Buddhists here in Syracuse are often feeling deeply distressed about the continuing human rights crisis in Tibet. And so daily Syracuse Buddhists pray for the well being of the people of Tibet. And Buddhists here in Syracuse feel the world should remember the oppression of Tibetans by the Communist Chinese as they plan to join in commemorating the 52nd Tibetan uprising day.
YC Dhardhowa has reported for The Tibet Post International "Global protest called for to commemorate 52nd Tibetan uprising day", http://bit.ly/g30n5U. Over six decades since the Communist Chinese invasion of Tibet the painful reality remains that Tibet still is not free but continues to be terrorized by its invaders.
And so on March 10th United Nations for a Free Tibet, along with Tibetan exiles, many other Free Tibet groups and organizations and their supporters in dozens of countries, shall once again march to commemorate the 52nd anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising of 1959 in order to show solidarity with the nonviolent and democratic movement of Tibetans in Exile. The Syracuse Buddhist community supports this commemoration of the 1959 uprising on March 10th.
It has been said by United Nations for a Free Tibet that about 86,000 Tibetan men, women and children were slaughtered by Communist Chinese troops after an uprising in 1959 against Communist China's illegal occupation of Tibet and that the total figures are well in excess of 1.2 million Tibetans who have lost their lives over the years against the Communist Chinese regime. And so Tibetans and supporters of Tibet in the USA, Belgium, Germany, India, Australia, and many other countries of the world are uniting for a day of peaceful demonstrations to draw attention to the tragic Tibetan situation.
Tibetans have said that freedom of speech, press, association, jobs, and religion have all been taken away from Tibet which was never a part of China. And yet to this day governments of the world still do not speak against the increasing acts of violence by the Communist Chinese army against the defenseless Tibetans inside their own country. According to the Tibetan government in exile the destruction of Tibet's culture and oppression of its people has been brutal during the 20 years following the uprising. It is said one-fifth of the population of Tibet, or 1.2 million Tibetans, died as a result of Communist China's policies.
Scores of Tibetans have lead oppressed and terrorized lives in prisons and labor camps with more than 6000 monasteries, temples and other cultural and historic buildings destroyed and their contents pillaged. Tibetan political prisoners are tortured with deprivation of food and sleep, and long periods in isolation cells. And in Tibet reading an autobiography of the Dalai Lama or talking about freedom to friends can be classified by the Chinese authorities as ‘endangering state security'.
March 10 is the most important day in the Tibetan calendar. On Tibet Uprising Day Buddhists here in Syracuse will be joining Buddhists everywhere in raising an awareness of the human rights crisis in Tibet. On this day everyone is encouraged to join in the peaceful demonstrations, raise the Tibetan flag and wear a Free Tibet shirt to help nurture awareness of the Tibet issue all over the world.
Mandel News Service:Â http://www.mandelnews.com
