and loving kindness, seems not to have even any worldly righteous regard towards us.
As Tibetans we know how Tibetans go for their aims, we know the 'secret' mischievous and deceptive methods of the Dalai Lama's political administration to exercise internal suppression, to instigate the public to harass the fellow citizens. We have been pushed to the point where we see no choice left but to disclose this embarrassing bearing, because many people, who do not know, might see His Holiness the Dalai Lama like a god whose words are exclusively righteous and true. However, to put the reality in short, most of his policies seem to be a mixture of religion and politics, a mixture of peace and conflict, a mixture of Tibetan independence and Tibetan autonomy, a mixture of harmonizing and disintegrating, a mixture of religious rules and political rules - and his very person a mixture of religious leader and political leader, entangled in a mixture of virtuous and non-virtuous proceedings, in a mixture of truth and false - and every one of these points has a proof.
Our very actual emergency situation arose following a new activity of the exile government,
put in action on the 9th of January 2008, aimed at implementing a final and complete discrimination of the minority group of those faithful to the Dharma, by forcefully banning their worship. An order was issued to completely cut all human relationships with anyone still worshipping the Buddhist deity Dorje Shugden, on every level, be it religious, political, economic, educational, sharing food and drink, marrying and even conversing in everyday life. As a result of this order, within the Tibetan community, within the Buddhist communities in the monasteries, among the common people, between parents and children, between teachers and students, between friends, between couples, relatives and schoolmates, such a severe segregation is evolving, promoting disharmony, grudges and fights.
Due to such terrifying dangers and tensions rising in our communities, we appeal for help and protection from all those who cherish peace, harmony, freedom and truth. In the name of all adherents of Dorje Shugden, this appeal is submitted by the office of Dorje Shugden Devotee's Charitable & Religious Society in Delhi, by joining our palms from the depth of hearts.
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Thanks for posting. Any video/media releases??
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The release from the DJS in Delhi is heartbreaking and should be circulated, but I think we should reflect now: what is it that we are asking from the outer world?
A part from the Indian Government I don't see who in the outer world could help the monks who want to stay in the monasteries right now, and the general practitioners, let's not forget the lay people who also are suffering from this.
Beyond destroying the DL´s reputation in order to paralize his ongoing actions, and I don´t know if this is possible, I wonder what is it that the outer world can do for them, for us Dorje Shugden practitioners. I don´t imagine that anybody can demand from the DL to lift the ban ... what do you all think?
The moving call for help from the Dorje Shugden Society is lacking just that: a precise request to those to whom it is addressing this call.
I am requesting from any of you who has any ideas to please post them in this Forum. We need to do more but I don't know what. Beggar, Alexis, Mountains, Jeff, all our members, all our Tibetan friends: could you inspire new actions that could help this unfortunate, unfair situation?
There are international courts that take care of human right abuses but I don't know much about them. Is there somebody among us that knows?
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The DSS in Delhi has to file a formal complaint to the UN Commission on Human Right:
http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/2/chr.htm
The DSS in Delhi has to file a formal complaint to Amnesty International:
http://www.amnesty.org/en
Last time in 1996 there was no real basis for a Amnesty International investigation, because there was just talk on HHDL 's side. THIS TIME IS DIFFERENT!
HHDL and the Gov. In exile have been taking extremly prejudical and concrete measures against their own people. It's well documented and can easily be proven. NOW IS THE TIME TO CONTACT AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL!!!
The rest has to do with the media campaign. The DSS in Delhi has to place a couple of videos on YouTube describing the conflict in the same manner as the famous Swiss TV report of the Ban. I don't know why but the website www.tibet-internal.com/ has shut it's activities. That's sad! It had streaming videos of the Swiss TV report.
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Tomorrow or the day after, I'll prepared a draft letter for Amnesty international.
I just wonder how many people on this website are really sending Email and letters.
If Jeff goes and check the Amnesty International website listed above, he will see that an immediate action can be taken to get Amnesty international involved in this problem. This could really change something!
Jeff?
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I should mention that I emailed the Dorje Shugden Society and their response was that "the letter writing has been very helpful to the monks there." Not sure if they are referring to support letters for the monks or letters to officials but more importanty they stated honestly that they could use financial assistance. They don't have much support in that regards and it limits their activity quite a bit.
I have requested a mailing address from them and will post it once received. Their email address is [email protected] if you would like to write, however it can take them a few days or longer to respond.
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Here are three ministers/officers specific to the Tibetan communities in South India. I am sure that theye are aware of the recent events but it might be wise to let them know where we stand on the issue and that we are making every attempt to bring this to the international community.
Mr. M R Ravi, Assistant Commissioner,
Representative for Tibetans
Sub-Division, Hunsure
Fax: 0822 252073
Gaden monastery at Mundgod falls under the following officers:
Karwar S.P.N. Shiva Prasada
email : [email protected]
Phone number 08382 226307, 226233
Fax: 08382 226550
K.R. Srinavasan DG & IGP
email : [email protected]
Phone : 080 22211777, 22215911
FAX : 080 22215991
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I was told at the meeting at Sera mey on feb 13 the Indian police Commissioner who called the meeting presented a stack of 800 + letters from America, Europe, and Canada. It put the abbot on the spot. Our letters helped alot. Keep those cards and leters coming. Please send letters to radio free asia.
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PLEASE POST THE CONTACTS FOR RADIO FREE ASIA.
THANKS!
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Dear Brothers and sisters,
Radio Free Asia seems to be a propaganda tool for Tibetan government in exile. It broadcaste only their related news, not our. It is one side radio. Each of you must write to Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia
2025 M Street NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036, USA
202-530-4900 | [email protected] | RFA Jobs
© 2005 Radio Free Asia
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No doubt that for the moment the writing of letters to any Indian official IS the thing to do for a while. Still I don't have a clear idea of what to ask from the outer world and to whom.
Amnesty, I think, deals with government abuse, and the Dalai L. "government" is not such. And again, what are we going to ask: for the DL to lift the ban? to swear to the gods that he is not going to attack the monks again? The DL already withdraw a little bit in more than one occasion due to the intervention of Indian officials in the past. He has all the time in the world to let this die out for now and come back, as he's just done.
I still don't know what we should do for the medium and long term.
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Amnesty international is going to put pressure on the Indian Government.
In any case, just the fact the Amnesty is putting its nose in Tibetan affairs might give a cold shower to some of the more radical Kalons in Dharamsala. It just might buy some extra, well needed time for those monks in the South.
If we don't use now tools like Amnesty international when Human Rights are actually being violated, then we won't have anything to complain about when the other side gets it's desired result in some months or years. We wouldn't have used all the tools at our disposal at the critical time.
I didn't get much time to write the draft yet, maybe tomorrow.
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Alexis dearest,
This is the day when they are still boasting that Amnesty got them cleared, I hesitate very much to try that path again. To get Amnesty interested you need to be a type of minority like women, homosexuals, indigenous people, minority tribes being wiped out by others ... like that. That is their turf. I don't have the tools to prove this point, but please try to talk to some persons that know Amnesty through experience, I think they will tell you that Amnesty is not going to put its nose again in this situation, we don't have corpses to show, we don't have villages smoking from government attacks, we don't have women threatened ... Anyway, just by caution, let's find more information about the actual dealings of AI before starting a campaign of letters to them that might backfire like the one from previous years. Dharamsala is still boasting about that one today.
I took from Amnesty I.´s website some relevant paragraphs. Some of them might indicate that we do have the basis to demand their intervention. In my experience (meaning, what I've seen through decades) you need those types of subjects of victimization that I mentioned above for AI to intervene. They are going to tag ours as a religious matter, or repeat that there is not real threat to life and so on and so forth ... Of course, I might be entirely wrong, I'm just judging from the past.
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FROM AMNESTY´S WEBSITE
Who is responsible?
States, through national governments, have the primary responsibility to realize human rights. They must respect, protect and fulfil economic, social and cultural rights (ESC rights).
____________________________________________________________________
DISCRIMINATION
Violent manifestations of prejudice are often facilitated by official inaction. Discrimination means that certain groups are denied equal protection of the law against violence inflicted on them, such as racist attacks, domestic violence, attacks targeted at people because of their actual or assumed religion or sexual orientation.
Discrimination in law enforcement can mean that certain groups are viewed by the authorities as ''potential criminals'' and so are more likely to be arrested and imprisoned. It can also mean that they are more likely to suffer harsher treatment, possibly amounting to torture or other forms of ill-treatment, once in criminal justice system.
Direct discrimination is the less favourable or detrimental treatment of an individual or group of individuals on the basis of a prohibited characteristic or ground such as race or gender.
Indirect discrimination occurs when a practice, rule, requirement or condition is appears to be neutral but impacts disproportionately upon particular individuals or groups, unless that practice, rule, requirement or condition is justified. Governments are required to take account of relevant differences between groups in order to prevent indirect discrimination.
Governments are obliged to take essential measures to ensure the right of all to be free from discrimination. They must repeal discriminatory legislation which facilitates human rights abuses and denies equal access to justice. They must provide effective protection against violence in the broader community. The laws and institutions of the state must address the root causes of discrimination, rather than replicating or fomenting it for political ends.
What are economic, social and cultural rights?
• The right to adequate housing includes protection from forced eviction and access to affordable, habitable and culturally appropriate housing;
• Cultural rights includes the rights of minorities and Indigenous peoples to preservation and protection of their cultural identity;
• The right to education includes the right to free and compulsory primary education and to progressively available, accessible, acceptable and adaptable education;
• The right to food including freedom from hunger and access at all times to sufficient nutritious food or the means to obtain it;
• The right to health is the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, including healthy living conditions and available, accessible, acceptable quality health services;
• The right to water and sanitation is the right to sufficient water and sanitation which is physically and economically accessible, and is safe;
• The right to work and rights at work is the right to freely chosen work and to just and fair conditions of employment, protection against forced labour and rights to form and join trade unions.
Who is responsible?
States, through national governments, have the primary responsibility to realize human rights. They must respect, protect and fulfil economic, social and cultural rights (ESC rights).
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a friend,
Thank you for posting the information from Amnesty International's website - it is very helpful. I appreciate your caution as I have my own doubts as to how far such organizations will get involved. However, I do believe that this issue falls under theirs and others jurisdiction and I do not believe that it will hurt to let them know what is going on. I think it will be especially pertinent when we find out just how the Tibetan Government in Exile is going to handle those Tibetans who are not towing the line so-to-say, as I am guessing that they will no longer be "members" of the Tibetan exile community, supported or documented by the Tibetan government. I have written to a few of these organizations already and I really don't think it will harm anything to do so, however I do think that the focus at this point should be to continue sending letters to the Indian officials who are actively engaging this issue.
I also think that we in the international community should begin pooling together our resources - maybe just individually at the moment - but at some point it is going to become clear what actions need to be taken to care for the monks and other members of the community who are being kicked out and it would be great if we could all jump to the call.
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Dear Three Pots,
I agree that we should start rallying together as members of an international community to assist the ostracised in any way possible. We should do something. Any ideas? Setting up a fund? Many want to help or become involved but don't know how so besides the letter writing campaign what do you suggest?
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Dear Maryjane and everyone,
There is word that the Dalai Lama has told the abbots that he has six more points that he is going to implement and that they have not seen anything yet! In addition to this I have heard that Pomra Khangtsen is filing a law suit in the Indian court system regarding their expullsion and that "the Indian police have made them sign papers that they would continue to stay open and practice as a monastery." Not sure of the specifics on this statement yet.
I am sure there is plenty more to be heard and shared, but what to do? Here are some thoughts, of value or not we shall see:
I think that talking about a fund at this point in time is a bit pre-mature due to the fact that we still don't have a thorough handle on what is happening on the ground. We might begin assessing our own finances however, and reach out to those we feel are willing to help. That way we will be ready when it is time to figure out where the money is going. I think it would also be beneficial to look at what skills we or our close friends or associates might be able to offer, be it computer; printing/graphics; writing; legal; you name it.
Of most importance though is to get an idea of where everyone is in relation to one another. We have the Dorje Shugden Society, we have Dhokhang Khangtsen, Pomra Khangtsen, individual monks who have recently been expelled and those who have left a long time ago. At some point we need to know if they are all working together or taking care of themselves as individual groups and who to contact with regards to fundraising and for which projects. (I know that the Dorje Shugden Society would greatly appreciate financial assistance at this point so please, if you are itching to give, contact them - whether or not they will be coordinating the re-location or support for the monks leaving the monastery is not certain as far as I know but please correct me if I am mistaken.)
I think that we will have a hard time getting organized ourselves until we find out how the parties involved will be working with one another. If you have friends in any of these different groups you might request them to explain what their thoughts are on this and who their individual representatives or spokes-persons are. It sounds as though they have a bit of negotiating left to do before all is said and done so we may just need to be patient for a while.
It might also be helpful to have a collective list of all the addresses that have been shared on this post and if possible to keep it at the top of the page so that people can visit and revisit it easily. I will be happy to go back and gather all the addresses and to add a few more - I was also recommended to write to the Indian Embassador in the US (address below) and that would probably be a good idea for each of our corresponding countries.
Indian Embassador to the United States
Embassador Ronen Sen
2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington DC 20008
USA
Phone: (202) 939-7000
Fax: (202) 265-4351
That's all for now ;o)
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It saddens me as I was reading the article, it's so sad that the ban has caused so much anxiety, danger and most importantly is that people are discriminated in a way that it's not even legally approved. I think that the blame should not be put onto His Holiness, an enlightened being will not do things like this to hurt people. It's the CTAs who are behind all these and using His Holiness's name to make things up or even worst, to create disharmony and confusion among the people. When will the CTAs realise that what they are doing is wrong and that it is separating a lot of families, acquaintances and friends. We have so many proofs to prove that Lord Dorje Shugden is not a 'demon' but instead an enlightened Buddha who has been benefiting millions of lives, please stop lying and creating confusion to the people out there. Number one, you all have accumulated massive heavy negative karma, if you don't believe it, that's too bad. And for Buddha's sake, your egoism is nothing compared to the pain Dorje Shugden practitioners have to endure EVERY DAY, trust me. If you think otherwise, I'm sorry to tell you that you all are so blinded by the lies, hatred, selfishness and ignorance that you have built up YOURSELVES, and this is also a form of your karma ripening. It's obvious, everyone else is capable of realising the truths but you who are so blinded don't. So what else could it be?