Senior leaders, public march for Tibet in Taipei

Tibetans and supporters march in the
streets of Taipei on  Sunday to mark
the 54th Tibetan National
Uprising Day on March 10, 2013

DHARAMSHALA, March 10 : Hundreds of Tibetans and supporters, including senior political leaders, marched on the streets of Taipei on Sunday to mark the 54th Tibetan National Uprising Day.

The demonstrators carried portraits of Tibetan self-immolators who have set themselves on fire protesting Chinese occupation and demanding freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama from exile.

The marchers, led by a group dressed as Chinese soldiers escorting tied-up Tibetan monks, raised slogans of “Free Tibet! Tibet belongs to Tibetans! China, get out of Tibet!” in Tibetan, Mandarin and English.

Speaking at the rally, Tenzin Chomphel, head of the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress, said Tibetans will never give up their struggle for independence.

“We will never give up pursuing independence for Tibet, because we can only be truly free once Tibet is independent,” he said. “We will not believe the lies of the Chinese again … China has never kept its word.”

Opposition Democratic Progressive Party Chairman Su Tseng-chang joined the march and said that as a people who had struggled against an authoritarian regime, Taiwanese understand the suffering of Tibetans and would support their struggle for freedom.

“Even today, there is still injustice and we should give each other support until all the repressed are liberated,” Su said.

Su urged President Ma Ying-jeou to not ignore the human rights issue amid increasing exchanges between Taiwan and China.
The rally also received support from a few Chinese as well, including Ao Bo, lead vocalist of the exiled Chinese rock band Punk God, and students attending universities in Taiwan according to reports.
“As a human living on Earth, I am obliged to help Tibetans gain the independence of their country through whatever I can do,” Ao was quoted as saying by the Taipei Times.
“That’s why this is the sixth time I have taken part in the rally,” he said.
Several DPP politicians, including legislators Hsiao Bi-khim, Yu Mei-nu and Chen Chieh-ju, as well as Taipei City councilors Chien Yu-yen, Alan Lee and Hsu Chia-ching, also took part.
“In addition to showing support through taking part in the march, I’ve also proposed a refugee bill granting asylum to Tibetans or other asylum seekers,” Hsiao said. “Unfortunately, it has been blocked since March last year, when I first made the proposal. I hope my colleagues will give me a hand so that we may better protect rights of refugees.”
On March 10, 1959, Tibetans from all regions of Tibet rose up against the occupying Chinese forces in the capital city Lhasa, leading to the deaths of thousands of Tibetans and the eventual escape of the Dalai Lama to exile.

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SFT PRESSURES NEPAL GOVERNMENT

TIBET ACTIVISTS RALLY AT NEPAL CONSULATE, DEMAND RETURN OF DRUPCHEN'S BODY

March 1, 2013

New York: Today in New York, Students for a Free Tibet organized a rally at the Nepal Consulate and delivered a petition addressed to the Nepali Prime Minister. About 40 Tibetans and supporters gathered at the Nepal Consulate in New York City to protest Nepal’s failure to return Drupchen Tsering’s body to the Tibetan community 16 days after his self-immolation.

On February 13, 2013, when Tibetans around the globe commemorated the 100^th year anniversary of the Tibetan Proclamation of Independence, Drupchen Tsering, a monk living in Nepal, lit his body on fire to protest China’s continued crackdown and brutal rule in Tibet. He was immediately taken into police custody, where he was later declared dead. It has been 16 days since he self-immolated and yet the Nepal police still have not returned his body.

'What we are demanding from the Nepali government is the most basic human decency,' said Tenzin Dorjee, executive director of Students for a Free Tibet. 'We want the Nepal government to respect the basic rights of Tibetan refugees and allow the Tibetan community to conduct the proper final rites for their deceased compatriot.'

Students for a Free Tibet delivered an urgent petition letter to the Nepal consulate urging the Nepal government to return Drupchen's body to the Tibetan community in Nepal. In a positive turn of events, the consulate's senior staff members came out to meet with the protesters and publicly accepted the petition letter, promising Students for a Free Tibet that they would pass on the petition to the Prime Minister's office and relay the demands of the Tibetan-American community in New York City.

'It really saddens me to see China's long arm of oppression stretch so deep into Nepal's heart,' said Tselha, grassroots associate at Students for a Free Tibet. 'I want to see Nepal's government revive its old friendship toward the Tibetan people and show the world that in spite of China's pressure, Nepal is still a democratic country that respects human rights and religious freedom.'

A similar rally was also held in Toronto, Canada on Friday by Students for a Free Tibet Canada.

'The Nepalese government right now has an opportunity to prove that it is a democratic government that respects human rights,” said Lhamo Kyi, an organizer with Students for a Free Tibet in Toronto. “Nepal is stooping lower and lower in the world stage every day that they hold on to his body. In Nepalese culture, one’s body is highly respected after death, with religious rituals to ensure the proper passage into next life. We expect the same for Drubchen Tsering, a person who sacrificed his life for the cause of Tibetan freedom.'