Peace March for a Free Tibet

Sent by Email[Friday, March 02, 2007 13:45]
Press Release: Organizing Committee Peace March for a Free Tibet

Over 150 monks from mostly Sera Monastery of Bylakuppe Tibetan Settlement in Periyapatna Taluk will be undertaking a Peace March from Mysore to Bangalore city from 3rd March to 10th March to commemorate the 48th Tibetan National Uprising day and to highlight and seek global support for the Tibetan freedom struggle. The march is primarily organized to seek support to save Tibet from the clutches of autocratic China.

The week long Peace March will be flagged off from Mysore Town Hall at around 10 a.m after a brief Opening ceremony participated by over several hundred local Tibetans and Indian supporters. Besides the introductory speech by the Representative of the Peace March, the ceremony will also be addressed by Shri Mahadev Prasad, the Honorable Kanada and Cultural Minister of Government of Karanataka State as the Chief Guest and Venerable Acharya Nawang Nyima, Principal, Sera Je Secondary School and Mr Lobsang Yeshi, Vice President, Tibetan Youth Congress as the Guests of Honour. The Executive members of Regional Tibetan Youth Congress and Regional Tibetan Women’s Association of Bylakuppe, Hunsur, Kollegal, Mysore and Bangalore city will also attend the ceremony to extend their support and solidarity with the marchers. The March is also supported by the Indo-Tibetan Friendship Society Branch of Mysore city besides the Tibetan NGOs. The March will culminate at Mahatma Gandhi Park, Bangalore on the 10th March with a procession, Press Conference, candlelight vigil and Public rally addressed by eminent speakers.

During the weeklong Peace March campaign, the monk activists will organize huge public rally and address, press conferences, distribute leaflets on Tibetan issue, poster sticking, slogan raising etc.

Why the Peace March?

After China’s forcible occupation of Tibet in 1949, China has systematically destroyed Tibet: resulting in the death of over 1.2 million Tibetans, destroyed over 6000 monasteries, exploited and damaged Tibet’s rich and fragile environment irreversibly. Indiscriminate dumping of harmful nuclear wastes is also rampant in Tibet. There is also a gross violation of human rights with thousands of Tibetans still languishing in prisons simply for exercising their fundamental human rights. Infact, Tibet is virtually the last gulag of the modern world.

Today, situation is even worst for the Tibetans inside Tibet. China had intensified its repressive and marginalizing policy on the Tibetans with discrimination in jobs, education, health, social benefits and livelihood practiced on extremity. These unfavorable policies are a stark pointer to the colonial campaigns of the Chinese government aimed at total annihilation of the Tibetan race and the nation.

Campaigns like Patriotic Re-education, Strike Hard, Struggle sessions etc are launched to curb religious freedom for the Tibetans targeting primarily the monks and nuns. Monks and nuns are not allowed freely to pursue religious study in Monasteries and are expelled arbitrarily. Thousands are imprisoned even today in various notorious prisons like Dapshi, Sangyib and Powo Tromo etc. These include Tibet’s prominent spiritual leaders like Panchen Lama, Tulku Tenzin Delek. Bangri Rinpoche etc. Recently China has launched an unprecedented malicious propaganda campaign against His Holiness the Dalai Lama, branding the world’s most revered and loved Noble Peace Laureate and Tibet’s Spiritual and Temporal leader as a Spilittist etc. This is done to hurt the sentiments of not just the Tibetans and the Buddhists but the peace lovers the world over.

Therefore, We the Tibetans especially the monks and the nuns strongly condemn this vicious campaign by the Chinese Government and warn that China is only deteriorating the present Sino-Tibetan imbroglio. We believe that early and just resolution of the Tibetan issue must be realized through the world support.

Through this Peace March, We demand that:

1. The Chinese government must stop immediately the malicious and
blasphemous campaign against Tibetan spiritual and temporal leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama-from baselessly labeling His Holiness as splittist and banning the display of His Portraits in Tibet. We also call for the early and perfect resolution of the Tibetan issue.
2. One of the Tibet’s prominent Spiritual leaders the Panchen Lama has been
arbitrarily detained since his recognition by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1995. Till today his whereabouts is not known. We seek the immediate release of Panchen Lama and other Tibetan political prisoners from the Chinese prisons.
3. We call upon the Chinese government to immediately stop the massive
population transfer policy inside Tibet and also demand the withdrawal of all the Chinese people from Tibet.
4. We also appeal the Indian Government and the people to render political support in the early resolution of the Tibetan cause.

Issued by:
Organizing Committee Peace March for a Free Tibet Initiated by Monks of Sera Monastery Sera Monastery, Tibetan Settlement P.O. Bylakuppe, Distt Mysore, Karnatake State, India

For details contact:
Ven. Phurbu Samdup- 09845809845
Ven Gelong- 09845337371
Ven Tsewang- 09945915514