Urgent Appeal to Safeguard Free Media for Tibet and Counter CCP Disinformation

London | 16 March 2025 | GATPM

An Urgent Appeal by Tsering Passang, Founder & Chair of the Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities:

I write with deep concern regarding alarming reports of potential funding cuts that could severely impact vital US-funded broadcasters such as Radio Free Asia (RFA) and Voice of America (VOA). These media outlets have long been critical sources of uncensored news for communities oppressed by authoritarian regimes, including Tibetans inside Chinese-occupied Tibet.

RFA’s Tibetan language service has played an indispensable role in delivering truthful reporting from within Tibet — a region where Beijing’s repressive control has stifled independent journalism. RFA’s ability to connect with Tibetans in real-time, despite China’s extensive censorship, has been vital in exposing human rights abuses, religious persecution, and environmental destruction in Tibet.

At a time when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is aggressively escalating its disinformation campaigns worldwide, shutting down or weakening RFA would be a strategic misstep with far-reaching consequences. The United States has repeatedly reaffirmed its commitment to countering Beijing’s malign influence, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region. Ensuring the continuity of RFA’s operations is directly aligned with this objective.

Moreover, the continuation of RFA and VOA’s Tibetan language services is not only a geopolitical necessity — it is also a moral imperative. These broadcasts provide a rare and vital platform for Tibetan language preservation, helping sustain a culture that the CCP has relentlessly sought to erase through colonial-style boarding schools and other assimilation tactics.

I strongly urge US authorities, particularly Congress and the Trump administration, to reconsider any funding cuts that threaten the essential work of RFA and VOA. Weakening these platforms would embolden Communist China’s propaganda machine, silence marginalised voices, and undermine the United States’ strategic interests in promoting democracy and free speech worldwide.

Now more than ever, the world must stand firm in defence of press freedom and amplify the voices of those striving to expose the truth. The continuation of RFA’s Tibetan language service is crucial to this cause.

We at the Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities urge President Trump and the US Congress to uphold America’s proud tradition of supporting freedom of speech and protecting oppressed communities — and to ensure RFA’s Tibetan language service continues its invaluable work at this critical time.

Tsering Passang
Founder & Chair
Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities

Author: Tsering Passang

Founder and Chair, Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities (GATPM)

One thought on “Urgent Appeal to Safeguard Free Media for Tibet and Counter CCP Disinformation”

  1. Peacebuilding: Moving Toward Recovery, Reconstruction and Reconciliation https://voh.intermix.org/items/3352/thread?auth_token=TVMQwpbsZqqHkpi7GtZx&exp_item_id=3352

    In light of the change of government in Syria and the possible ceasefires in the Gaza Strip and Ukraine, there has been increasing discussion in the United Nations among government representatives, Secretariat members, and non-government organizations (NGO) concerning measures for peacebuilding.  Peacebuilding aims to promote well-being based on the dignity and equality of all persons. 

There are close links among macroeconomic design, sectoral initiatives such as the restoration of agricultural production, and the creation of new governmental structures to replace those which had been factors leading to the armed conflict.  There is a need to empower people - especially the most marginalized - to participate in the new policy formulation. 

A good deal of the current discussion has focused on the foreign funds that will be needed for reconstruction - a great amount of money.  However, a first emphasis must be on local capacity building, the creation of new coalitions and networks which share similar visions. 

We have seen with the ethnic and religious-based violence in Syria after the change in government that change at the top of government structures is not enough.  There must be a new spirit and new actors  - such as an increase in the participation of women. 

It is now generally recognized that sustainable human development is difficult to achieve without addressing power relations both at the national and the local level.  This requires a deep understanding of the motivations and resources available to local groups.  Vital interests may no longer be protected, but new groups may not be yet structured. 

There is a need to strengthen - often to create - national human rights institutions with a capacity to monitor all human rights - political, economic, social, and cultural.  Increasing transparency of governmental decision-making is vitally needed. 

Planning for peacebuilding in advance of ceasefires is necessary. Physical recovery of housing, medical and educational facilities is expensive but relatively simple in contrast to rebuilding social, political, and cultural networks.  Current tensions are a clear indicator of the need for advanced planning and mobilization among all participants.

    René Wadlow, Association of World Citizens

    On Sun, Mar 16, 2025 at 8:58 AM Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted

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