Three Tibetans including two women and a man were physically assaulted and threatened by a large group of Chinese at the 21st International Immigrants Pride parade held on June 24 in New York city.
The incident appears to be a clear case of intimidation and bullying on the part of the Chinese without any provocation from the Tibetan side. The Tibetans, including members of the regional chapter of Tibetan Youth Congress under the coordination of the Regional Tibetan Women’s Association (RTWA) of NY and NJ have been participating in the parade annually for four years.
The rule of the parade requires all immigrant groups to carry a huge flag of the US at the beginning of the parade. The Tibetan contingent was led by RTWA vice president Kelsang Youdon, a Tibetan nun and a Tibetan man called Dorjee. “As the contingent was getting ready to proceed with the American flag, some Chinese participants, all of a sudden, appeared in front of Dorjee and tried to snatch the flag he was carrying. When he resisted, the Chinese resorted to physical assaults; boxed and pushed him and threatened to remove him from the parade. When Youdon and the nun realised what was happening, they too were assaulted before they could react to the situation,” Karma Choezom, president of RTWA told Phayul in a telephonic interview. In between the melee, another Chinese blew a whistle that attracted more Chinese who then surrounded the Tibetans. The president of the International Immigrants foundation was also assaulted by the Chinese for letting the Tibetans participate in the event. The incident was witnessed by all the staff of the foundation and the participants. Ms. Karma said the three Tibetans put a brave front and resisted every assault hurled at them but they also kept their dignity intact.
The RTWA in a statement sent to Phayul said they had resolved to participate again in the event next year as they believe the latest incident showed clearly that the Tibetan participation was crucial in exposing the plight of Tibetans under the Chinese communist regime. The Tibetans later sucessfully participated in the parade proudly with other nations like Egypt Vietnam, Peru Taiwan etc.
