DHARAMSHALA, March 11: Hundreds of Tibetans and supporters, including senior political leaders, marched on the streets of Taipei on Sunday to mark the 54th Tibetan National Uprising Day.
The demonstrators carried portraits of Tibetan self-immolators who have set themselves on fire protesting Chinese occupation and demanding freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama from exile.
The marchers, led by a group dressed as Chinese soldiers escorting tied-up Tibetan monks, raised slogans of “Free Tibet! Tibet belongs to Tibetans! China, get out of Tibet!” in Tibetan, Mandarin and English.
Speaking at the rally, Tenzin Chomphel, head of the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress, said Tibetans will never give up their struggle for independence.
“We will never give up pursuing independence for Tibet, because we can only be truly free once Tibet is independent,” he said. “We will not believe the lies of the Chinese again … China has never kept its word.”
Opposition Democratic Progressive Party Chairman Su Tseng-chang joined the march and said that as a people who had struggled against an authoritarian regime, Taiwanese understand the suffering of Tibetans and would support their struggle for freedom.
“Even today, there is still injustice and we should give each other support until all the repressed are liberated,” Su said.
Su urged President Ma Ying-jeou to not ignore the human rights issue amid increasing exchanges between Taiwan and China.
The rally also received support from a few Chinese as well, including Ao Bo, lead vocalist of the exiled Chinese rock band Punk God, and students attending universities in Taiwan according to reports.
“As a human living on Earth, I am obliged to help Tibetans gain the independence of their country through whatever I can do,” Ao was quoted as saying by the Taipei Times.
“That’s why this is the sixth time I have taken part in the rally,” he said.
Several DPP politicians, including legislators Hsiao Bi-khim, Yu Mei-nu and Chen Chieh-ju, as well as Taipei City councilors Chien Yu-yen, Alan Lee and Hsu Chia-ching, also took part.
“In addition to showing support through taking part in the march, I’ve also proposed a refugee bill granting asylum to Tibetans or other asylum seekers,” Hsiao said. “Unfortunately, it has been blocked since March last year, when I first made the proposal. I hope my colleagues will give me a hand so that we may better protect rights of refugees.”
On March 10, 1959, Tibetans from all regions of Tibet rose up against the occupying Chinese forces in the capital city Lhasa, leading to the deaths of thousands of Tibetans and the eventual escape of the Dalai Lama to exile.
