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PLEASE LOOK AT THE WHOLE OF THIS PAGE!

1. Introduction

2. Letter of support from H.H. the Dalai Lama's eldest brother

3. Message of solidarity with the Chinese people

4. How can I take part?

5. Campaign materials - a selection of pamphlets, flyers and other materials to help you take part in the campaign and spread the word! These can be downloaded and photocopied or printed.

6. Persuade Shops and Manufacturers to join the boycott.

Introduction 

WE HAVE JOINED 'BOYCOTT MADE IN CHINA' (WWW.BOYCOTTMADEINCHINA.ORG), AN INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO ENCOURAGE SHOPPERS AROUND THE WORLD TO BOYCOTT CHINESE GOODS. 

THE CAMPAIGN BEGAN ON 7 DECEMBER 2002, with launch events in New York, Toronto, San Francisco, Bloomington and also in New Zealand, closely followed by London.

Campaign members include the exiled Chinese dissidents such as Harry Wu, the China Support Network, US Tibet Committee, Canada Tibet Committee (Toronto and Victoria) Students for a Free Tibet, Tibetan Rights Action Coalition (Seattle), Rangzen Alliance, Int’l Tibet Independence Movement (Indiana), World Tibet Day Foundation, Canadian Tibetan Association of Ontario, Chushi Gangdruk (New York, Toronto), Tibetan Culture Preservation in Canada (Toronto), Tibetan Youth Congress (Belleville), Tibet's Independence Movement (Lindsey), Tibet's Independence Movement (Peterborough) and the Tibetan Women's Association.

Quite a few other groups have agreed to join and the organizers will list their names as soon as they have received formal letters. Also, the Tibetan Associations of North America, and the Tibetan Youth Congress branches in North America have passed formal resolutions to conduct a boycott campaign.

Letter of support from the Dalai Lama’s eldest brother  Thupten Jigme Norbu/Taktser Trulku, Professor Emeritus, Indiana University, Former Abbot of Kumbum Monastery:

Download in Tibetan, PDF format

Message of solidarity with the Chinese people:

Chinese workers rarely benefit from the export trade. They are paid as little as 8p per hour by employers such as Walmart (the owners of Azda). Even in China these are starvation wages. Workers are powerless to complain because independent trade unions are banned.  Anyone who tries to fight the system is likely to end up in a forced labor camp, where many Chinese goods come from. 

Harry Wu, a prominent Chinese academic, spent 18 years in prison for campaigning for democracy in China: "..it is the Chinese government that benefits most from foreign trade and investment. The government needs foreign money and technology to maintain and increase its power and to modernize their system of tyranny."  In short, by not buying Chinese exports, the Chinese government will have less money to oppress its own people.

And finally: The campaign makes it clear that it is not intended to target Chinese  businesses operating outside of China. We are boycotting Chinese goods, NOT Chinese people!

HOW CAN I TAKE PART?

There are many ways that you can take part. However there are three key things that you need to do:

1. Make a personal commitment 

This means making a long-term decision to avoid buying Chinese goods, even if it means having to make extra effort to find non-Chinese versions of the items you want to buy, or pay a little more, or even make do without the item that you want! 

2. Make your commitment known! 

There is no point boycotting if no-one knows about it. Therefore it is vital that you let people know what you are doing!  There are several ways that you can do this: 

• Write to local shops/stores to tell them why you wont buy Chinese goods. You can download a suggested draft letter below for downloading and home-printing. You can also use our downloadable form (6 on a single sheet of A4 paper) to tell shop/store managers about Chinese goods your chose not to buy, or about non-Chinese goods you bought instead.

• Fill in the Pledgebook and Action Form on the homepage of this website to make a public commitment to the boycott and to register details of Chinese goods you chose not to buy on your latest shopping trip. 

• Write to your political representatives to tell them about your personal commitment to boycott Chinese goods, and to tell them what you think of trading with a country that abuses human rights so badly.

• Write to the Chinese ambassador in your country (you can get the address at http://www.warriortours.com/embassy/) to explain that you wont buy Chinese goods until Tibet is free and human rights are respected in China.

3. Get other people involved! 

Again, there are many ways to do this. Some of these might involve a degree of 'showmanship', such as street theater (you can see one idea for this in the 'boycott primer', downloadable below). Another idea would be unfurling a 'Boycott Made In China' banner in your nearest shopping area or mall, or outside your nearest Chinese embassy or consulate (you can get the address at http://www.warriortours.com/embassy/). 

However there are many other methods which, though less showy, are nevertheless very effective, for example:

• Tell you friends and family about what you are doing. Everyone knows someone they can tell - even the Lone Ranger had Tonto!

• Download and photocopy/print some of the campaign materials on this page. Amongst these materials are some flyers that you could pass on to friends, neighbors, family and members of the public. Putting leaflets into people's mail boxes is a particularly efficient way of publicizing the campaign. Alternatively you could distribute them outside home improvement stores, electrical goods stores and toy shops such as Toys'R'Us, where you can be sure to find thousands of Chinese products (China is the world's biggest producer of toys by far). You don't need to break any records! Even if you just hand out a few flyers you will be doing great!

• Get a clip-board, and get people to sign a pledge not to buy Chinese products. You can download an example of a Pledge Sheet here.

Further ideas can be found in the Boycott Primer prepared by the main organizers of this new campaign. It is in the form of a Word document. 

Take part any time!

YOU MAY WANT TO LET US KNOW ABOUT HOW YOU ARE TAKING PART. If so, please contact us using our mailform!! We can then let the world know about it (don't worry, we wont publish any personal information such as names or addresses)

We can alter the flyers / leaflets / pamphlets to your specification, such as adding the contact details of your local Tibet support group - just let us know what alterations/additions you would like us to make using our mailform.

CAMPAIGN MATERIALS

Below you will find two sets of campaign materials. The first is from the main organizers of 'Boycott Made In China'. The second is all our own work (China Boycott Union)!! Amongst the materials you will find a selection of flyers and other documents that you can download and photocopy or print. please scroll down to make your choice.

CAMPAIGN MATERIAL FROM THE MAIN ORGANIZERS OF 'BOYCOTT MADE IN CHINA CAMPAIGN'

The Boycott Made In China Campaign has prepared three documents: a boycott 'primer' giving some ideas on how to start a boycott campaign, a pamphlet and a flyer. The pamphlet and flyer can be obtained by contacting the Boycott Made In China Campaign at:-

Boycott Made In China Campaign

P.O. Box 62, 260 Adelaide Street East

Toronto, ON, Canada, M5A 1N1

Email: canada@boycottmadeinchina.org

Boycott Made In China Campaign

P.O. Box 277 GCS, New York

NY 10163-0277, USA

Email: usa@boycottmadeinchina.org

You can also download the primer, pamphlet and flyer here:

1. Boycott Primer - with information on how to start your own boycott campaign - very helpful (Word Document). 

2. Pamphlet (PDF)  ||  Word doc

3. Flyer (PDF)

Side One - leaflet 1

Side Two - leaflet 1

Don’t let your money pay for oppression in Tibet
BOYCOTT Made In China

China occupied Tibet in October 1950. Since then 157,000 Tibetans have been executed, and 266,000 tortured to death in a continuing campaign to crush all opposition to Chinese rule. Tibetans are now outnumbered by Chinese immigrants in their own country, and are treated as second class citizens in every respect. Many thousands have died or lost limbs to frostbite trying to escape to India via Nepal, by trekking across 400 miles of icy Himalayan mountains.

Despite the injustice of their situation, Tibetans refuse to resort to violence - to do so would be contrary to their Buddhist belief in showing compassion and loving kindness to all beings.  It would also be against the express wishes of their exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

Instead, Tibetans, including many Buddhist monks and nuns, continue to defy the Chinese authorities by peaceful means, such as unfurling the Tibetan flag in a public place, displaying photographs of the Dalai Lama, or singing protest songs. Those who take part in such actions face long prison sentences, torture and beatings, often resulting in death.

This is the Venerable Palden Gyatso, a simple Tibetan Buddhist monk. In front of him are electric shock batons and other instruments with which he was tortured during 33 years of imprisonment. His crime? - putting up posters calling for Tibetan independence! He was released in 1995, and fled to India, where he now lives.

Amnesty International's Report-2004 shows that the situation has not improved - "Despite a few positive steps, no attempt was made to introduce the fundamental legal and institutional reforms necessary to bring an end to serious human rights violations."

TIBETANS ARE CALLING FOR YOUR HELP IN THEIR PEACEFUL STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM!

Tibetan support groups around the world have joined together for a major new campaign to boycott Chinese products. The campaign is called ‘BOYCOTT Made in China’. Here’s how you can help!

The shops are full of Chinese products - toys, electrical goods, clothes, tools, books, cookware, ornaments - you name it! Together, by refusing to buy these goods, we can put enormous pressure on China to give back independence to Tibetans. 

Quite often you will find that goods don’t indicate where they were made - they are not required to do so under UK law. However, in practice it is usually only Chinese goods that fail to indicate their origin. Therefore if 

there’s no indication of where an item is made, there is a very high chance it was made in China.

Don’t be fooled by the names or addresses of the distributor or importer which may be printed on labels. These often give a misleading impression that the product is made in your own Country. Unless the label specifically uses the words 'made in', the address means nothing.

Also remember that Macau and Hong Kong are Chinese colonies!

For further advice on how to avoid Chinese goods, visit the campaign  website at www.boycottmadeinchina.org

Further Action - please do at least one of the following: 
1. Write to the Chinese Ambassador,  MA Zhengang, 49-51 Portland Place,  London, W1B 1JL, and tell him that you intend to boycott Chinese products until Tibet is free (Salutation: ‘Your Excellency’).

2. Write to local shops to explain why you are boycotting Chinese products, and ask them to join the boycott.  Home improvement stores, toy shops and electrical goods suppliers are likely to stock many Chinese products.

3. Visit www.buyhard.fsnet.co.uk/article22.htm, where you can download a range of different flyers and pamphlets for photocopying or home-printing. You can then distribute them to friends, family and members of the public.

Wouldn't a boycott just hurt ordinary Chinese people, while having little effect on the Chinese government?

Chinese workers rarely benefit from the export trade. They are paid as little as 8p per hour by employers such as Walmart (the owners of Azda). Even in China these are starvation wages. Workers are powerless to complain because independent trade unions are banned.  Anyone who tries to fight the system is likely to end up in a forced labour camp, where many Chinese goods come from. 

Harry Wu, a prominent Chinese academic, spent 18 years in prison for campaigning for democracy in China: "..it is the Chinese government that benefits most from foreign trade and investment. The government needs foreign money and technology to maintain and increase its power and to modernize their system of tyranny."  In short, by not buying Chinese exports, the Chinese government will have less money to oppress its own people.

And finally: Please do NOT boycott Chinese restaurants or other Chinese businesses operating in your area. We are boycotting Chinese goods, NOT Chinese people!

This campaign is supported by Tibetans, Chinese democracy campaigners, and by concerned shoppers around the world! 

Side One - leaflet 2

Side Two - leaflet 2

Don’t let your money pay for oppression in Tibet
BOYCOTT Made In China

China occupied Tibet in October 1950. Since then 157,000 Tibetans have been executed, and 266,000 tortured to death in a continuing campaign to crush all opposition to Chinese rule. Tibetans are now outnumbered by Chinese immigrants in their own country, and are treated as second class citizens in every respect. Many thousands have died or lost limbs to frostbite trying to escape to India via Nepal, by trekking across 400 miles of icy Himalayan mountains.

Despite the injustice of their situation, Tibetans refuse to resort to violence - to do so would be contrary to their Buddhist belief in showing compassion and loving kindness to all beings.  It would also be against the express wishes of their exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

Instead, Tibetans, including many Buddhist monks and nuns, continue to defy the Chinese authorities by peaceful means, such as unfurling the Tibetan flag in a public place, displaying photographs of the Dalai Lama, or singing protest songs. Those who take part in such actions face long prison sentences, torture and beatings, often resulting in death.

Sherab Ngawang, from Lhasa City was 12 years old when she was arrested for peacefully demonstrating for independence. She served three years in a forced labour camp, but died shortly after release due to health problems caused by torture, beatings and general ill-treatment she received during her sentence.

Amnesty International's Report-2004 shows that the situation has not improved - "Despite a few positive steps, no attempt was made to introduce the fundamental legal and institutional reforms necessary to bring an end to serious human rights violations."

TIBETANS ARE CALLING FOR YOUR HELP IN THEIR PEACEFUL STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM!

Tibetan support groups around the world have joined together for a major new campaign to boycott Chinese products. The campaign is called ‘BOYCOTT Made in China’. Here’s how you can help!

The shops are full of Chinese products - toys, electrical goods, clothes, tools, books, cookware, ornaments - you name it! Together, by refusing to buy these goods, we can put enormous pressure on China to give back independence to Tibetans. 

Quite often you will find that goods don’t indicate where they were made - they are not required to do so under UK law. However, in practice it is usually only Chinese goods that fail to indicate their origin. Therefore if 

there’s no indication of where an item is made, there is a very high chance it was made in China.

Don’t be fooled by the names or addresses of the distributor or importer which may be printed on labels. These often give a misleading impression that the product is made in your own Country. Unless the label specifically uses the words 'made in', the address means nothing.

Also remember that Macau and Hong Kong are Chinese colonies!

For further advice on how to avoid Chinese goods, visit the campaign  website at www.boycottmadeinchina.org

Further Action - please do at least one of the following: 
1. Write to the Chinese Ambassador,  MA Zhengang, 49-51 Portland Place,  London, W1B 1JL, and tell him that you intend to boycott Chinese products until Tibet is free (Salutation: ‘Your Excellency’).

2. Write to local shops to explain why you are boycotting Chinese products, and ask them to join the boycott.  Home improvement stores, toy shops and electrical goods suppliers are likely to stock many Chinese products.

3. Visit www.buyhard.fsnet.co.uk/article22.htm, where you can download a range of different flyers and pamphlets for photocopying or home-printing. You can then distribute them to friends, family and members of the public.

Wouldn't a boycott just hurt ordinary Chinese people, while having little effect on the Chinese government?

Chinese workers rarely benefit from the export trade. They are paid as little as 8p per hour by employers such as Walmart (the owners of Azda). Even in China these are starvation wages. Workers are powerless to complain because independent trade unions are banned.  Anyone who tries to fight the system is likely to end up in a forced labour camp, where many Chinese goods come from. 

Harry Wu, a prominent Chinese academic, spent 18 years in prison for campaigning for democracy in China: "..it is the Chinese government that benefits most from foreign trade and investment. The government needs foreign money and technology to maintain and increase its power and to modernize their system of tyranny."  In short, by not buying Chinese exports, the Chinese government will have less money to oppress its own people.

And finally: Please do NOT boycott Chinese restaurants or other Chinese businesses operating in your area. We are boycotting Chinese goods, NOT Chinese people!

This campaign is supported by Tibetans, Chinese democracy campaigners, and by concerned shoppers around the world! 

Side One - leaflet 3

Side Two - leaflet 3

Don’t let your money pay for oppression in Tibet
BOYCOTT Made In China

China occupied Tibet in October 1950. Since then 157,000 Tibetans have been executed, and 266,000 tortured to death in a continuing campaign to crush all opposition to Chinese rule. Tibetans are now outnumbered by Chinese immigrants in their own country, and are treated as second class citizens in every respect. Many thousands have died or lost limbs to frostbite trying to escape to India via Nepal, by trekking across 400 miles of icy Himalayan mountains.

Despite the injustice of their situation, Tibetans refuse to resort to violence - to do so would be contrary to their Buddhist belief in showing compassion and loving kindness to all beings.  It would also be against the express wishes of their exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

Instead, Tibetans, including many Buddhist monks and nuns, continue to defy the Chinese authorities by peaceful means, such as unfurling the Tibetan flag in a public place, displaying photographs of the Dalai Lama, or singing protest songs. Those who take part in such actions face long prison sentences, torture and beatings, often resulting in death.

Phuntsok Yanokyi (layname Mizang), a 20-year-old nun, born in the Lhasa Region of Tibet, was serving a five-year prison sentence after participating in a peaceful  pro-independence demonstration in February 1992. She was beaten after singing nationalist songs in prison on 11th February 1994. She went into a coma, and died six days after being taken to hospital on June 4, 1994.

Amnesty International's Report-2004 shows that the situation has not improved - "Despite a few positive steps, no attempt was made to introduce the fundamental legal and institutional reforms necessary to bring an end to serious human rights violations."

TIBETANS ARE CALLING FOR YOUR HELP IN THEIR PEACEFUL STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM!

Tibetan support groups around the world have joined together for a major new campaign to boycott Chinese products. The campaign is called ‘BOYCOTT Made in China’. Here’s how you can help!

The shops are full of Chinese products - toys, electrical goods, clothes, tools, books, cookware, ornaments - you name it! Together, by refusing to buy these goods, we can put enormous pressure on China to give back independence to Tibetans. 

Quite often you will find that goods don’t indicate where they were made - they are not required to do so under UK law. However, in practice it is usually only Chinese goods that fail to indicate their origin. Therefore if 

there’s no indication of where an item is made, there is a very high chance it was made in China.

Don’t be fooled by the names or addresses of the distributor or importer which may be printed on labels. These often give a misleading impression that the product is made in your own Country. Unless the label specifically uses the words 'made in', the address means nothing.

Also remember that Macau and Hong Kong are Chinese colonies!

For further advice on how to avoid Chinese goods, visit the campaign  website at www.boycottmadeinchina.org

Further Action - please do at least one of the following: 
1. Write to the Chinese Ambassador,  MA Zhengang, 49-51 Portland Place,  London, W1B 1JL, and tell him that you intend to boycott Chinese products until Tibet is free (Salutation: ‘Your Excellency’).

2. Write to local shops to explain why you are boycotting Chinese products, and ask them to join the boycott.  Home improvement stores, toy shops and electrical goods suppliers are likely to stock many Chinese products.

3. Visit www.buyhard.fsnet.co.uk/article22.htm, where you can download a range of different flyers and pamphlets for photocopying or home-printing. You can then distribute them to friends, family and members of the public.

Wouldn't a boycott just hurt ordinary Chinese people, while having little effect on the Chinese government?

Chinese workers rarely benefit from the export trade. They are paid as little as 8p per hour by employers such as Walmart (the owners of Azda). Even in China these are starvation wages. Workers are powerless to complain because independent trade unions are banned.  Anyone who tries to fight the system is likely to end up in a forced labour camp, where many Chinese goods come from. 

Harry Wu, a prominent Chinese academic, spent 18 years in prison for campaigning for democracy in China: "..it is the Chinese government that benefits most from foreign trade and investment. The government needs foreign money and technology to maintain and increase its power and to modernize their system of tyranny."  In short, by not buying Chinese exports, the Chinese government will have less money to oppress its own people.

And finally: Please do NOT boycott Chinese restaurants or other Chinese businesses operating in your area. We are boycotting Chinese goods, NOT Chinese people!

This campaign is supported by Tibetans, Chinese democracy campaigners, and by concerned shoppers around the world! 

Side One - leaflet 4

Side Two - leaflet 4

Don’t let your money pay for oppression in Tibet
BOYCOTT Made In China

China occupied Tibet in October 1950. Since then 157,000 Tibetans have been executed, and 266,000 tortured to death in a continuing campaign to crush all opposition to Chinese rule. Tibetans are now outnumbered by Chinese immigrants in their own country, and are treated as second class citizens in every respect. Many thousands have died or lost limbs to frostbite trying to escape to India via Nepal, by trekking across 400 miles of icy Himalayan mountains.

Despite the injustice of their situation, Tibetans refuse to resort to violence - to do so would be contrary to their Buddhist belief in showing compassion and loving kindness to all beings.  It would also be against the express wishes of their exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

Instead, Tibetans, including many Buddhist monks and nuns, continue to defy the Chinese authorities by peaceful means, such as unfurling the Tibetan flag in a public place, displaying photographs of the Dalai Lama, or singing protest songs. Those who take part in such actions face long prison sentences, torture and beatings, often resulting in death.

Tashi Lhamo, age 24: She took part in a demonstration, and was sentenced to six years imprisonment. In May 1998, near the end of her sentence, she participated in a prison protest. Tashi was beaten harshly, and died at Military Hospital on 7 June, 1998 . Five other nuns are reported to have died after the protest.

Amnesty International's Report-2004 shows that the situation has not improved - "Despite a few positive steps, no attempt was made to introduce the fundamental legal and institutional reforms necessary to bring an end to serious human rights violations."

TIBETANS ARE CALLING FOR YOUR HELP IN THEIR PEACEFUL STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM!

Tibetan support groups around the world have joined together for a major new campaign to boycott Chinese products. The campaign is called ‘BOYCOTT Made in China’. Here’s how you can help!

The shops are full of Chinese products - toys, electrical goods, clothes, tools, books, cookware, ornaments - you name it! Together, by refusing to buy these goods, we can put enormous pressure on China to give back independence to Tibetans. 

Quite often you will find that goods don’t indicate where they were made - they are not required to do so under UK law. However, in practice it is usually only Chinese goods that fail to indicate their origin. Therefore if 

there’s no indication of where an item is made, there is a very high chance it was made in China.

Don’t be fooled by the names or addresses of the distributor or importer which may be printed on labels. These often give a misleading impression that the product is made in your own Country. Unless the label specifically uses the words 'made in', the address means nothing.

Also remember that Macau and Hong Kong are Chinese colonies!

For further advice on how to avoid Chinese goods, visit the campaign  website at www.boycottmadeinchina.org

Further Action - please do at least one of the following: 
1. Write to the Chinese Ambassador,  MA Zhengang, 49-51 Portland Place,  London, W1B 1JL, and tell him that you intend to boycott Chinese products until Tibet is free (Salutation: ‘Your Excellency’).

2. Write to local shops to explain why you are boycotting Chinese products, and ask them to join the boycott.  Home improvement stores, toy shops and electrical goods suppliers are likely to stock many Chinese products.

3. Visit www.buyhard.fsnet.co.uk/article22.htm, where you can download a range of different flyers and pamphlets for photocopying or home-printing. You can then distribute them to friends, family and members of the public.

Wouldn't a boycott just hurt ordinary Chinese people, while having little effect on the Chinese government?

Chinese workers rarely benefit from the export trade. They are paid as little as 8p per hour by employers such as Walmart (the owners of Azda). Even in China these are starvation wages. Workers are powerless to complain because independent trade unions are banned.  Anyone who tries to fight the system is likely to end up in a forced labour camp, where many Chinese goods come from. 

Harry Wu, a prominent Chinese academic, spent 18 years in prison for campaigning for democracy in China: "..it is the Chinese government that benefits most from foreign trade and investment. The government needs foreign money and technology to maintain and increase its power and to modernize their system of tyranny."  In short, by not buying Chinese exports, the Chinese government will have less money to oppress its own people.

And finally: Please do NOT boycott Chinese restaurants or other Chinese businesses operating in your area. We are boycotting Chinese goods, NOT Chinese people!

This campaign is supported by Tibetans, Chinese democracy campaigners, and by concerned shoppers around the world! 

Side One - leaflet 5

Side Two - leaflet 5

Don’t let your money pay for oppression in Tibet
BOYCOTT Made In China

China occupied Tibet in October 1950. Since then 157,000 Tibetans have been executed, and 266,000 tortured to death in a continuing campaign to crush all opposition to Chinese rule. Tibetans are now outnumbered by Chinese immigrants in their own country, and are treated as second class citizens in every respect. Many thousands have died or lost limbs to frostbite trying to escape to India via Nepal, by trekking across 400 miles of icy Himalayan mountains.

Despite the injustice of their situation, Tibetans refuse to resort to violence - to do so would be contrary to their Buddhist belief in showing compassion and loving kindness to all beings.  It would also be against the express wishes of their exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

Instead, Tibetans, including many Buddhist monks and nuns, continue to defy the Chinese authorities by peaceful means, such as unfurling the Tibetan flag in a public place, displaying photographs of the Dalai Lama, or singing protest songs. Those who take part in such actions face long prison sentences, torture and beatings, often resulting in death.

Yeshe Samten, a 22-year-old monk, was sentenced to two years imprisonment after protesting against the removal of photos of the Dalai Lama from his monastery. He completed his prison term and was released on May 6, 1998. However due to the injuries sustained during torture in prison, he had to be hospitalized and died six days later.

Amnesty International's Report-2004 shows that the situation has not improved - "Despite a few positive steps, no attempt was made to introduce the fundamental legal and institutional reforms necessary to bring an end to serious human rights violations."

TIBETANS ARE CALLING FOR YOUR HELP IN THEIR PEACEFUL STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM!

Tibetan support groups around the world have joined together for a major new campaign to boycott Chinese products. The campaign is called ‘BOYCOTT Made in China’. Here’s how you can help!

The shops are full of Chinese products - toys, electrical goods, clothes, tools, books, cookware, ornaments - you name it! Together, by refusing to buy these goods, we can put enormous pressure on China to give back independence to Tibetans. 

Quite often you will find that goods don’t indicate where they were made - they are not required to do so under UK law. However, in practice it is usually only Chinese goods that fail to indicate their origin. Therefore if 

there’s no indication of where an item is made, there is a very high chance it was made in China.

Don’t be fooled by the names or addresses of the distributor or importer which may be printed on labels. These often give a misleading impression that the product is made in your own Country. Unless the label specifically uses the words 'made in', the address means nothing.

Also remember that Macau and Hong Kong are Chinese colonies!

For further advice on how to avoid Chinese goods, visit the campaign  website at www.boycottmadeinchina.org

Further Action - please do at least one of the following: 
1. Write to the Chinese Ambassador,  MA Zhengang, 49-51 Portland Place,  London, W1B 1JL, and tell him that you intend to boycott Chinese products until Tibet is free (Salutation: ‘Your Excellency’).

2. Write to local shops to explain why you are boycotting Chinese products, and ask them to join the boycott.  Home improvement stores, toy shops and electrical goods suppliers are likely to stock many Chinese products.

3. Visit www.buyhard.fsnet.co.uk/article22.htm, where you can download a range of different flyers and pamphlets for photocopying or home-printing. You can then distribute them to friends, family and members of the public.

Wouldn't a boycott just hurt ordinary Chinese people, while having little effect on the Chinese government?

Chinese workers rarely benefit from the export trade. They are paid as little as 8p per hour by employers such as Walmart (the owners of Azda). Even in China these are starvation wages. Workers are powerless to complain because independent trade unions are banned.  Anyone who tries to fight the system is likely to end up in a forced labour camp, where many Chinese goods come from. 

Harry Wu, a prominent Chinese academic, spent 18 years in prison for campaigning for democracy in China: "..it is the Chinese government that benefits most from foreign trade and investment. The government needs foreign money and technology to maintain and increase its power and to modernize their system of tyranny."  In short, by not buying Chinese exports, the Chinese government will have less money to oppress its own people.

And finally: Please do NOT boycott Chinese restaurants or other Chinese businesses operating in your area. We are boycotting Chinese goods, NOT Chinese people!

This campaign is supported by Tibetans, Chinese democracy campaigners, and by concerned shoppers around the world! 

Side One - leaflet 6

Side Two - leaflet 6

Don’t let your money pay for oppression in Tibet
BOYCOTT Made In China

China occupied Tibet in October 1950. Since then 157,000 Tibetans have been executed, and 266,000 tortured to death in a continuing campaign to crush all opposition to Chinese rule. Tibetans are now outnumbered by Chinese immigrants in their own country, and are treated as second class citizens in every respect. Many thousands have died or lost limbs to frostbite trying to escape to India via Nepal, by trekking across 400 miles of icy Himalayan mountains.

Despite the injustice of their situation, Tibetans refuse to resort to violence - to do so would be contrary to their Buddhist belief in showing compassion and loving kindness to all beings.  It would also be against the express wishes of their exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

Instead, Tibetans, including many Buddhist monks and nuns, continue to defy the Chinese authorities by peaceful means, such as unfurling the Tibetan flag in a public place, displaying photographs of the Dalai Lama, or singing protest songs. Those who take part in such actions face long prison sentences, torture and beatings, often resulting in death.

Lobsang Dhargyal suddenly died on Monday morning on 19 November 2002 due to torture and maltreatment in a forced labour camp. He is believed to have suffered brain haemorrhage. He was serving a 19 year sentence for ‘splittist’ activities - the term used for calling for independence. 

Amnesty International's Report-2004 shows that the situation has not improved - "Despite a few positive steps, no attempt was made to introduce the fundamental legal and institutional reforms necessary to bring an end to serious human rights violations."

TIBETANS ARE CALLING FOR YOUR HELP IN THEIR PEACEFUL STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM!

Tibetan support groups around the world have joined together for a major new campaign to boycott Chinese products. The campaign is called ‘BOYCOTT Made in China’. Here’s how you can help!

The shops are full of Chinese products - toys, electrical goods, clothes, tools, books, cookware, ornaments - you name it! Together, by refusing to buy these goods, we can put enormous pressure on China to give back independence to Tibetans. 

Quite often you will find that goods don’t indicate where they were made - they are not required to do so under UK law. However, in practice it is usually only Chinese goods that fail to indicate their origin. Therefore if 

there’s no indication of where an item is made, there is a very high chance it was made in China.

Don’t be fooled by the names or addresses of the distributor or importer which may be printed on labels. These often give a misleading impression that the product is made in your own Country. Unless the label specifically uses the words 'made in', the address means nothing.

Also remember that Macau and Hong Kong are Chinese colonies!

For further advice on how to avoid Chinese goods, visit the campaign  website at www.boycottmadeinchina.org

Further Action - please do at least one of the following: 
1. Write to the Chinese Ambassador,  MA Zhengang, 49-51 Portland Place,  London, W1B 1JL, and tell him that you intend to boycott Chinese products until Tibet is free (Salutation: ‘Your Excellency’).

2. Write to local shops to explain why you are boycotting Chinese products, and ask them to join the boycott.  Home improvement stores, toy shops and electrical goods suppliers are likely to stock many Chinese products.

3. Visit www.buyhard.fsnet.co.uk/article22.htm, where you can download a range of different flyers and pamphlets for photocopying or home-printing. You can then distribute them to friends, family and members of the public.

Wouldn't a boycott just hurt ordinary Chinese people, while having little effect on the Chinese government?

Chinese workers rarely benefit from the export trade. They are paid as little as 8p per hour by employers such as Walmart (the owners of Azda). Even in China these are starvation wages. Workers are powerless to complain because independent trade unions are banned.  Anyone who tries to fight the system is likely to end up in a forced labour camp, where many Chinese goods come from. 

Harry Wu, a prominent Chinese academic, spent 18 years in prison for campaigning for democracy in China: "..it is the Chinese government that benefits most from foreign trade and investment. The government needs foreign money and technology to maintain and increase its power and to modernize their system of tyranny."  In short, by not buying Chinese exports, the Chinese government will have less money to oppress its own people.

And finally: Please do NOT boycott Chinese restaurants or other Chinese businesses operating in your area. We are boycotting Chinese goods, NOT Chinese people!

This campaign is supported by Tibetans, Chinese democracy campaigners, and by concerned shoppers around the world! 

TIBETANS NEED YOUR HELP TO BOYCOTT CHINESE GOODS

To the manager/proprietor of                                                 

Dear Sir/Madam,

For 30 years Tibetans have campaigned in a strictly peaceful way against Chinese rule, which has cost more than a million Tibetan lives. This includes 157,000 executed and 266,000 tortured to death.

Tibetans are treated as second-class citizens in their own country, and face brutal reprisals if they show the slightest dissent. Men, women and children are routinely imprisoned, tortured and beaten, often resulting in their deaths. Their ‘crimes’ may include unfurling a Tibetan flag in a public place (i.e. in front of foreign tourists!), or handing out pro-independence leaflets.

Amnesty International's Report-2002 shows that the situation is not improving - "Human rights violations against Tibetan Buddhists and nationalists continued in Tibet. Reports continued of torture and ill-treatment of detainees and harsh prison conditions."

Sherab Ngawang, from Lhasa City was 12 years old when she was arrested for peacefully demonstrating for independence. She served three years in a forced labor camp, but died shortly after release due to health problems caused by torture, beatings and general ill-treatment she received during her sentence.

In the face of such vicious persecution, Tibetans are calling for your help in their peaceful campaign for freedom, and ask you to stop selling Chinese products or making goods in China until Tibet is free. All of the major Tibet support groups are backing the campaign, including the Canada Tibet Committee and the Tibetan Youth Congress. Please send your message of support to the organisers at: Boycott Made In China, P.O. Box 62, 260 Adelaide Street East, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5A 1N1, or email: canada@boycottmadeinchina.org

Yours faithfully, 

For further information, visit www.boycottmadeinchina.org

The following companies sell a lot of Chinese products, or make products in China. Please write/phone/email/fax to ask them to join the boycott - see contact details below. 

You may want to copy or adapt our suggested letter (above).

1. Woolworths (UK) - email them at customer.relations@woolworths.co.uk, or phone them at  - (01706) 862789

2. Walmart (USA)

3. B&Q (UK) - either write to:

Head Of Customer Services
B&Q Head Office
Portswood House
1 Hampshire Corporate Park
Chandlers Ford
Eastleigh
Hants
SO53 3YX

or use feedback form

4. Wickes - UK (part of Focus Group)

5. Focus DIY (UK)- 

Registered office:

FOCUS (DIY) Limited
Gawsworth House
Westmere Drive
Crewe
Cheshire
CW1 6XB

or phone Focus on 0800 436 436.

To contact Focus by email please mail to info@focusdiy.co.uk