By Dasey Wangkhang,
CTC Toronto
Crowds of protesters peacefully rallied in front of the Chinese Consulate General in Toronto voicing their opposition at the recent fatal shootings of unarmed Tibetan refugees by Chinese border guards.
Despite denials by the Chinese Government that their border guards were shooting in self-defense, video footage of the September 30, 2006 incident caught by foreign mountaineers show otherwise, as the tape reveals a group of unarmed Tibetan refugees, many who were children, fleeing on foot across the Himalayas to Nepal and being shot at from above. Amidst the open fire, the tape also captures the killing of a 17-year-old Tibetan nun, Kelsang Namsto, and of an unidentified 13-year-old boy. Although over forty Tibetan refugees were able to flee to Nepal that day, the mountaineer’s reported an eyewitness account of the capture and detainment of a dozen refugees (most who were children) by Chinese security personnel. In addition, the whereabouts and condition of twenty other refugees from that day are unknown.
An estimated 200 protestors filled the sidewalks facing the Toronto Chinese Consulate on Monday afternoon, October 16th, and remained chanting slogans condemning the attacks into the evening. The protest was jointly organized by local Tibet-support groups of the Canada Tibet Committee (CTC), the Canadian Tibetan Association of Ontario (CTAO), Students for a Free Tibet (SFT), the Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA), and the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC). In a collective news release, these organizations denounced China’s attempt at denying its human rights violations, and demanded the Chinese Government for the immediate and unconditional release of the remaining detained refugees.
In support of the protest, a statement issued by Peggy Nash, a Canadian Federal Member of Parliament was read aloud which expressed Nash’s concern for the security of the Tibetan refugees, and a demand to the Chinese government “to stop its aggression and continue dialogue with Tibet”. Also representing in solidarity was Michael Craig from a local Amnesty International chapter, who spoke to the crowd about Amnesty’s recent worldwide urgent action urging that letters be written to Chinese officials condemning the recent shootings, and requesting clarification of the whereabouts and health status of the remaining detained refugees.
As the evening approached, a candlelight vigil for the Tibetan refugees lit up the night, and the protest ended with a group prayer session for the safety and justice of the refugees.
