The Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) began a global chain protest from Dharamshala with a 24-hour hunger strike. It honours martyred activist Lobga Rangzen and opposes China’s new ‘Ethnic Unity’ law, aiming to highlight human rights in Tibet.
Former executives of the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), along with other Tibetan activists, observed the hunger strike near the main Tibetan temple, Tsuglagkhang, in Dharamshala.
According to TYC, the campaign aims to draw international attention to the human rights situation in Tibet through coordinated demonstrations, candlelight vigils, public rallies, awareness campaigns, diplomatic outreach and other non-violent actions across the world.
Protest Honours Activist, Rejects China’s ‘Ethnic Unity’ Law
In a statement, the TYC said the worldwide campaign was launched in memory of Lobga Rangzen, who died following his self-immolation protest outside the United Nations Headquarters in New York on July 2. “His final protest was an appeal to the conscience of the international community and a reminder that Tibet remains an occupied nation whose people continue to struggle for freedom and independence,” the statement said.
The organisation also rejected China’s ‘Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law’, which it said came into force on July 1. “A government cannot legislate away the identity of a nation. A policy intended to erase a people’s language, culture, history, and spiritual heritage is not unity. It is state-enforced assimilation,” the statement said.
A Sustained Global Movement
Speaking to ANI, former TYC president and current Member of Parliament Gonpo Dhundup said that the hunger strike was intended to honour Lobga Rangzen’s sacrifice and continue the Tibetan movement. “With this hunger strike, we want to pay our tribute, we want to honour the kind of sacrifice which is made by our martyr Lobga Rangzen, and meanwhile, we also want to convey the message to the Chinese Communist Government that the Tibetan people will continue to resist, will continue to fight until our rightful freedom is restored,” he said.
He added, “This whole campaign will continue globally. So for the first month it will be in Dharamshala, then it will be in some other part of the world.”
He further said, “There will be a campaign in Delhi, New York and in different parts of the world.”
Speaking to ANI, former TYC Vice President Lobsang Tsering said the protest was also directed against China’s newly implemented law. “We are protesting against the Chinese government, specifically against the ‘National Unity’ law that China implemented on July 1st. China has already committed many atrocities in Tibet, and now they are implementing laws to further tighten their grip and destroy Tibetan culture and religion. This hunger strike is not just happening here in Himachal Pradesh, but will continue across the world wherever there is a chapter of the Tibetan Youth Congress,” he said.
Demands for UN Action and Accountability
Speaking to ANI, TYC General Secretary Tenzin Lobsang said the organisation was demanding that the United Nations (UN) acknowledge Lobga Rangzen’s sacrifice and speak on the human rights situation in Tibet. “So TYC officially announced today the global campaigns of the chain strike. So Tibetan Youth Congress is organising a global campaign to chain the protest throughout the global scale to protest against the United Nations’ silence of Tibetan martyrs who self-immolated in front of the United Nations office, as well as protest against the Chinese illegal occupations is implementing the so-called Ethnic Unity law, he said.
He also listed the five major demands. He said, “First one is to the United Nations General Secretary must acknowledge the sacrifice of Tibetan martyr Lobga Rangzen in front of their office headquarters in New York. So his sacrifice was made for the Tibetan cause. And the United Nations must speak about the deteriorating human rights situation inside Tibet. And the second thing is that China must take responsibility of the almost 170 Tibetans who had self-immolated for the cause of Tibet against the Chinese illegal occupation of Tibet and the repression policies in Tibet. The third one is to the global community, governments, institutions and human rights activists to support the Tibet cause. And the fourth one is the world’s youngest political prisoner, Panchen Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, and all political prisoners of the Tibetans must be released unconditionally.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)