DHARAMSHALA, September 27: The Gu Chu Sum Former Political Prisoner’s Movement of Tibet today observed 25 years of the September 27, 1987 peaceful uprisings in the Tibetan capital city of Lhasa, calling it “an important anniversary in the struggle for Tibetan freedom.”
The demonstration led by 21 monks from the Drepung Monastery in Lhasa this day quarter of a century ago snowballed into the largest and most significant uprisings in Tibet since 1959.
A series of major protests spread in Tibet over the next two years culminating in the declaration of martial law on March 8, 1989 by the then communist party head in Tibet, Hu Jintao.
Thousands of Tibetans who took part in the protests of the late eighties in Lhasa were arrested, severely beaten and sentenced to hard labour.
The Gu-Chu-Sum Movement, in a release today said the uprisings came to “signify a stage in the history when the struggle against Chinese imperialism was taken up by a younger generation.”
“September 27 has echoed throughout the succeeding years as an inspiration to continue the struggle for Tibetan independence through non-violent and peaceful means,” the release said.
“The events which took place on September 27 became a catalyst for widened political thinking among the Tibetan people helping to pave the way for discussions about rebuilding a nation.”
The Gu Chu Sum Movement earlier this morning organised a sangsol (incense burning) prayer ceremony at the Lhagyal Ri in remembrance of Tibetans who “sacrificed their lives in the struggle for Tibetan independence, their families and the political prisoners who are still languishing in Chinese prisons across Tibet.”
“Since the Gu Chu Sum Movement of Tibet advocates the complete independence of our country from China it is our responsibility to recognise the profound importance of this anniversary, and not forget the sacrifice that these and many other Tibetans have made,” the group said.
The former political prisoner’s group released a book and also launched their organisation’s website in Tibetan, English, and Chinese languages to commemorate the day.
The group also held a candlelight vigil later in the evening to pay tribute to Tibetan martyrs.
“The Chinese government’s policies, whether attempting to be alluring or coercive, have failed to gain the compliance of the Tibetan people,” the group said. “Fifty-one Tibetans have resorted to desperate act of self-immolation since 2009. This kind of drastic action to willingly sacrifice their lives clearly shows the level of suffering and sheer desperation of the Tibetan people.”
The Dharamshala based Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet was founded in 1991 with a mission to provide food, shelter, financial help, medical attention, education, job, and psychological support to former prisoners of conscience.
