December 2 – A Week of Actions for the release of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche began in the Bay Area from today with thundering slogans that shook the Chinese consulate in San Francisco.
REMEMBERANCE
First, we drove in our cars to face directly towards the Chinese embassy and then faced up all our banners that revealed phrases demanding the immediate release of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche. With every mouth being covered with a black piece of cloth, the protesters ran a two hour silent agitation. We wanted to remember the millions of Tibetans that died due to the Chinese oppression and to commit ourselves to fight until we obtain a Free Tibet. Protestors rushed to all directions of the consulate to distribute fliers to people who asked for it from their cars. Some of them were taking pictures of the protests as remembrances.
PROTEST
After the brief silent protest, we began to bombard the Chinese embassy with slogans. Some Chinese officials of the embassy were sticking their heads out of the windows. The protest shocked them. The doors of the embassy were not locked from inside, as they normally do on sensing any protest. A protester rushed into the embassy to hand out fliers. Jessica, SFT member, is acclaimed for her immense enthusiasm and optimism for the Tibetan cause. She stood hours at the embassy door even after she was repeatedly driven out for bringing the protest into the embassy.
A young Tibetan of the Tibetan Association of Northern California was furious on seeing the Chinese reaction. The loudspeaker was passed to him to give impetus for his voice, but he returned it and said, “No! I do not need that. I must let the brutal Chinese authorities know that I was born to fight for a FREE TIBET. I will let them hear my hidden inner strength.” Soon his voice was to be heard at every corner of the embassy, echoing, “Release Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, NOW!”
Dechen la, worried by the ending of Tenzin Delek rinpoche’s death sentence suspension, was asking us to pray for Rinpoche’s release during every brief breaks.
Tashi Chodron of Bay Area Friends of Tibet was standing in the middle of the traffic with the huge Tibetan National flag in her right hand and a bunch of fliers on the other. She was passing out the fliers to every driver that stopped for information.
CONCLUSION
Among the protesters were many young Tibetans, some of them were fluent in Chinese. Tsomo, an anxious girl, states her claim, grabbing the speaker and voicing in Chinese the immediate release of Tenzin Delek Rinpche.
We ended the day’s protest by offering Dentsik Monlam prayer and singing the Tibetan national anthem.
We were confident that our voices were heard by one and all that passed through Laguna and Geary Street today in San Francisco.
REMINDER
Another massive protest of the same kind but of far greater intensity is scheduled for tomorrow, Friday in front of the Chinese consulate from 11am- 6 pm.
This time, we will make the Chinese officials even jump from their desks to respect our call for the immediate release of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche.
