3 000 say no to Chinese PLA's Scotland performance from Tibetan exile HQ.

August 1, 2004 -- In Dharamsala, the invite is a bitter pill for many to take, including recent arrivals from Tibet, who, unable to write, signed with their thumbprint. "It is well known in Tibetan and international history that the brutal destruction of my homeland was carried out by the hands of the PLA" said Tibetan painter Karma Sichoe, who participated for 42 days in the 1998 hunger strike "Today, the PLA remain the Communist Party's special force, under their direct control, used to fulfil their policy tasks. This invite extends the hand of friendship in the wrong direction-it promotes violence, not peace to the Chinese people."

Tenzin Choeying, member of SFT India reflected wryly "The irony of this invite is not lost here; 100 years after the British Trade Mission entered Tibet with force to gain illustrious trade-routes, now the Scottish are hoping to gain tourist revenue by inviting the PLA, who will be demonstrating their own imperial strength, fifty years after the endeavours to end colonialism began."

Speaking from Dharamsala, UK Coordinator Emilie Hunter said "contrary to some claims, we are not blindly lashing out at any Chinese organisation, but responsibly airing our displeasure at the invite to the Chinese government's single most emblem of its continued totalitarian power. The claim that the PLA band is nothing but a musical ensemble is inappropriate and naive, particularly in light of the renewed EU wide embargo of weapon sales to the PLA. Brigadier Jameson claims that engaging with the Chinese in this way will help bring democracy to China, and yet his choice of invitee contradicts this logic. In trying to capitalise from current international relations language in this way he has distorted its sound ethic and slurred the memory of fellow student protesters, slaughtered in Tiananmen Square and of the hundreds of thousands of Tibetans who lost their lives at the hands of the PLA."

Included amongst signatories from Taiwan, South Korea and Japan was Yeshe Togden, President of the ex-political prisoner movement, Gu Chu Sum who visited Edinburgh last December; "the behaviour of the PLA towards Tibetans is similar to Nazi treatment of the Jews." Reflecting on the impact of the militarisation of the Sino-Indian border, Chaman Sharma, from Delhi said, "Since the 1962 Sino-Indian war, India's resources have been redirected towards defence, away from much needed economic development. Whereas we have freedom of speech to express military history, there is no such choice on the other side, with billions of Yuan diverted each year to expand China's military objectives. This invite can only confirm their self-perception of global military supremacy."





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