It is difficult to know how many are caught or shot by the Chinese border authorities. Although similar incidents have been reported before from both sides of the border, this is first time that various eye-witnesses have brought such killings to international attention, as a Romanian TV station and BBC released video footage of the Chinese border patrol firing on a group of 73 people, including women and children, some as young as five six years old, while they were crossing into Nepal through the Nangpa La pass.

Previous similar allegations have remained uninvestigated.

Apparently, 43 people of the group were able to escape from the gun-fire and safely reached Nepalese territory, where they are under the care of the Tibetan Refugees Reception Center in Kathmandu; whereas, the current status of the remaining 30 people is still unknown.

The shooting by the Chinese border guards is in violation of the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials (1990), which requires that "Law enforcement officials shall not use firearms against persons except in self-defence or defence of others against the imminent threat of death or serious injury, to prevent the perpetration of a particularly serious crime involving grave threat to life, to arrest a person presenting such a danger and resisting their authority, or to prevent his or her escape, and only when less extreme means are insufficient to achieve these objectives. In any event, intentional lethal use of firearms may only be made when strictly unavoidable in order to protect life." (Principle 9).

TAKE ACTION
Please write to the following officials calling for the UN agencies and the international community to take immediate steps to ensure the safety of Tibetan refugees fleeing into Nepal and launch an independent and transparent investigation into the killings:
Name:AntÛnio Guterres
Position: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Address:Case Postale 2500
CH-1211 Geneva 2 DÈpÙt
Switzerland
Salutation: Dear High Commissioner
Fax: +41 22 739 7346

Name:Louise Arbour
Position:United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Address:OHCHR, Palais de Nations
8-14 Avenue de la Paix
CH-1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland
Salutation: Dear High Commissioner
Email: tb-petitions@ohchr.org
Fax: +41 22 917 9022

Write to your Congressman and ask him/her to have your government lodge an official diplomatic objection to China regarding its flagrant violation of international human rights standards which resulted in this incident. For the name and address of your senator and congressman, see link http://www.kintera.org/siteapps/advocacy/search.aspx?c=ahKMI5PIIpE&b=1467113
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/Tibetan_refugees

Write to the Chinese government and express your concern at the People's Armed Police's flagrant violation of international human rights standards. The People's Armed Police falls in part under the command of the Ministry of Public Security within the State Council.
Name: Zhou Yongkang
Position: Minister of Public Security
Address: 14 Dongchang ' an St.,
Beijing
China 100741
Salutation: Dear Minister
Tel: +86 (10) 6512-1967
No email address or fax number is available.