Announcements

CSN announces six rallies,
reacts to new outrage by Chinese government,
upgrades web site, releases new rock song

March 27, 2008 (CSN) -- The China Support Network (CSN) and partners in the Freedom First, Olympics Second Coalition (FFOSC) are planning to co-sponsor six rallies in the northeast U.S. within the next month. These rallies center around the Human Rights Torch Relay (HRTR), a project of the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG).

"Everyone is piling on against the Olympics. The Human Rights Torch Relay is a counterpoint to the Olympic torch relay. The upcoming tour can be an excellent awareness-building measure," said John Kusumi, Director Emeritus of the China Support Network. The series of rallies will hear from leading Chinese dissidents and from a new rock band, Light Club, as well as from CSN's own Mr. Kusumi. The cities and dates are as follows:

• March 30, Boston MA includes speeches by John Kusumi and Yang Jianli, music by Light Club
  
• April 5, Providence RI includes speeches by John Kusumi and Xu Wenli
  
• April 12, Portsmouth NH includes speech by John Kusumi
  
• April 13, Manhattan NYC includes speech by John Kusumi, music by Light Club
  
• April 19, Portland ME includes speech by John Kusumi
  
• April 26 New Haven CT includes speech by John Kusumi, music by Light Club
  

The kickoff event will be this Sunday in Boston, Massachusetts. A marathon of runners will carry the torch to the Boston Common, arriving at midday. Then a march and a torch lighting ceremony will be followed by a rally (likely at 2p.m.) with speeches and music. The debut appearance of Light Club will include the first live performance of the new song, 'Freedom First (Olympics Second).'

Light Club is a new act assembled by Tim Britt, a songwriter and guitarist formerly with NoManZero. His new band will also play 'Remember Tiananmen Square,' the theme song of the China Support Network. 'Freedom First' will become the theme song of the Freedom First, Olympics Second Coalition.

New Outrage by Chinese Government

At Students for a Free Tibet, their blog is now reporting that Tibetan monks in beseiged monasteries are facing a new peril: death by starvation. Chinese troops have reportedly cut off water supplies to monasteries they surround, and are not allowing food to be brought to the monks.

The China Support Network suggests that everyone should hit the panic button. "If monks have gone two weeks without food, then they now have a humanitarian emergency and a serious threat to their health. The siege of the monasteries will be recorded as another crime against humanity, hopefully the last of the Chinese Communist Party dictatorship," said CSN's John Kusumi. The China Support Network calls upon all Western governments to use their influence to lift the siege of the monasteries. And directly to the Chinese government, CSN calls for a lifting of the siege and for supplies, humanitarian relief workers, journalists, and international monitors to be allowed access to the monks.

"In the latest Tibet crackdown, Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao are scaling the heights of evil, while also missing their last, best chance to have Tibet in a confederacy with China. If they don't talk to the Dalai Lama, history will record theirs as a missed opportunity," added Kusumi, who in the next speech (Sunday) will call for Communist China to negotiate with the Dalai Lama.

Briefly

• The web site at www.chinasupport.net has been upgraded. The "splash page" is now a quick read of the latest news, and has more introductory material forming an overview of China-related issues as seen from here. A new CSN podcast and YouTube videos mean that text, audio, and video are all available from the front page at chinasupport.net.
   
  
• The rock band Light Club has made its song 'Freedom First (Olympics Second)' freely available as an .MP3 file at www.lightclub.us. The first performance won't happen until Sunday, but you can hear the song now! Visit www.lightclub.us.