MEDIA ADVISORY
Date: 28 May 2008
Contact: Kalsang Phuntsok
612-281-7619
TIBETAN FREEDOM TORCH RELAY ARRIVES IN MINNESOTA
MINNESOTANS TO MARCH FOR 8 MILES TO HIGHLIGHT TIBET ISSUES
St. Paul, MN – Several hundred Minnesota Tibetans and supporters will participate in protests, vigils, and prayer ceremonies for Tibet on 31 May, when the Tibetan Freedom Torch will parade in St. Paul, to highlight the suffering of the Tibetan people.
Rally participants will march from the State Capitol and walk for almost eight miles down the University Ave W. and end at the Tibetan Community Cultural Center where the event will have a keynote speech by Congressman Keith Ellison. Details of the events are as follows:
Date: 31 May 2008
Time and Place: 10:00AM, State Capitol, St. Paul, MN followed by march
3:30PM, Tibetan Community Cultural Center, 1096 Raymond Ave S. St. Paul, MN
The Tibetan Freedom Torch was launched in Greece on March 10, 2008 despite China’s security presence. It has been traveling around the world since then. This Torch symbolizes the hopes and aspirations of the Tibetan people for freedom and justice and the commitment of the people around the world to helping achieve this dream. The Olympic torch should embody the ideals of peace and harmony for all, but this year, China’s government is trying to use the Olympic torch relay to cover up its brutal occupation of Tibet and abysmal human rights record. The Tibetan Freedom Torch relay gives voice to the true ideals of Tibetans and reminds the global public of the need for action to bring an end to China’s illegal occupation of Tibet. The Tibetan Freedom Torch will travel to more than 50 cities between March 10th and August 7th, when Tibetans plan to carry the torch to Tibet. The relay will finish on August 8th, the day the Olympics begin in Beijing. For further information about this Torch, visit www.tibetanfreedomtorch.org.
This event is organized by the Minnesota Tibetan Youth Congress, Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota, Students for Free Tibet and Regional Tibetan Women’s Association.