They were all working in Beijing in different ways, as citizen journalists and activists. My opinion at this point
is they are being held longer than other detained activists because they all had much more gear - macbooks, eee pc's, HD
video cameras, digital SLR cams... standard stuff in most places, but I can imagine it raises a lot of eyebrows to the
authorities in China, especially when related to protests and Tibet.
We are in active touch with the US Embassy in Bejing the the US State Department... the big deadline we are just
hitting 48 hours right now, so 24 hours left until the 3 day mark.
The activists who deployed the LED banner have all already been sent
home, arriving in JFK right about now.
And below, word of additional, new detentions of a Tibetan-German activist and two others from the United States. Snip
from SFT announcement:
http://freetibet2008.org/
Beijing – After intense surveillance by up to 50 plainclothes police, a Tibetan-German man and two pro-Tibet
activists protested tonight near the Bird’s Nest stadium. The three raised their fists in the air, unfurled a Tibetan
flag, and called out “Free Tibet” at approximately 12:05 am Beijing time. A fourth Tibet activist who observed the
protest was detained by police at the scene. The four were taken away in a police vehicle and their whereabouts are unknown.
The four are Tibetan-German Florien Norbu Gyanatshang, 30, American Jeremy Wells, 38, American John Watterberg, 30,
and Briton Mandie McKeown, 41.
“Against all odds, a Tibetan has once again raised our outlawed national flag in Beijing tonight,” said Lhadon
Tethong, the Tibetan-Canadian Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet. “This action symbolises the determination
and steadfast commitment of the Tibetan people and our supporters from around the world to achieve freedom and justice
for six million Tibetans living under the brutal rule of the Chinese government.”
Tibetans and Tibet supporters have defied the best efforts of the Chinese authorities to silence all voices of
dissent during the Olympic Games, staging eight protests in Beijing over the past two weeks. The protests have ranged
from technically-challenging banner hangs to a dramatic “die-in” at Tiananmen Square. Surveillance efforts by Chinese
authorities increased dramatically over the past few days.
“The Chinese government is petrified of these peaceful acts of defiance simply because they represent the true
feelings of Tibetans inside Tibet,” said Tenzin Dorjee, Deputy Director of Students for a Free Tibet. “Our protests are
a reminder to the world of the tragic reality of the Chinese government’s illegitimate occupation of Tibet and the
urgent need for the Chinese leadership to seek a resolution with the Tibetan people.”
Lhadon Tethong, director of Students for a Free Tibet, quoted in this New
York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/sports/olympics/20china.html
[Tethong] said she was more concerned with the plight of protesters in Tibet. In recent days, she said, at least
three people have reportedly been killed in the city of Ganzi after protesting on the street. She said one woman, Dolma
Yungzom, was shot five or six times point blank after she unfurled a banner, though Ms. Tethong provided no evidence.
Watch video updates on FT08tv.
Previously on Boing Boing blog:
* Beijing: "Alive in Baghdad" videoblogger among US citizens detained in
pro-Tibet protests
* Beijing: Five US activists detained after lighting up "Free Tibet" LED
Throwies banner near Olympics site
* GRL's James Powderly detained in Beijing for planning pro-Tibet "L.A.S.E.R.
Stencil" art protest
Related episodes of Boing Boing tv:
* BBtv WORLD (Tibet): Inside Lhasa
* Vlog (Xeni): Tibet report - monks forced to participate in staged videos.
* Vlog (Xeni): Tibet's uprising and the internet
Discussion
#15 posted by Antinous , August 20, 2008 2:00 PM
Attention, please
Boing Boing and BBTV have hosted numerous posts on the current situation in Tibet. Those comment threads have touched on
many issues related to the current and past situation there. Here's a list of some of the livelier discussions about
this issue:
[permaculture] Beijing update: New detentions, 6 US protesters missing, Tibetan protesters in Tibet reportedly shot dead. - Boing Boing,
Lawrence F. London, Jr., 08/20/2008