By Luke Ward
Kathmandu, August 6 – Today the Tibetan Young Buddhist Association held a press conference in Shansan Hotel in Kathmandu to announce the coming together of a mass movement of Buddhist peoples of Nepal on Thursday 7th August at Chuchepati. The movement will be of a non-violent nature, and aims to contrast with the violent stance taken by the Chinese government in Tibet. Opposing China’s control over religious institions and people, with patriotic re-education, ‘Order No. 5’ and the arrest of emminent religious leaders such as Trulku Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the protest is an appeal to not just the Chinese government but to the Nepalese government and the United Nations. A hunger strike will also commence tomorrow at Chuchepati, close to Boudha in Kathmandu.
The People’s Mass Movement has the following aims:
- To urge the Intrernational Community including the Government of Nepal to exert pressure on China to immediate and unconditional release of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the eleventh Panchen Lama, Trulu Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and all other arrested and imprisoned Buddhist leaders, monks and nuns
- To urge the International Community including the Government of Nepal to exert pressure on China to stop violation of Buddhist’s rights to religious freedom in Tibet, guaranteed under international law and to cease a;; the practices of state control over the traditional Buddhist institutions in Tibet
- To urge UNHCHR to send a Special Rapporteur to monitor and undertake an independent investigation to review the Rights to Religious Beliefs and Human Rights situation in Tibet
