“Woeser has been waiting 1,151 days for a passport. As one of Tibet’s most famous poets, she has never shied away from voicing her criticism of the Chinese government even though she is resident in Beijing. Now she is taking her protest one step further and is suing the authorities to get the document. ‘For so long now, many Tibetan people have met difficulties applying for a passport. Some people will walk for a long time, climbing snow-capped mountains to arrive in Nepal to get their right as a citizen,’ she said yesterday. ‘In China, no matter whether you are from Beijing or Changchun, it is always very easy and convenient to apply for a passport. The procedure is quite simple. Within 15 days of their application, they will get a passport. But such an easy procedure is quite unbelievable for a Tibetan.’” (07/24/08)