Bylakuppe, August 9 – Six monastic educational Institutions and Social organizations from Sera Monastery Byalakupp, South India, organized a massive ‘Symbolic Mass People’s Demonstration’, yesterday, 8 August, in Mysore City, Karnataka, India. The demonstration protested against China’s continued occupation of Tibet and gross human rights violation and Chinese government for failure to respond to the ‘Five-Point’ demands of the 14 Tibetans sitting on indefinite hunger strike in Delhi, since 8 July 2008. It was also in support of the Tibetan Youth Congress led ‘People’s Movement, A March Forward”, and to express solidarity with lithang Rangye Adak and the people of lithang for their courageous act of protesting against Chinese rule in Tibet.
Nearly one thousand Tibetans comprised mainly of monk-students from Sera Je Secondary School (400 monk students) and Sera Mey Schools (200 monk students) who arrived in eight buses and their teachers and staff members; officials and staff members of Sera Jey and Sera Mey Central Libraries and Computer Centers; officials and staff members of Sera Jey and Sera Mey Health Care Organizations; some monks from Tashi Lhunpo Monastery; entire Tibetan Sweater Sellers in Mysore. A large number of Tibetan students studying in various colleges in Mysore also participated the public rally and the ‘symbolic people’s demonstration’.
The mass public rally was held in the Mysore City Town Hall The rally started with singing of the Tibetan and Indian National Anthem followed by Den Tsig Monlam ‘Words of Truth’, Gyalwai Shabten Long Life Prayer of His Holiness .The Dalai Lama and Patriotic Song ‘long Shog’.
Shri Shiwarajappa, Director, Institute of Gandhian Studies, Mysore was the Chief Guest. Sera Je School Principal Acharya Ngawang Nyima, Sera Mey School Principal Venerable Thupten Paljor, Captain Raj Gopal, President, Indo-Tibetan Friendship, Society, Mysore and Shri Pramaeshwarappa, Secretary, J.S.S. Vidhaypeeth, Mysore, addressed the gathering.
The speakers highlighted the long-term impact of the on going ‘Tibetan People’s Movement, A March Forward’ led by Tibetan Youth Congress and the new spirit of patriotism-generated amongst the fellow Tibetan all over the world by the act of great self-sacrifice and patriotism by the 14 Tibetan Hunger Strikers in Delhi. Noting that had there been no such massive ‘Mass People’s Movement’ led by Tibetan Youth Congress to mobilize the Tibetans scattered around the world for a ‘Mass People’s Movement’ of this size and scale to draw attention from the international leaders and communities towards the plight of the Tibetan people, the communist Chinese will have successfully used the 2008 Beijing Olympics to further fooling the world. The speakers agreed that the Tibetan Youth Congress’s political move could not have come a better time and maintained that their leadership in freedom movement at this critical time must be appreciated and supported by the Tibetan people as whole. They stressed the need for such a ‘Movement’ and expressed strong hope that it will succeed in achieving the political objectives with whole -hearted and united support from the people of Tibet.
Sir Shrinivasa Rao, MP, Teacher, SJSS read out the Press Release of the ‘Symbolic People’s Demonstration’ in local Kannada language. Gan Tsering Gyurmey, Teacher, SJSS, read the same in English. Mr. Dawa Tsering, Teacher, SJSS presented the ‘Vote of Thanks’.
The activists then took out a ‘SYMBOLIC ‘MASS PEOPLE’S DEMONSTRATION’ starting from town hall and passing the through heart of city, peacefully, to the DC Office. The Congregation then submitted ‘Petitions addressed to Ban Ki-Moon, the Secretary General ,United Nations Organization; Hu Jintao, President , People’s Republic of China and Jacques Rogge, President, International Olympic Committee. The Deputy Commissioner received the patitions, addressed the activists briefly, and assured to forward the petitions to the respective leaders. The demonstrators then march back to the town hall and concluded the ‘symbolic demonstration’.
The demonstrators – carried in their hands hundreds of play cards, Tibetan national flags and large banners denouncing china’s continued occupation of Tibet and its genocidal policies and evil activities in Tibet designed to destroy Tibetan race, culture and people by transforming them into minority in their own country with newly started Lhasa Railways speeding up Han Chinese population transfer into Tibet. The banners called China to quit Tibet and demanded Independence, Freedom, Democracy and Human Rights for the Tibetans; unconditional release of Panchen Lama, Tulku Tenzin Delek, Lithang Rangye Adak, Jaderl Rinpoche and all the Tibetan political prisoners; His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visit to Tibet and China on pilgrimage; immediate stop to China’s state sponsored Chinese population transfer into Tibet; wanton destruction of natural resources in Tibet and environmental degradation – all of which is threatening very survival of the Tibetans in their own country. The protest march, which was initially organized by Sera Je Secondary School and later joined by other organizations from Sera, was a great success and received considerable media coverage in local dailies. This is the first time that the entire students and staff of the two main Monastic Schools in Sera took to street -en mass- for the cause of Rangzen Tibetan Independence and democratic and human rights for the Tibetans living under communist rule.
