Dharamsala, August 28 – A video of a Tibetan’s testimony against the Chinese rule and loyalty for the Dalai Lama has managed to slip through the tight Chinese border security.

A monk of Gyitsang Gaden Choekorling Monastery in Sangchu County (Ch:Xiahe), Kanlho “Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture” (‘TAP’), Gansu Province, Kalsang Tsuitrim or known among friends as Gyitsang Takmig recorded his own message to the international community and Tibetans on camera and smuggled it out without any fear of the aftermath. He urged the International communities to act swiftly on behalf of the Tibetan people who are victims of human rights violations in Tibet.

“About sixty minutes in duration, the video testimony was recorded on 18 July 2009 and was later edited with the input of related video footages and snaps for the final version in a VCD that was widely distributed in many Tibetan areas in Gansu, Qinghai and Sichuan Province,” said the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy on its website.

According to the source who brought the disc to the centre, Kalsang is well versed in writing essays, poetry etc. He had even authored a book.

“Kalsang Tsultrim wishes to distribute this video as widely as possible inside Tibet to educate primarily the illiterates and general Tibetan public who had been fed with daily dose of government-sponsored propaganda”, said the source.

Kalsang Tsultrim's video testimony also touches many recent events in Tibet and Chinese government policies which led to the displacement of a large number of Tibetan nomads in the name of development, and thereby completely alters their nomadic way of life, extract Tibet’s natural resources, destroy Tibet’s fragile environment, marginalize the Tibetans socially and economically.

Kalsang appealed the United Nations and International communities saying they have the moral obligation to speak on behalf of the Tibetan people inside Tibet who are living in constant fear and under severe repression.

Kalsang went on to retort the Chinese law on National Regional Autonomy by saying, “the laws on national regional autonomy stipulated under the Chinese Constitution guarantees the fundamental rights of minorities including Tibetans. But in reality it is a completely different scenario where our fundamental rights are not being respected at all. Tibet is governed as just another territory or region in the People’s Republic of China, but nothing is done to build the harmonious society that the government promises.”

The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy says the video message is a rightful exercise of the fundamental freedom of expression and right to opinion enshrined in the Chinese constitution and other major international covenants that China is party to. The Centre said it believes the views expressed in the video are not just Kalsang’s voice but of many people.

The the video can be obtained by contacting the centre at office@tchrd.org or watched in parts here