An Appeal by the Tibetan Associations in Sikkim

Eleven Tibetans have set fire to themselves in eastern Tibet since March. Six have died. The Chinese government describes them as “terrorists in disguise”.
The reality is that their desperate acts were a scathing indictment of the People’s Republic of China’s rule in occupied Tibet. They highlight the dramatic struggle for survival as a people with a unique culture and identity. The growing repression by the Chinese security forces in Tibet has erupted resentments and uncertainty specially among the younger generations of Tibetans inside Tibet resulting in a number of cases of self immolation by monks and Nuns, a clear of defiance and desperation.
Tibetans in exile have reacted to the pain and suffering inside Tibet, particularly in the Ngaba and Karze areas, where most of these self-immolations have occurred, with horror and anxiety. The monks and nuns who immolated theselves were sacrificing their bodies to draw the world’s attention to Chinese repression in Tibet.
The immolators acted on behalf of Tibet and the Tibetan people, and their intention was to harm no one else. This painful and sad action emerges from their anguish; they live in a climate of fear and have no other means of expressing themselves. We must focus on the cause of the recent tragedies: the continuing occupation of Tibet and the Chinese policies of political repression, cultural assimilation, economic marginalization, ad environmental destruction.
In exile, we support those in Tibet who are on the front line of protecting their religious and cultural integrity; we try to ensure that their voices are heard by the world community. On October 19, we organised a day-long prayer and fast worldwide, in accordance with our Buddhist traditions, in solidarity with those who self-immolated. It is our responsibility to make sure that the calls those Tibetans for restoration of freedom are heard, and their sacrifices are not in vain.
It is clear that the root of the self-immolations is the continuing occupation to Tibet. His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan administration are not the problem bu the solution.
We urge the United Nations and the international community to send fact-finding delegations to Tibet and view the situation firsthand. Independent media and liberal Chinese intellectuals should also be allowed access. The international community must press the government of the People’s Republic of China to restore freedom and resolve the issue of Tibet through dialouge for the mutual benefit of the Tibetan and Chinese peoples.
Issued by President, Tibetan Youth Club, Gangtok