Kalsang Rinchen
New York, 20 May 2008 – As the protests at the Chinese consulate here in the city enters its 65th day, there seems to be an apparent division among the Tibetan organizations over the continuation of the protests in view of yesterday’s guideline from the Kashag to withhold agitation until the end of May.
The regional Tibetan Women’s Association took leave from the protests for three days to express solidarity with the quake victims in China coinciding with China’s declaration of three days’ state mourning yesterday, according to sources.
Sonam Wangdu, the Public Relations Officer of the New York and New Jersey Tibetan Youth Congress, told phayul that though the RTYC mourns the death of quake victims in China there is no question of the protests coming to a halt due to Kashag’s guidelines sent to the Offices of Tibet.
Talking to phayul at the protest site, Sonam said that the guidelines from Kashag caused some confusion among the various organizations jointly involved in carrying out the daily protests at the Chinese Consulate in the city. “The Tibetan organizations here have jointly been carrying out the activities in the city irrespective of their political standpoint. The organizations, whether they support independence or genuine autonomy, were expressing their condemnation of the Chinese crackdown in Tibet, and our support and sympathy for the Tibetans in Tibet but now after the guidelines from the Kashag we no longer have a common approach as far as the protest here at the consulate is concerned”.
Sonam said that China’s call for the envoys of His Holiness was a long anticipated move. “You don’t have to be a political analyst or a Tibet expert to know this. We should not be deceived by China.”
Meanwhile, the Tibetan Women’s Association of New York and New Jersey, plans to hold a Sangsol (ceremonial offering to gods) in upstate New York to pray for the Dalai Lama’s long life and the victims of the earthquake in China.
Every day around 50 people on average turn up for the protests despite the downpour and cold weather on weekdays, and on weekends the number ranges from 300 to 500, according to Sonam. Some people cut short their work hours to be present at the protest; others just quit, says Sonam.
