Tibetans in Dharamsala commemorate 60th anniversary of National Uprising Day with Peace march
DHARAMSALA, March 10: Tibetans and supporters today participated in a public march to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day here in Dharamsala.
Carrying Tibetan national flags, pictures of the His Holiness the Dalai Lama and play cards with slogans such as ‘Free Tibet’, ‘China out of Tibet’ and ‘Tibet belongs to Tibetans’, Tibetans in thousands from all walks of life and supporters marched from Mcleod Ganj to Kacheri in lower Dharamsala.
The public march began after the official anniversary function to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day and it was collectively organised by five Tibetan NGOs – Tibetan Youth Congress, Tibetan Women’s Association, Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet, Students for a Free Tibet and National Democratic Party for Tibet.
In a statement released on the day, the NGO’s expressed grave concern over the communist regimes continued suppression, atrocities and violation of basic human rights of Tibetans inside Tibet.
“For the past 60 years, more than 1 million Tibetans have died under the military occupation of China. Presently, Tibetans inside Tibet continues to face continuous repression and subjugation under the communist regime that includes but are not limited to language suppression, environmental destruction, forced assimilation, imprisonment and torture of dissidents, and greater cultural genocide,” the statement read.
As Tibetans observe 60 years of resistance, the NGO’s said the protests by the Tibetans against the communist regime are triggered by the regimes’ oppressive and brutal rule in Tibet.
‘Tibetans will continue to resist in the face of Chinese wrong policies over Tibet,” the NGOs added.
The group further appealed for support from international supporters, communities and friends to mount stronger actions against China to alleviate the suffering of Tibetans under Chinese regime and demanded the immediate release of Panchen Lama and all the Tibetan political prisoners from the Chinese prisons inside Tibet.
In a parallel event, the NGO’s took the aerial route by paragliding hundreds of feet in the air with unfurling an Indian and Tibetan National Flag as well a giant white banner that read China, Free Tibet Now.
On March 10, 1959, sensing a Chinese plot to abduct His Holiness the Dalai Lama, more than 300,000 Tibetans surrounded his summer palace, Norbulingka to protect his life and to protest against the Chinese occupation.
Seven days later, His Holiness the Dalai Lama left Lhasa and fled to India. 80,000 Tibetans followed him into exile.