Hundreds of people yesterday marched in Taipei to commemorate the 66th anniversary of the Tibetan uprising, protesting the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) cultural and ethnic genocide in Tibet.
When the protesters arrived at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, they held a ritual to commemorate people killed in the uprising. At the Taipei branch of Bank of China in Xinyi District (信義), they demonstrated against the disappearance of the Panchen Lama and the destruction of Tibetan Buddhist culture.
Kelsang Gyaltsen Bawa, representative to Taiwan of the Tibetan government-in-exile, said the theme of this year’s march was “Tibet has never been part of China.”
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Tibetan Uprising Day on March 10 honors those who participated in the Tibetan uprising against CCP rule 66 years ago, while calling for freedom and human rights in Tibet, he said.
In 1951, the CCP used force to compel Tibet to sign the Seventeen-Point Agreement, or the “Agreement on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet,” but then occupied Tibet, resulting in the deaths of more than 1.2 million Tibetans, he said.
China’s repressions in Tibet continues, with at least 157 Tibetans self-immolating in protest, he added.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Kelsang Gyaltsen Bawa said the so-called “peace agreement” was malicious, and in the year it was signed, Chinese troops occupied Tibet, tearing up the agreement that promised Tibetans the right to self-government.
On March 10, 1959, the CCP ordered the suppression of a protest against China in Lhasa, which led to the Dalai Lama and many other Tibetans fleeing to India, he said, adding that Beijing continues to carry out cultural, religious and ethnic genocide in Tibet.
The UN last year reported on China’s long-term human rights abuses in Tibet, as well as its threats against Tibetans living abroad, Kelsang Gyaltsen Bawa said.
He said he was hopeful the march would make more Taiwanese aware of the situation in Tibet.
The march was not just to commemorate the uprising, but to express the hope that Tibetans would one day be able to return to their homeland, he said, adding that the Dalai Lama is to turn 90 this year.
Human Rights Network for Tibet and Taiwan secretary-general Tashi Tsering said the CCP has intensified the oppression of Tibetans since Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) took office, while also cracking down on democracy movements in Hong Kong and constantly threatening Taiwan.
Tibetans hope the Chinese military would leave Tibet, he said.
“Tibet belongs to the Tibetans, just as Taiwan belongs to Taiwanese,” he added.
National Human Rights Commission Vice Chairwoman Wang Yu-ling (王幼玲) and Control Yuan members Kao Yung-cheng (高涌誠), Yeh Ta-hua (葉大華) and Chi Hui-jung (紀惠容) also attended the march, the first time that the commission has participated in the annual event.
Wang said the issues in Tibet are human rights matters, as the CCP invaded and occupied Tibet under the pretense of a peace agreement, and it is continuing to destroy Tibetan culture and religion.
“Human rights have no borders, as it is a universal value, and today’s Tibet could be the future of Taiwan,” she said, adding that the commission is honored to stand beside friends who care and support Tibetans, hoping the issues in Tibet can be understood by more people.
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