By Choekyi Lhamo
DHARAMSHALA, Nov. 3: Tibetans in McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala held a candle light vigil on Tuesday to highlight the deteriorating human rights situation in Driru County, Nagchu in Eastern Tibet. Over a hundred Tibetans and several locals participated in the vigil to pay respects to Lhamo, Tenzin Tharpa and Lhundrub Drakpa.
The death of Lhamo, the arbitrary detention of her cousin Tharpa, and the 6-year sentence for Lhundrub for composing a song that criticised Chinese policies, have sparked renewed discussion of rights violations and Chinese government persecution inside Tibet.
Tibetan Youth Congress President Gonpo Dhondup addressed the event by citing the report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) that revealed how difficult it is to acquire information from Tibet. He further remarked, “We have gathered here today to demand the immediate release of the all Tibetan political prisoners and urge the international community to make China accountable for cases like Tharpa’s and Lhundrub’s.”
Representatives from activist groups showed Lhundrub’s ‘Black Hat’ music video with lyrics translated into English and Hindi that read, “On the heads of a sincere and truthful people/ A black hat has been forcefully put on/ For years and months under this black hat/ They’ve suffered as if hell is on earth.”
Both Lhamo and Tharpa were arrested on charges of sending money to family and other Tibetans in India which is a common practice in exile. Lhamo’s brother, Tashi Dhondup, present at the vigil said that he was extremely saddened and anger when the news of her untimely death reached him. He demanded that his close relative Tharpa and the singer Lhundrub be released immediately from arbitrary detention in Chinese prison, and hoped a thorough investigation be conducted regarding the custodial death of Lhamo.
The vigil was organised by the five Dharamshala-based NGOs, Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA), Gu Chu Sum Movement Association of Tibet, National Democratic Party of Tibet (NDPT), and Students for a Free Tibet- India (SFT).
