10 March 2025
We are commemorating today a momentous occasion in the history of our nation, marking the 66th anniversary of the 10th of March 1959, when Tibetans from all the three provinces, being of one mind, united in a non-violent, spontaneous action to stage an uprising against the violent mentality and perpetrations of the Communist Chinese government. It is a day so deeply ingrained in the psyche of our people as to remain exceedingly difficult to erase from our collective memory. Today is also the Tibetan Martyrs’ Day to commemorate the patriotic valour of the Tibetan men and women who sacrificed their all, including their very lives, for the sake of the Tibetan religious, political, and national causes. The tragedy of the Tibetan nation began with the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 which in due course undertook an armed invasion of the country. This was followed by communist China’s launch of all manners of campaigns, including violent ones, against the Tibetan people. It all culminated in China coercing the government of Tibet to sign under duress the so-called 17-Point Agreement in 1951. Nevertheless, following it, the Tibetan government strived to coexist with the communist Chinese government through dialogue in the manner of coddling the fire even though one was being burned by it. Even then, the government of China simply ignored and trampled on the provisions of that agreement. And manifests of protests by the Tibetan pubic against it kept growing day by day. Ultimately, the situation became so dire, including the fact that the personal safety of His Holiness the Dalai Lama came under threat, that it culminated in the outbreak of the day that we now commemorate as the 10th of March 1959 uprising anniversary. Seven days after that momentous occasion, His Holiness the Dalai Lama was forced to flee to seek refuge in India, along with the government and many citizens of Tibet. Meanwhile, the government of China continued to carry out its repressive occupation rule in Tibet with campaigns one after another such as the Democratic Reform, the Cultural Revolution and so forth. These campaigns were used to carry out large-scale acts aimed at eradicating the religion, culture and nationality of the Tibetan people.
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