By Choekyi Lhamo
DHARAMSHALA, Feb 4: The commencement of the winter Olympics in Beijing on Friday was marked by protests worldwide by Tibetans who accused the International Olympics Committee (IOC) for their complicity in covering up mass human rights abuses by China in Tibet, East Turkestan, Hong Kong, Southern Mongolia and more.
Tibetans in India, UK, Germany, Australia, New Zealand and Europe are collectively holding parallel protests against the opening ceremony of the Winter Games, to be held from February 4 to 20, following up to months of campaigns calling on the international community to boycott or postpone the Olympics over human rights concerns. The five prominent Dharamshala-based NGOs held a press conference, condemning China for going forward with the international Games without confronting the genocide happening inside the occupied regions. Ten activists in Dharamshala participated in a day-long hunger strike protest, marking February 4 as a ‘black day’.
Hundreds of Tibetans in the Indian capital New Delhi also demonstrated against the Beijing government with banners and slogans carrying messages, “No Rights, No Games” and “Say No To Genocide Games” at the site. Three Tibetan activists including poet Tenzin Tsundue were detained in prison for several hours after their protest outside the Chinese embassy in Delhi. Moreover, a few Tibetans and supporters also staged a demonstration outside the Chinese embassy in Mexico to amplify the voices of Tibetans inside Tibet.
Around 500 Tibetans marched outside the IOC headquarters at Lausanne, Switzerland on Thursday, led by singer and activist Loten Namling who marched on skis dragging the Chinese flag behind him. Thupten Wangchen, a member of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile, told the Hong Kong Free Press that they were not against the Olympics but by their choice of host, “IOC: please, from now on, in future Olympics, choose a country which has human rights and freedom of religion.”
Rights groups advocating independence for their countries from China also held a virtual alternate Olympics ceremony simultaneously as Beijing celebrated the official launch of the Winter Games on Friday. Hong Konger activists Nathan Law and Joey Siu, Tibetan activists Lhadon Tethong, Pema Yoko, Pema Doma, along with ITN Director Mandie McKeown and Free Tibet’s Campaigns manager John Johns were present at the event to call on countries and their citizens to join #IWillNotWatch campaign that urged sports fans to switch off completely from watching the ‘Genocide Games’.
The ongoing Olympics is one of the most divided sporting events in decades with China not only facing international rebuke and diplomatic boycotts for its poor human rights record but also backlash for scrutiny on visiting athletes. Last week, China warned athletes participating in the event against displaying any “behavior or speeches against Chinese laws and regulations” and said that such conducts would be subject to punishment.
The 2008 political uprising during the Summer Olympics saw widespread protests inside Tibet that resulted in over a thousand arrests of ordinary Tibetans by the Chinese authorities.
4 Responses
His Holiness is not being silenced but remained silence actually talks louder to the entire World how you react to Red Chinese brutality around the World. British was sleeping when Hong Kong is crack down, entire Muslim world is sleeping when millions of Ugyur are imprisoned, Buddhist countries acted as unaware of Buddhism is being suppressed in Tibet and China. Pope does not want to share responsibility of protecting people from religious suppression/execution with the Dalai Lama, thus he avoids meeting with him to appease Red China with a hope she might allow conversion in Main Land China, and on the other hand Capitalist countries do not want to withdraw business with China and so on. Hence, entire world is silence due to some reasons and ready to friendly approach with Red China, any time opportunity knocks door. Being silence talks louder than we go for protest at Chinese Embassies around the world working hard to explain human rights situation in territories under Red Chinese control. Being silence the smart leaders and politicians all over world already got message how to challenge China. His Holiness is an embodiment of wisdom. If he talks or choose silence, there are reasons and he is aware of the impact of both. Shower and ocean both contribute something to the existence of the world but ocean makes difference whereas Shower can’t.
Yes, the religious and political heads are silent and or complicit, hence today we understand, know it’s a people’s struggle, fighting the good fight for decades. Today, Communism isn’t just in some parts of Asia but it’s global, the new-world-order is communism or vice verse. Coronavirus, made in china aught to be the catalyst for all but the world seems indifferent, asleep, still, sadly. Powers that be, the global elites are implementing china as a proxy in attempt to dominate the world via “AI” technology surveillance etc…China has infiltrated many parts of the world, in case everyone’s in comatose, the U.S.,Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Africa,Latin America, etc….”China lead the new-world-order” per their masters. Y’all get some!
Your religious heads and political heads are silence or silenced? What ever, please keep the torch of Tibet’s freedom alive as noises keeps the cause alive and silences keeps the personal accountant busy.
Don’t give up !