San Francisco, October 13 – The recent killing of two Tibetan refugees by the Chinese military has shocked Tibetans and their supporters in the Bay area. On September 30, Chinese border guards shot 17 year old Buddhist nun Kelsang Namtso and a young boy dead while taking 18 others captive at the Nangpa La, a border region between Tibet and Nepal. San Francisco Tibetan Youth Congress (SF TYC) organized an urgent protest at the Chinese Embassy in San Francisco on Friday from 2 to 5PM. Close to a hundred strong Tibet activists from all the Tibet support groups in the Bay area gathered to condemn the Chinese inhumane treatment of Tibetans.
While mourning the loss of those killed, protestors demanded for the immediate release of the Tibetan refugees in detention. “This horrible tragedy once again shows the suffering Tibetans continue to experience under Chinese occupation”, said Dawa Dorjee, President of San Francisco Tibetan Youth Congress. “We will continue to call on the Chinese government to immediately release the detained children and halt their continued violence against the Tibetan people”, said Tenzin Tsephel, President of the Tibetan Association of Northern California. Yangchen Lhamo, regional coordinator for Students for a Free Tibet added: “This incident just shows that as long as Tibet remains occupied by China, Tibetans in Tibet will always be persecuted. We will continue our protests until Tibet is free and our people can enjoy the dignity they deserve.”
This is an emotionally charged issue for exiled Tibetans, including refugees who themselves escaped into exile to Nepal and India. SF TYC will keep pressing the Chinese government to release the detained refugee children immediately and stop persecutions of their families. “We will never give up,” shouted the protestors while standing on the sidewalks of Geary Street, the busiest street of San Francisco.
