Today we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising Day. On this day we pay homage to the hundreds of thousands of brave Tibetan men and women who have sacrificed their lives for the cause of Tibetan freedom.
Tibet today is reeling under undeclared martial law. Heavily armed Chinese troops are patrolling the streets of all the major Tibetan cities, most notably Lhasa. The Chinese authorities have completely sealed off all the major Tibetan monasteries. In addition to severely restricting the communication with the outside world, foreign journalists have been kept out of Tibet.
Due to the lack of sincerity and commitment on the part of Chinese leadership to resolve the Tibet issue, the recent series of talks between the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the representatives of the People’s Republic of China have failed the hopes of the Tibetan people. This failure however will only further intensify the Tibetan struggle for freedom, both inside and outside Tibet.
Despite all the lofty claims of Chinese propaganda, stating that China has developed Tibet, the ground realities point to the contrary. Last year, Tibetans across Tibet—including not only in the so-called Tibet Autonomous Regions, but also in other Tibetan areas in Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu and Yunan—staged the largest Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule.
Despite the increasing level of Chinese brutality in forcefully crushing out all forms of peaceful Tibetan resistance to the Chinese rule, the Tibetan people have continued their freedom struggle for the last 50 years. In fact, the Tibetan struggled for freedom has further intensified with the passage of time. Therefore, as long as China does not respond sincerely to efforts of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to peacefully resolve the issue of Tibet through substantive dialogue, the Tibetan struggle for freedom will be waged not only inside Tibet, but across the globe.
On this momentous day, the Tibetans in Taiwan also express their heartfelt gratitude to the Taiwanese people for their support to the Tibetan cause and hope that they will continue the same in the future. It is also our hope that the resolution of Tibet issue will also carry positive implications for the future relations between China and Taiwan.
Tibetan Welfare Association
Taipei, Taiwan
March 10, 2009
