Worldwide Tibetan protest on 19 October

Saturday, October 15, 2011

By Lobsang Wangyal |Tibet Sun

Kalon Tripa Dr Lobsang Sangay (l) and Speaker Penpa Tsering (r) addressing a joint press conference at the DIIR Lhakpa Tsering hall in Dharamshala, north India on October 12, 2011. (Phayul Photo/Norbu Wangyal)

Mecloed Ganj, India-- Tibetans and their supporters will stage a global protest by observing a day-long fast with prayers on 19 October to express their solidarity with all those who lost their lives in Tibet as well as other Tibetans who are incarcerated for their courage to speak up for the rights of the Tibetan people.

This was announced by the Kalon Tripa (Prime Minister of the Central Tibetan Administration), Lobsang Sangay, during a joint press conference with the Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile, Penpa Tsering.

“The Central Tibetan Administration will offer day-long prayers and encourage all Tibetans to fast on that day as a gesture of solidarity with Tibetans in Tibet,” Sangay said.

Seven monks, six from Kirti Monastery in Ngaba in Tibet, set themselves on fire — five of them in the last two weeks — to protest the repressive Chinese rule in Tibet. Four of the seven monks died, including Kaying (18), Choephel (19), Tsewang Norbu (29), and Lobsang Phuntsok (21). The conditions of the three others, namely Lobsang Kelsang (18), Lobsang Kunchok (19), and Kelsang Wangchuk (17), are still unknown.

Sangay blamed the self-immolation by the monks on the deteriorating situation in Tibet, and said that the victims had found China’s occupation and repression intolerable.

“Tibetans in Tibet are driven to these drastic acts to resist political repression, cultural assimilation, economic marginalisation and environmental destruction,” Sangay said.

Penpa Tsering said that a group of Tibetan parliamentarians will leave for Delhi on Wednesday and hold meetings with ambassadors of various countries based in Delhi from Thursday onwards. On 18 October, Tibetan parliamentarians will gather in Delhi and organise a 24-hour hunger strike.

On October 19, 20 and 21, around 3,000 Tibetans will gather in Delhi for a three-day event being organised by the Tibetan Parliament in collaboration with the Tibetan cabinet.

Sangay earlier this week held meetings with the two envoys of the Dalai Lama, Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen, to make efforts to resume talks with the representatives of the Chinese leadership to address the underlying root causes of Tibetan grievances and resentment.

Gyari and Gyaltsen have held nine rounds of talks with the Chinese leaders since 2002, which produced no tangible results to the Tibetan issue.