In July 2006, China unveiled its grand scheme to consolidate its control over Tibet: the Golmud-Lhasa railway project. At the admission of the Chinese leaders, it is a politically motivated project costing some US$4.2 billion - almost triple the amount Beijing has spent on healthcare and education in the Tibet Autonomous Region between 1952 and 2000.
Thanks to the active support of people like you, in recent years the Tibet movement has been successful in shining a spotlight on the anticipated environmental, social and economic negative impact of the railway on the Tibetan people and their lands:
- Protests have been held at railway conferences in exhibitions in Manchester, Prague and Paris, causing scrutiny of Bombardier, PowerCorp, Nortel and other western corporations' involved in creating the railway by their industry peers;
- Resolutions demanding that Bombardier and PowerCorp adopt a human rights policy were voted on by some 10 per cent of their shareholders at their recent AGMs, where their CEOs were also grilled about corporate social responsibility by Tibet supporters;
- Tibet supporters from around the world held several international days of action against Bombardier, sending thousands of faxes, emails, letters to their CEO
These actions and more garnered significant press coverage from Canada and Europe to India, showing the corporate world there is a high price to pay for siding with the Chinese in its occupation of Tibet.
ICT launched a new initiative, Tracking the Tibet Railway, to coincide with China's July 1 inaugural run of the Golmud-Lhasa railway.
Tracking the Tibet Railway aims to:
- monitor and report on the affects of the railway on Tibet's environment and economy and its people;
- educate tourists that may use the railway on the realities facing contemporary Tibet;
- prevent the misuse of Tibet's natural wealth aided by the establishment of the railway; and
- campaign against western corporate involvement in any expansion of the railway.
To be kept informed, sign up for the ICT Action Network here.
