By KIRK LANG klang@bcnnew.com Westport News August 11, 2005 – More than two dozen marchers made their way through Westport Wednesday afternoon, in an effort to raise awareness about the Chinese occupation of Tibet.
“We’re walking for all the Tibetans in Tibet who have no voice,” said marcher Tracy Ellwanger, a Fairfield resident.
China invaded Tibet in 1949 and completed full occupation of the country 10 years later, according to a flier from the International Tibet Independence Movement (ITIM) that marchers handed out to passersby.
A number of motorists honked their horns in support of the “March for Tibet’s Independence” walkers, whose journey began in Boston July 30 and wraps up Aug. 13 at the United Nations and China’s Embassy in New York City.
The core marchers in the 240-plus mile walk include 74-year-old Palden Gyatso (a Tibetan monk who was imprisoned by China for more than 30 years and severely tortured), a number of young Tibetans from this side of the country, as well as California, and Jigme Norbu, son of Taktser Rinpoche, who is walking as a way to further his father’s lifelong effort to regain Tibetan independence.
A number of walkers wore signs expressing their views, such as “China Out of Tibet,” “Independence for Tibet,” and “Honk for Tibet.” Many in the group wore “Free Tibet” T-shirts.
Under China’s rule there is no freedom in Tibet, according to the ITIM, and Tibetans are minorities in their own country. Forced abortions and sterilization is common for Tibetan women. Tibetans have no free speech, press or religion; monks and nuns are forced to renounce the Dalai Lama, who has led the Tibetan government in-exile from his home in India since his 1959 escape from Tibet.
Six-thousand-plus Tibetan Buddhist monasteries have been destroyed. The Himalayan eco-system is being demolished and Buddhists, Christians and Muslims have been persecuted, killed and imprisoned.
Norbu Ngodut, 18, of Old Saybrook, who has been a part of the walk since it began last month, told the Westport News there have been 1.2 million deaths under Chinese occupation
173,221 inside prison and labor camps, 97,731 from torture, 156,758 from execution, 432,705 as a result of uprisings, 342,970 from starvation and 9,002 as a result of suicide.
Ngodut said Wednesday that the walk spanning three states “is very painful”
but worth the effort.
In addition to walking for Tibet’s independence, the group also walks to educate people about the serious situation inside Tibet; to advocate for the release of Gendhum Choekyi Nyima (The Panchen Lama), Tulku Tenzin Delek and other political prisoners; to stop the marginalization of the Tibetan population; to stop the railroad and pipeline being built in Tibet by China; to promote a boycott of China’s goods; to create a dialogue with Chinese individuals about the history and current situation in Tibet, and to advocate for a democracy in China.
“I’m walking for freedom,” said 13-year-old Tashi Dorjee, who was born in Tibet but now lives in Connecticut. In addition to making its presence known by walking along major thoroughfares, the “March for Tibet’s Independence” group also holds presentations at churches along its travel route. The group was scheduled to make a stop at the First Congregational Church in Stamford yesterday.
The highlight of Ellwanger’s walk was the week or so Gyatso was a part of it.
“He was a political prisoner for 33 years in Tibet,” she said. “He underwent severe torture before he was released in 1992. Even with everything he went through he almost didn’t make it out alive he was laughing and smiling during the walk and it was sometimes hard to keep up with him
“He had so much life in him and love and compassion for everyone, including his oppressors. It was inspiring to walk with him. When he got out of jail, he escaped into India over the Himalayan mountains, which was a much more difficult journey than ours.”
For more information on the group’s efforts on behalf of Tibet, visit www.rangzen.com or write: International Tibet Independence Movement, PO Box 592, Fishers, IN 46038-0592 or call (317) 579-9015 or fax (317) 579-0914.
