By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, August 25: Keeping the ongoing territorial dispute between India and China over Doklam region in mind, the 4th International Rangzen Conference declared that the solution lies in Tibet’s independence.
The three-day conference, which concluded in Paris on Wednesday, said, “Recently, tensions have escalated between India and China. The true border is between India and Tibet. China has absolutely no role in this conflict. We assert that until Tibet’s independence is restored, this conflict will not find a solution.”
The conference pledged to keep the Tibetan struggle alive and also to work with the Tibetan government in exile (officially known as Central Tibetan administration).
“We have to nurture the future seeds of rangzen, to sustain our fight until the time when both the Tibetan people and the Tibetan government in exile come together to work for rangzen,” reads one of the five declarations of the conference.
Attended by over 140 participants including supporters and independence activists from East Turkestan, Southern Mongolia, and Taiwan, the conference saw the participants pledging to work together collectively and to unanimously reject Chinese rule.
Acknowledging the sacrifices of all the Tibetan self-immolators, the statement said, “We need to recognize that the call and the will of the self-immolators – the Tibetan martyrs, and those living under brutal China oppression – are for our struggle. Their aspirations must be recorded and spread widely, without being altered or diluted.”
