NEW YORK—Across the street from the Waldorf-Astoria hotel on Park Avenue, where the delegates to the U.N. General Assembly are staying this week, several groups set up on Tuesday to protest for human rights improvements and more freedom in their countries.
Tibet Activists
A few dozens Tibetans shouted slogans like “Tibet for Tibetans”, “Wen Jiabao, quit Tibet now,” “Wen Jiabao, stop lying to the world” and “Stop the genocide in Tibet.”
“There are lots of human rights violations in Tibet”, said Ngwang Tashi, president of Regional Tibet Youth Congress of NY & NJ. “There is no right even to religious practice, no freedom, no right to express one’s own thoughts, not even to keep the picture of the Dalai Lama.”
Tashi said the Tibetan group came to give a message to Wen Jiabao, that since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has occupied Tibet since the 1950s, it is now time to release Tibet.
Change in China is possible, Tashi believes. “Many countries have changed their governments from communist to democratic countries, and only a few communist governments have been left in the world,” he said. “So now it’s China’s time to change.”
Democracy Activists
“We want democracy in China, and we hope the Chinese Communist Party will open the one party system and introduce the democratic system in China,” said Wang Juntao, cochairman of the National committee of the Democratic Party of China (see box), who joined the Democratic Party of China activists to protest in front of the Waldorf-Astoria.
Hundreds of activists from the Democratic Party of China were in front of the Waldorf-Astoria to call Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to put into practice his recent words that “Justice is more than sunshine in China.”
“We cannot take his words seriously,” says Wang. “If you check the communist party, they always say very good words, but their actions are very cruel.” ”But people like it [his words], so we have to use his words to push the situation to change”, he said.
Cameroon Activists
Cameroonians were also on Park Avenue on Tuesday to call for democracy and freedom in Cameroon. “We think the world needs to understand that Cameroon needs to be free,” said Simon Pemer who left Cameroon in 1987 and migrated to the United States. “We have to stop the killing of people in Cameroon,” he said.
Paul Biya, the president of Cameroon, has been in power for over 27 years. “He changes the constitution as many times as he wants to, runs for president for as many times as he wants to, and now he wants his son to replace him,” said Gervais Djonadji who fled Cameroon 10 years ago to the United States for political asylum.
“We want to let everybody know that Cameroon is not a private property, Cameroon is a land for Cameroonians.”
Djonadji is blaming France for supporting Biya and calling on France as well as the entire world to tell Biya to step down. “Cameroon is supposed to be independent for half a century now, and this is not happening”, he says.
Tibet Activists
A few dozens Tibetans shouted slogans like “Tibet for Tibetans”, “Wen Jiabao, quit Tibet now,” “Wen Jiabao, stop lying to the world” and “Stop the genocide in Tibet.”
“There are lots of human rights violations in Tibet”, said Ngwang Tashi, president of Regional Tibet Youth Congress of NY & NJ. “There is no right even to religious practice, no freedom, no right to express one’s own thoughts, not even to keep the picture of the Dalai Lama.”
Tashi said the Tibetan group came to give a message to Wen Jiabao, that since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has occupied Tibet since the 1950s, it is now time to release Tibet.
Change in China is possible, Tashi believes. “Many countries have changed their governments from communist to democratic countries, and only a few communist governments have been left in the world,” he said. “So now it’s China’s time to change.”
Democracy Activists
“We want democracy in China, and we hope the Chinese Communist Party will open the one party system and introduce the democratic system in China,” said Wang Juntao, cochairman of the National committee of the Democratic Party of China (see box), who joined the Democratic Party of China activists to protest in front of the Waldorf-Astoria.
Hundreds of activists from the Democratic Party of China were in front of the Waldorf-Astoria to call Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to put into practice his recent words that “Justice is more than sunshine in China.”
“We cannot take his words seriously,” says Wang. “If you check the communist party, they always say very good words, but their actions are very cruel.” ”But people like it [his words], so we have to use his words to push the situation to change”, he said.
Cameroon Activists
Cameroonians were also on Park Avenue on Tuesday to call for democracy and freedom in Cameroon. “We think the world needs to understand that Cameroon needs to be free,” said Simon Pemer who left Cameroon in 1987 and migrated to the United States. “We have to stop the killing of people in Cameroon,” he said.
Paul Biya, the president of Cameroon, has been in power for over 27 years. “He changes the constitution as many times as he wants to, runs for president for as many times as he wants to, and now he wants his son to replace him,” said Gervais Djonadji who fled Cameroon 10 years ago to the United States for political asylum.
“We want to let everybody know that Cameroon is not a private property, Cameroon is a land for Cameroonians.”
Djonadji is blaming France for supporting Biya and calling on France as well as the entire world to tell Biya to step down. “Cameroon is supposed to be independent for half a century now, and this is not happening”, he says.
