DHARAMSHALA, February 20: The exile Tibetan Prime Minister Dr Lobsang Sangay extended his greetings to all the Tibetans in and outside Tibet for the New Year or LOSAR which according to Tibetan calender is 2141 Royal Tibetan Wood Horse year.
In his Tibetan New Year message, Dr Sangay asked the Tibetans to “uphold our traditional values of humility, integrity and resilience” and remember Tibetans inside Tibet who are living under “immeasurable repression and hardship.”
Since 2009, there have been 127 known cases of self-immolation in Tibet to protest against China’s occupation of their homeland and its hardline policies.
Prime Minister Sangay also highlighted the importance of following religious rituals and wearing traditional costumes during LOSAR.
Dr Sangay also called upon the elder members of the community to share their experiences about this special occasion with the younger generation.
“Although the tragedy of Tibet is recorded in history books, it is important for the younger generation to learn the oral history of individual family and their ancestral origins.”
“If we forget our roots, we face the danger of gradual weakening and waning of our identity and the Tibetan spirit,” Sangay added.
His his LOSAR message, Dr Sangay thanked the Tibetans around the world for their support that enabled smooth transition to the elected leadership since the devolution of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s political authority.
The Tibetan New Year generally falls in the months of February or March depending upon the changes in the the Tibetan lunar calendar.
For the last five years, Tibetans have observed muted celebrations in solidarity with Tibetans inside Tibet following China’s brutal crackdown of the overwhelmingly Tibet-wide peaceful protest in 2008.
