Urgent Statement from TWA
Tibet today is in shambles, as after two decades, the world witnesses the biggest and the largest mass protest by the Tibetans in Tibet. Hundreds of Tibetans have been killed and many critically wounded. Hunger strike, suicide attempts, burning down of shops, Chinese flags and police cars have been the highlight of the demonstration. Curfew has been imposed and emergency declared in three prominent monasteries in Lhasa.
The Chinese security forces have resorted to brutal force to suppress the protest and dozens of paramilitary police vehicles were seen patrolling central Lhasa and Chinese Police continue to roll in tanks. China dons a ridiculous mask by saying that the riots have been masterminded by the Dalai Lama. One cannot remain oblivious to the fact that the series of protests triggered at the spur of the moment and very much remains spontaneous.
The mass demonstration which is first of its kind and the worst anti-Chinese protest since 1989, continue to garner much intensity and this reflects on the growing resentment of the Tibetan people against the Chinese rule. The protest in Tibet is growing from strength to strength and there’s no stopping the human spirit. Chinese gun shots can kill the body, but not the spirit.
China must realize that the Tibetans are also human beings and that we have the right to live. The week-long protest comes right in the face of China`s 49 years of false propaganda and belying the world into oblivion. The violence unearths some of the dominant issues of suppression and oppression facing Tibet and its people.
We, the Tibetans in exile, salute the brave brothers and sisters in Tibet who have taken out to the streets and risked their lives in a bid to show the world, the reality, the truth; that has been suppressed for 49 long years. We deem the brave Tibetans in Tibet, as living-martyrs, who forged immense courage and risked their lives.
We, The Tibetan Women's Association representing the Tibetans in exile, call on the Chinese government to heed to H.H the Dalai Lama`s request to refrain from using force on the Tibetans. We demand the immediate and unconditional release of all those arrested and we urge the Chinese government to comply with the demand by the Tibetans for greater freedom in Tibet.
With affirmation of our full faith in the leadership of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and with prayers for His long life, may the people of Tibet be soon reunited in a peaceful Tibet. Let us honor the sacrifices of our fellow Tibetans in Tibet, with our pledge to carry on our struggle very more resolutely with renewed strength and conviction at this crucial time in our history.
Finally, I would like to quote H.H the Dalai Lama `Even if the Chinese reduces us to nothing but ashes, we will rise from the ashes and make a new nation`.
Keep up your spirits and keep the flame for Tibet burning!.