Dear Friend,
                When we last asked for your signature to free the Hong Kong 47, you have responded overwhelmingly.
                We have 310 signatures so far.  We need to make it to 500
                If you have not done so, please sign the following petition.
                If you have already signed the petition, please forward to a friend to help.
                In addition to charging the 47 Hong Kong pro-democracy candidates under the National Security Law imposed onto Hong Kong, China has just changed Hong Kong's election laws to guarantee that only "patriots govern Hong Kong".  This rings in the final assault on Hong Kong's freedom.
                We need to ask our elected officials to send a message to change China's behavior.
                Please click here: http://chng.it/Dz4Hgg6F
Thank you for your support,
Ann Lau

On the Anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day Press Release: For immediate release

March 10, 2021, on the anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day.
On this day, March 10, 1959, Tibetans braved against the Chinese Communist Party's army to fight for their freedom.
For 62 years, they have kept their dream for freedom alive.
Yet throughout these many years, the world turned their back on the Tibetan struggles.
The lessons learned from the Tibetans should have forewarned Hong Kong in 1997.
The Chinese Communists Party's promise to the people of Hong Kong of 50 years unchanged proved to be not worth the paper it was on.
After only 23 years, last year, China imposed the National Security Law onto Hong Kong, effectively placing the so called One Country Two Systems to its demise.
Using the pretense of vocational training the Uighurs in Xinjiang province, China has created close to 400 labor camps with an estimate of one to two millions Uighurs.
In Tibet, over 500,000 Tibetans are also forced into labor camps in the guise of re-training.
Those who stand up for human rights, democracy and freedoms, must stand together to demand that the world pay attention.
We call on democratic countries around the world to censor China imports produced from these labor camps.
We call on freedom loving people around the world to join us in facing this calamity together.
Ann Lau
Chair, Visual Artists Guild
Visual Artists Guild is a non-profit organization that champions the right of freedom of speech and expression.

URGENT ACTION: U.S. Must Demand Hong Kong Drop Charges Against 47 Pro-Democracy Candidates

Please sign Petition below:

Please sign this petition by clicking on this link:
http://chng.it/Dz4Hgg6F
On February 28th, 2021, 47 Hong Kong democrats and activists have been charged with conspiracy to commit subversion under the National Security Law (NSL).  All 47 detainees are pro-democracy legislators and activists involved in the unofficial primaries prior to last year’s legislative council election. They include the organizers of the primaries and candidates on the ballots, among them Joshua Wong (黃之鋒) is already serving a sentence in prison, Ted Hui (許智峯) and Sunny Cheung (張崑陽) have been forced into exile. The primaries, a de facto opinion poll, which aimed to coordinate candidacies between electoral districts is a legal practice.

However, since the imposition of the National Security Law on Hong Kong by the government of China, such action is now deemed as an act of subversion and used as a pretext to mass arrest and detention of Hong Kong democrats.  It is yet another brutal assault on human rights, freedom and democracy of Hong Kong in flagrant violation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

We the undersigned unequivocally condemn the suppression and persecution of Hongkongers by the government of China.  We call upon our government to stand with Hong Kong and take concrete actions.

We ask that you urge the U.S. Olympic Committee to have the International Olympic Committee move the 2022 Winter Olympics from Beijing.

We ask that not only do the U.S. continue to sanction those Hong Kong officials who are already under U.S. sanction but also to extend sanctions to other Hong Kong officials who defended and excused such repression.
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PRESSRELEASE: GLOBAL ACTION FOR A FREE BURMA

TELL A FRIEND
PLEASE JOIN US: Visual Artists Guild will participate in the Global Action with a Caravan

WHAT: On February 1, Myanmar (formerly called Burma) military seized power from the ruling NLD (National League for Democracy).
              This is a call for Global Action For Free Burma around the world to demand China stop its support of the Myanmar military junta.
              China has vetoed a UN statement condemning the military coup.
              Visual Artists Guild will participate in the global action with a caravan going to the China Consulate.
WHEN:   Saturday, February 20, 2021, 11:00 a.m.
WHERE: Caravan will leave at 11:00 a.m. from Los Angeles State Historical Park near Chinatown and
                 arriving at the China Consulate at 443 Shatto Place.
                 See direction and map below.
Caravan Direction: Meet at Los Angeles State Historical Park parking area.
                 1545 N. Spring St., Los Angeles 90012 (corner of Sotello st.)
                  Caravan will begin at 11:00 a.m.
                  Go South on N Spring St.; Right on College St; Left on Broadway;
                  Right on 1st St.; Left on Grand;
                  Right on Wilshire; Right on Vermont; Right on 6th;
                  Right on Shatto Place. 
                  Please wear face mask and observer social distance when outside of the car.  
                  Please print out (and enlarge if possible) the attached signs and paste on each side of your car.
                  Also in the front and the back as well if possible. 

Background Information:
                 On February 1, 2021, the military of Myanmar (formerly called Burma) staged a coup and arrested the democratically elected members of the ruling party including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, cabinet ministers, state and region chief ministers, party leaders . 
                 The election in 2020 gave the National League for Democracy (NLD) 396 out of 476 seats in parliament.  The coup happened the day before the Parliament of Myanmar was due to swear in the elected members of that election.  The army claimed the vote was fraudulent.
                  Since the coup, citizens in Myanmar have taken to the streets in protests with labor strikes, civil disobedience with a three finger salute symbol of protest.  The military had since blocked the internet, beside arresting the politicians from the NLD, the military also arrested journalists and celebrities.
                  Gun shots have been reported and the military has increasingly using violent tactics on the protesters.
 Information on Global Action:
                  Ii Maung: 310-753-3467
 Information on Visual Artists Guild Caravan to Consulate:
                 Ann Lau 310-433-0697
                 Visual Artists Guild is a non-profit organization which supports the right of freedom of speech and expression.
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Anniversary of Dr. Li Wenliang passing; Appeal for transparency on WHO investigation in Wuhan; Review of Fang Fang' Wuhan Diary

On the first anniversary of the passing of Dr. Li Wenliang, Visual Artists Guild, recognizing the isolation and confusion caused by the deaths of hundreds of thousands of friends, family members and colleagues the world over, call on today to be a turning point in this pandemic to speak to and honor those to support a transparency in finding the source of this Wuhan Virus so that it can be wiped out and end this era of near Dark Ages. 

With members of the World Health Organization now in Wuhan, we ask that the investigators to be allowed to conduct a complete research of all the records in the hospital, in the laboratories, be able to interview front line medical staffs, researchers separately so they can speak freely and without worrying that they may be disciplined should they speak out of line of the government's narrative.   Only in this co-operative and transparent manner will the world find a path through our common enemy, the corona virus.

We further ask for the release of Zhang Zhan, Fang Bin, and Chen Qiushi, independent journalists who went to Wuhan to inform the citizens about the situation in Wuhan during the lockdown.  Zhang Zhan has been sentenced to four years in jail for her reporting.  Both Fang Bin and Chen Qiushi have disappeared since February, 2020.

Now that we too have undergone lockdowns as well as many missteps by our own government, we thank Fang Fang for giving us daily reports of her own experience while she was under the lockdown in Wuhan in early 2020.  The world now shares her experience.

Visual Artists Guild has been able to interview Tienchi Liao-Martin to talk about her thoughts on Fang Fang's book.
Please click on this Youtube video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNWlJQB5Gbc

Contact Information: Ann Lau, Chair, Visual Artists Guild 310-433-0697
Visual Artists Guild is a non-profit organization which champions the right of freedom of speech and expression.