London, March 9: The 49th anniversary of the 10th March 1959 Tibetan national uprising day was marked here yesterday with a huge rally from the Chinese Embassy to the Office of the British Prime Minister and a remembrance Tibet day afternoon event, followed by an evening concert to honour the reunion of some former Drapchi prisoners of conscience, popularly know as the ‘Singing nuns of Tibet’ now living in freedom in exile.
Speaking on the occasion, the Guest Speaker, Mr. Fabian Hamilton, MP and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, told the afternoon gathering at the Westminster Cathedral Hall that the issue of Tibet is serious and worthy of every support.
“The influx of Chinese settlers in Tibet is a serious threat and is making the Tibetans a minority in their own land. When we were in Lhasa (capital of Tibet) we saw Chinese everywhere and more were due to arrive and many will have come now because of the introduction of the railway line from China to Tibet,” said Mr. Hamilton, who was one of the members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Commons that visited Tibet in 2006 and reported their findings in a report.
He informed the audience how during their visit to Lhasa he and his colleagues and the interpreter from the British Embassy in Beijing had to dodge Chinese minders so that they could see the real situation of the Tibetan people. He also said that at one point on seeing the picture of the previous Panchen Lama in a temple, he asked the Chinese interpreter where was the picture of the Dalai Lama? He said the Chinese interpreter had no answer and was looking nervously at the Chinese official accompanying them.
“For some reason His Holiness the Dalai Lama, a man of great peace is considered a threat by the Chinese authorities,” said Mr. Hamilton, adding that for once he agreed with the current American President George W. Bush, who when presenting the US Congressional Gold Medal to His Holiness said that China should not fear because the Dalai Lama is “a man of faith, sincerity and peace.”
The British parliamentarian also urged Prime Minister Gordon Brown to meet with His Holiness during his visit to UK in May. “Our duty today is to see to it that peaceful and non-violence means adopted to resolve issues makes ‘headlines’”, said Mr. Hamilton, who accompanied by his family also visited Dharamsala last year with five other members of the parliament. Besides witnessing the various aspects of the democratic set up of the Tibetans in Diaspora, they also had an audience with His Holiness.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama is visiting UK in May this year primarily at the invitations received from the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet, Tibet Society, Dharma Network (formed of various Buddhist organisations in UK), Blackfriars Hall of Oxford University and the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies, to give a series of public talks and teachings in London, Oxford and Nottingham. This visit, as other visits of His Holiness to Northern Europe, Poland and the Baltic Countries, is being coordinated by the Office of Tibet, London. An Early Day Motion (EDM) 984 sponsored in the House of Commons by Mr. Norman Baker, MP, while welcoming the forthcoming visit of His Holiness to the UK calls upon the British Prime Minister to recognise “the strong historical connections between this country and Tibet” and “take the opportunity to met the Dalai Lama on the occasion of his visit” in line with how the Tibetan Nobel Peace Laureate has recently been met by “President George Bush, Chancellor Angela Merkel and the leaders of Australia, Canada and Austria”.
In his address, Mr. Tsering Tashi, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama for Northern Europe, Poland and the Baltic Countries, said Mr. Hamilton’s acceptance of the invitation to the Tibetan event despite his busy schedule demonstrates the British public’s sympathy and support for the just cause of Tibet. He also thanked everyone, including some Tibetans and supporters who had come from different parts of the UK and Europe, for coming to the event to mark the Tibet Day. He said the presence, especially of the four former Drapchi prisoners of conscience clearly proves that the global and Tibetan efforts in exile is not in vain.
“The story of their road to freedom in exile after suffering many years of hardship and even torture at the hands of the Chinese authorities in occupied Tibet is a reminder to all of us that the human sprit cannot be vanquished by force,” said Mr. Tashi, who is based at the Office of Tibet in London.
Mr. Tashi spoke about the contrasting situation of the globally acknowledged success story of the Tibetan refugee community in exile and the ongoing plight of the Tibetans back home in Tibet under the Chinese rule.
He expressed concern at the increasing Chinese population in Tibet, which is transforming the Tibetans not only into a powerless and an insignificant minority in their own land but also posing a serious threat to the very survival of the Tibetan culture and identity. He said although the work that some NGOs and Western governments are doing in Tibet aimed to help the Tibetans is much appreciated, the outcome would be diluted when faced with the reality of the overwhelming immigrant Chinese population force.
“The important work that now remains to be done is how to reverse this dangerous demographic aggression of Tibet and persuade China to discourage the settling of Chinese in Tibet,” Mr. Tashi said, while acknowledging the fact that with better awareness and information more and more Chinese were showing respect for Tibetan Buddhist culture and supporting His Holiness the Dalai Lama‘s non-violent Middle-Way Approach to resolve the Tibet issue that takes into consideration the long term interest of both the Tibetan and Chinese peoples.
Mr. Tashi also referred to similar concerns raised by the former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who in her autobiography says, “The Chinese claim to Tibet is dubious on historical grounds,” and that “The Chinese now appear to have resolved upon a programme of ’modernisation’ that involves shifting the ethnic balance in favour of Han Chinese and away from Tibetans, as a final solution to the continuing resistance. I hope that they do not succeed.”
As in the past, the afternoon Tibet Day event was jointly organised by the Tibetan Commemorative Committee consisting of the Office of Tibet, the Tibetan Community in Britain and the Tibet Society. A specially prepared drama-song presented by the Tibetan Community Dance Group showing how Tibetan prisoners are being harshly treated by the Chinese authorities in Tibet, generated gasps and total silence in the capacity-filled hall and moved many people to tears. The event began with prayers for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and peace in world, and closed with the singing of the Tibetan national anthem.
The former Tibetan nun political prisoners Phuntsok Nyidron, Ngawang Sangdrol, Gyaltsen Drolkar and Namdrol Lhamo, who currently live in Switzerland, the United States and Belgium respectively, are in London at the invitation of the Tibetan Community in Britain as a part of its effort to raise more awareness about the Tibet issue. With help of Students for a Free Tibet and other supporters, they will be touring for about four weeks giving talks and participating in concerts at various educational and public venues in different parts of the UK.
Earlier on March 8 the Reuters while reporting on the exploits of “the ‘singing nuns’ of Drapchi prison,” quoted Ngawang Sangdrol, who suffered a 10 year prison sentence, as saying, “It is not very big, what we did. We just sang songs, peacefully, for the love of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and for a free Tibet,” adding, “They say we want to destroy the government, but how can songs destroy a government?”.
When asked for a message to send to Tibetans inside Tibet, the Reuters quoted the four women as saying, “Keep the spirit alive, know the world is watching, and don’t be disheartened.”
Report by: Office of Tibet, London
