News and Views on Tibet

Tibetan women stage dramatic protest in Bangalore

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Tenzin Pema

Bangalore, March 28: Nearly 500 Tibetan women from the Tibetan settlements of Bylakuppe, Hunsur and Kollegal along with the residents and students of the city of Bangalore, gathered at Cubbon Park on Friday, and staged a dramatic protest against Chinese oppression of innocent Tibetans in Tibet.

Tibetan women of all age groups were demanding that Chinese forces cease the use of brutality against thousands of Tibetans who were arrested soon after peaceful demonstrations broke out all over Tibet.

“Today, we — the Tibetan women in exile — rise up and salute our brave sisters and brothers, who despite knowing the tortures they risk facing at the hands of the Chinese authorities, have fearlessly raised their voices against Chinese rule and in doing so, have made the whole world aware of the true conditions within occupied Tibet,” the women said in a statement they issued to the press.

The women also staged a dramatic skit of the horrific tortures that Tibetan prisoners are subjected to at the hands of the Chinese, with some posing as Tibetan protestors and prisoners, while others acted as Chinese officials.

“This is the first time in 49 years that Tibetan women in exile have come together to raise their voices as one against Chinese tyranny in Tibet. We believe that this is a very crucial period in the Tibetan history – a now or a never chapter,” Kusang, one of the women protesting said.

Their protest also highlighted the use of torture against Tibetans in prisons and detention centres in Tibet. Some of the gruesome methods of torture they highlighted included the inflicting of shocks with electric batons, pouring boiling water over prisoners and exposure to extreme temperatures, among others.

The protestors also demanded that medical aid be sent to Tibet, as hundreds of wounded Tibetans remain deprived of proper medical attention.

They also raised the controversial issue of China continuing to ignore and violate the basic human rights of millions in Tibet. The protestors pointed out that the recent unrest in Tibet and China’s brutal crackdown has only proved that China continues to ignore the promises that it made to the world community at the time it was allowed to host the 2008 Olympic Games.

“We appeal to the United Nations to send an international inquiry committee into Tibet. We also seek the support of the international community at this critical moment in the Tibetan people’s lives,” Dolkar, another Tibetan woman, said.

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