By Choekyi Lhamo
DHARAMSHALA, June 12: A Tibetan man, Tsering Wangdue, 45, began his solo March from Winterthur, Zurich on May 27 to Geneva on June 5. His protest was aimed to create awareness about China’s human rights violations in Tibet, and urged the UN to make China accountable for its handling of the COVID-19 crisis. A resident of Switzerland, he walked for almost 280 km with the national flags of Tibet and Switzerland and “Make China Accountable” placard.
“The overall experience was great. I did this on my own. I didn’t think of the many difficulties that I later encountered in my journey. There were many problems on the road. I realized I wasn’t properly prepared as I had issues with my shoes, and sometimes I wouldn’t even find a shelter to sleep in,” Tsering Wangdue told Phayul. He said that when people came to know about his initiative, many members of the Tibetan community welcomed him.
In coordination with Tibet Bureau Geneva, they filed an appeal letter to the UN addressed to the UN Human Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Michelle Bachelet, “Today we are all suffering because China did not take any action in stopping the coronavirus from spreading in the initial stage. Instead, China punished the doctors and physicians who alerted the people of this virus . . . the Chinese government kept lying about the impact and the death toll. Now because of the series of lies by China, the world is paying a huge price.”
Wangdue implored the UN to take action against the rising global power of China and called for united efforts to judiciously criticize China for its actions. He also raised concerns about the disappearance of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and also urged people to boycott Chinese goods in solidarity.
“I met people who opposed my solo protest on the road but I constantly reminded myself of my task and got on my feet,” remarked Wangdue. The journey spanned from Zurich, Luzern, Bern, Fribourg, Lausanne to Geneva where some Tibetans accompanied him for short distances to express solidarity. He further noted that there were many people who also sympathized with him and commended his spirit for the Tibetan cause.
