7th General Body Meeting of Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet begins
By Lobsang Tenchoe
DHARAMSALA, September 27: Gu-Chu- Sum Movement of Tibet, an organization of former political prisoners of Tibet, marked its 25th anniversary and began its 7th General Body Meeting today at Norbu Hotel in Mcleod Ganj, Dharamsala.
The opening day of the three-day event had in attendance, Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok, Deputy Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile (TPiE) as the Chief Guest and former Kalon (Minister) Rinchen Khando as the Special Guest.
Atsok Lukar Jam, President of the organization, in his opening address briefed about the emergence of the organization. Highlighting the current political development in China, he said: “The exercise of political clampdown and suppression in China over one political wing by another will result in revolution.”
“The biggest weapon we hold against the Chinese Communist government is the unfathomable spirit of the Tibetan self immolators and the political prisoners,” he added.
“Because of the instable and shaky nature of Chinese government, we may as well see better days and the oldest political prisoner here may get to set foot on a free Tibet,” he concluded.
The organization also launched a brief biography on Tibet’s foremost political prisoner Tanak Jigmey Sangpo and a book on peaceful protests in eastern Tibet’s Kardze region from 2008-2016.
Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok in his address drew similarities between the Tibetan political prisoners and India’s Mahatma Gandhi who is known for his spirit of resistance.
“Our political prisoners have sacrificed everything for the cause of Tibet and stood against the Chinese communist regime’s brutal and repressive policies,” Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok said, highlighting the indomitable spirit of resistance shown by Tibetan political prisoners.
The Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet was established on September 27, 1991 in Dharamsala by former Tibetan political prisoners. The NGO works to provide support to ex-political prisoners who have escaped into exile and also to secure the release of other Tibetan political prisoners in Tibet.
The Tibetan words Gu-Chu-Sum stand for the numbers 9, 10 and 3, which refers to three months in the late 1980s (September 1987, October 1987, and March 1988) when major Tibetan protests were crushed by the Chinese government in Lhasa, the traditional capital of Tibet.
