TYC thanks people for supporting peace march

GANGTOK, 30 Nov: The recent Peace March by the Tibetan community was very successful and fruitful in highlighting the Tibetan cause, informs Tibetan Youth Club [TYC], Gangtok, president, Chung Chung Bhutia.
Addressing a press conference today, Mr Bhutia expressed his gratitude on behalf of the TYC to everyone who contributed in making the rally successful. He thanked T Lachungpa for his support to the cause and to the local people at 32 Mile and Tar Khola. He especially thanked the local people, youth of Rambi along with the Rambi Police personnel and locals of Sevoke for supporting the rally.
Mr Bhutia stated that the number of self-immolations has now reached 89 and in view of this a campaign for the Tibetan cause will be organized at the North Eastern regional level. He added that on 12 December presidents of Regional Tibetan Youth Congress of North East region will tour the region to create awareness on the cause.
Mr Bhutia also urged members of the Tibetan community living in India to come forward and fight for the Tibetan cause in earnest.
A rally was taken out by members of the Tibetan community living in-and-around Gangtok led by TYC Gangtok from Chandmari here in Gangtok to Salugara in Siliguri, West Bengal on 23 November.

Tibetans come together for solidarity march

GANGTOK, 23 Nov: The Tibetan Youth Club [TYC] and the Tibetan community living in and around Gangtok began their peace march from Chandmari, here in Gangtok, to Salugara in Siliguri, West Bengal this morning after offering prayers at a monastery here.
The five-day march will end on 27 November at Salugara.
Around 150 people from the Tibetan community are participating in the peace march which has been organized to protest against the atrocities being suffered by the Tibetans in Tibet.
The rally will be joined by other Tibetans from Ravangla, Kalimpong, Darjeeling, Mirik and Kuresong. While the people from Ravangla will join them today, others will join them during their march to Salugara.

Meanwhile, members of the Tibetan community of Ravangla in South Sikkim also marched off today to join the peace march to Salugara.
President, TYC-Ravangla, Tenzing Bhutia, informed that the march has been organized by the TYC and Tibetan Women’s Association of Ravangla. He explained that the rally was a solidarity march to protest the atrocities being carried out by the Chinese government against Tibetans living in Tibet.
To date, 78 Tibetans are confirmed to have self-immolated inside Tibet since 27 February 2009, of whom 64 are reported to have died following their protest. “There are a number of ways to interpret this ultimate offering of one’s life. One interpretation is that it is an act of utmost hopelessness and the Tibetan Youth Congress completely rejects this suggestion”, he added.
He further said that the Chinese government can no longer view these actions in Tibet as merely uncomfortable and embarrassing incidents but instead as very real and significant threats.
“They should understand the potential for further actions and the magnitude of what they represent. The Chinese government and the world at large should not misinterpret these acts as ethnic conflicts or simply a struggle for religious freedom, so long as China continues to occupy Tibet and oppress the Tibetan people, they will continue to resist the fundamental denial of their freedom”, he further added.
The rally started from the monastery at the Tibetan settlement of Ravangla where they offered prayers and then marched to Ravangla bazaar. They will be covering 25 kilometers per day.

Tibetans to undertake peace march to Salugara

GANGTOK, 21 Nov: The Tibetan Youth Club [TYC] and the 5,000 plus strong Tibetan community living in and around Gangtok will be undertaking a peace march from Chandmari here in Gangtok to Salugara in Siliguri, West Bengal starting 23 November, informs Chung Chung Bhutia [president, TYC], while speaking to the media-persons here today.
“We will begin the peace march on 23 November from here in Gangtok and the five-day march will end on 27 November when we reach Salugara”, he added. Around 150 people from the Tibetan community [young and old] will be participating in the peace march.
“We are holding this peace march to protest against the atrocities being carried out against the Tibetan people in Tibet and also to express solidarity with the people who have self-immolated themselves for the Tibetan cause,” he said and added that the situation in Tibet was going from bad to worse. There is no freedom of religion or education and above all no freedom of speech for the Tibetans in Tibet, said Mr Bhutia and added that there is gross violation of human rights as well.
Speaking further on the peace rally, he informed that the rally will also be joined by Tibetans from Ravangla, Kalimpong, Darjeeling, Mirik and Kurseong. While the people from Ravangla will join the rally on 23 November, others will join along the way.
“We plan to cover around 20 to 25 kilometers in a day and will also be making halts during the nights. On the first day we will halt at the Water Garden at 32 Number, the second halt will be at Tarkhola, then at Rimbi, next at Sevoke before reaching Salugara,” he informed. He also stated that such peace rallies were also being organized in the other North East states.
He has further appealed to the people of Sikkim to come forward and support the peace rally and has also asked them to join them in the rally. This is the first time such a peace rally by the Tibetan community is being organized in the state, he added.
“During our march, we will be addressing the people we meet in the different towns and villages we cross in the way and also hand out pamphlets regarding our issues,” he stated. Then on 28 November, we plan to take out a mass procession from Salugara to the SDM’s office situated at Court More in Siliguri.
As on date [till November], a total of 78 people have self immolated themselves since 2009, 17 having set themselves on fire this November alone. In India there have been three deaths and four attempted self immolations till now.

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”.

TYC marches to save Kriti Monastery from Chinese crackdown

GANGTOK, 22 April: A peace rally was taken out today by the Tibetan Youth Club from the Chokasum Hall in Namnang. The rally was to protest against the Chinese crackdown on the Kriti Monastery at Gnaba in the Sichuan Province of China which has been targeted with vicious reprisals ever since a 20 year old monk immolated himself there to protest against Chinese occupation of Tibet. The Chinese authorities are reportedly attempting to empty the monastery of its monks and the residents there have already thwarted such attempts once.