On March 10th 2007, over 80 Tibetans from Oregon and SW Washington will travel 6 hours one way on two buses to protest against the continued illegal Chinese occupation of Tibet and for Tibet’s Independence in front of the Chinese consulate in Vancouver, British Columbia. This day marks the 48th anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising Day when thousands of Tibetans surrounded Norbulingka Palace to protect His Holiness The Dalai Lama and the city of Lhasa against the invading Chinese troops which resulted in the massacre of 80,000 Tibetans and ultimately over 1 million Tibetans dead as a direct result of the Chinese occupation of Tibet.
Tibetans of all ages will depart from BhodKhang at 4:00 am. The rally will begin at Vancouver Art Gallery at 1:00 pm with guest speakers including Kasur T.C. Tethong, members of Canadian parliament and others. We will then march by offices of some of the Canadian mining companies currently in Tibet and over the Granville bridge and end with demonstration in front of the Chinese consulate.
We demand the Communist Chinese regime to immediately:
- Withdraw all Chinese troops from Tibet and hand over Tibet to the rightful owner in Tibetans.
- Release all political prisoners including 16 year old Yiwang who was arrested last year while distributing pamphlets calling for Tibet’s Independence.
- Stop the railway that will further marginalize Tibetans and destroy Tibet’s pristine environment.
- Lift the ban inside Tibet on pictures of Our Holiness the Dalai Lama.
We will be joined by Tibetans and Tibet supporters from Seattle and Vancouver BC at the rally. We believe it is our fundamental duty as a Tibetan to join the protest on this day and and honor our martyrs who sacrificed their life for Tibet’s Independence and to pray for those who continue to suffer under the brutal Communist Chinese regime.
This Drive for Tibet’s Independence organized by Regional Tibetan Youth Congress, Portland/Vancouver. Please visit www.tibetanyouthcongress.com for more details and future updates.
