Tibetans and Australian supporters call for Government response to Tibet’s deepening crisis
Young mother among three to set themselves on fire this week in acts of protest
Tibetans and Tibet supporters across Australia will take to the streets tomorrow (10 March), to urge the Australian government to speak up about the escalating crisis in Tibet, which has seen 14 Tibetans set themselves on fire this year in acts of protest against China’s rule in Tibet.
A young mother of four was among the three to have immolated this week1 .
10 March marks the 53rd anniversary of Tibetan National Uprising, when thousands demonstrated in their capital, Lhasa, against China’s occupation. In Sydney, hundreds of Tibetans and Australian supporters will be joined by Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon at a rally at the Amphitheatre, Martin Place, from 10am-12pm. The rally, themed “Banned in Tibet” will include cultural activities which are prohibited in Tibet. Activities will also take place in Brisbane, Melbourne, Hobart and Perth.
In Hobart, members of the Tasmanian Tibetan community and Tibet Supporters, will hold a Silent Vigil in Solidarity with Tibetans in Tibet at Parliament Square Gardens in front of Parliament House, Hobart – from 11.00am to 12.00 midday.
“As Tibetans in Tibet continue to resist China’s violent regime to the point of taking their own lives in protest, we will be on the streets to ensure that their calls for freedom are echoed in the Australian corridors of power,” said Kyinzom Dhongdue, a spokesperson of Australia Tibet Council.
A total of 26 Tibetans2 have set themselves on fire since 2009. They have done this to call the world’s attention to their situation and to demonstrate their rejection of the Chinese government’s repressive policies in Tibet. In recent months, several Tibetan protesters were shot and killed by the Chinese police in a fresh wave of demonstrations in many areas in eastern Tibet. Tibet has been closed to journalists, tourists and observers due to the approaching anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising. A handful of journalists who have managed to sneak into Ngaba revealed the alarming extent of the military presence in the town where most of these immolations have taken place3 .
We urge the Australian government to speak out publicly and join other countries in pushing the Chinese government to end their repression and listen to the grievances of the Tibetan people. Chinese Government Officials are saying Tibetans who have self-immolated are criminals –they can say this only because it is a criminal act to own a photo of the Dalai Lama in China!
1 Third Tibetan immolation in three days, International Campaign for Tibet
http://www.savetibet.org/media-center/ict-news-reports/third-tibetan-self-immolation-three-days
2 Self-immolations fact sheet, International Campaign for Tibet
http://www.savetibet.org/resource-center/maps-data-fact-sheets/self-immolation-fact-sheet
3 China: Immolations are terrorism in disguise, Sky News
http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16183059
Thank you to all those who attended the Vigil for Tibet in Parliament House Gardens, Hobart today – March 10.
We send out the message to all those Tibetans who are living in Tibet in a state of siege…
…we will keep Vigil in solidarity with you!
