OPINION: Concern Over Worsening Situation In Tibet

*Pema Jungney

Since 2008 the Chinese security forces have particularly cracked down hard on Tibetans leading to numerous deaths and countless tortures. The situation is getting worse each day.

From 2009 consequently, the Tibetan people have been setting themselves on fire one after another to demand a peaceful resolution of the Tibetan issue, return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet and to let the UN and the international community know about the Tibetan people’s aspirations and the sorrows hidden deep within their hearts.

From 2009 till 27^th Aug, 2012, 51 Tibetan had been self immolated and 41 died and the remaining 10 people’s whereabouts are still unknown, and the current status of Tibet is still worsening day by day and is a big question to the whole world. So far the total number of Tibetan people who have self immolated themselves inside and outside Tibet has almost crossed more than half a century  but if we specify with different ranges of  ages of those who have self immolated, there are 22 people of their ages ranging between 20 to 30  years old and 17 people with age ranging from 16-19 years old, and rest are all more than 30yrs old, and looking into reality, out of all those self-immolators, more than 99.9% are all born after the People’s Republic of China’s illegally occupation of Tibet.

There is obviously not denying the fact that the Tibetan people inside the Tibet don’t get the basic human right and there is no question for every Tibetan people inside the Tibet about the freedom of speech, freedom of religion and all other freedom which is a birth right to all people.

Taking into consideration all these fact, Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile launched the worldwide Flame of Truth Relay on July 6, 2012, the day on which our beloved spiritual leader His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama was born. For over a month since then, the Torch has travelled to nearly 60 regions in India covered almost 17 states. The people of India and Tibetans living in these places actively participated in the relay and signed the appeal. We are grateful to all of them. The relay still goes on in India and we urge to everyone to take part when it passes your locality. 

From today, Flame of Truth Relay is beginning in North America, Europe, South-east Asia, Africa and Australia. The relay will travel through more than 30 countries in these five continents. The historic relay will be concluding on December 10, 2012 with submission of appeal letters and signatures simultaneously to the UN Headquarters in New York City, UN Human Rights Council in Geneva and UN information office in New Delhi. The only demand behind this relay are:

• The United Nations must discuss the issue of Tibet based on the resolutions that was passed in 1959, 1961 and 1965, and continuously makes an effort to fulfill the substance of these resolutions.
• An independent international fact-finding delegations must immediately be sent to investigate the ongoing crisis in Tibet.
• The United Nation must take special responsibility to ensure that the basic aspirations of the Tibetans inside Tibet are fulfilled.

(*The author is Member of Parliament, Tibet Parliament – in – Exile. He is also former Speaker, Tibet Parliament – in – Exile)