Thursday, November 3, 2011

Tibetan spirit

Women with their babies in strollers, elder people walking on a stick, young and trendy girls in high heel, restless and youthful looking guys in their sneakers, they come with one purpose : to amplify the voice of those Tibetan heros inside Tibet. Tibetan people from all walk of life descended on D.C to join the Global Day of Action jointly organized by five regional Tibetan Youth Congress. The officials of Chinese embassy who are hiding inside their compound must have felt the tremor triggered by the raucous free Tibetan protesters. It was a powerful show of people's force. By today's gathering of Tibetan people clearly indicated that the Tibetan struggle is growing bigger and stronger, and louder. Capital Areas Regional Tibetan Youth Congress, which have played an indispensable role of  co-hosting the mass protest have done a brilliant preparation.

As I approach the Chinese embassy, I could hear the echo of loud protest far away. Getting closer to the vicinity of the Chinese embassy, I saw a sea of snow lions flag hoisting high and fluttering in the air, as if challenging the lone Chinese flag across the street. There are familiar faces, and there are new faces, as I walk into the centre of the crowd. Three highly charged speeches were delivered. by the leaders of the organization. Tsewang Ringzen, the president of Tibetan Youth Congress delivered a high spirited and uplifting speeches.  He commended those brave men and women in Tibet for their ultimate scar fices. He urged Tibetans that freedom comes with price , and that Tibetan should be ready to pay the price.  His speech was highly inspirational and very moving. Then followed by a speech by the president Regional Tibetan Youth Congress, Newyork echoing the same message of independence for Tibet. The speakers are extremely passionately and upbeat. It was a somber atmosphere, at the same time lots of excitement on the air. A crowd of such scale are rare to see in Washington D.C.

Enacting self-immolations:

TYC has artfully enacted the self-immolations in an open area, on a big white clothes. As the spectators watching the drama unfolding with heroic act of selflessness. It brought tears from many eyes in the crowd.
The crowd become very emotional, it was a moment of awe and depressing yet the glorify of those who sacrificed for Tibetan cause were duly honored. Sanga, memeber of TYC Newyork, conveyed a direct message to the Tibetan in Tibet in my interview " Dear brothers and sisters, our ears are tuned to and our eyes are wide open, we are with you in spirit and in deed". Seeing the grand parade  that stretches for miles away with the thundering slogans for Tibetan cause is indeed a great spectacle. The demonstrators were focused, and committed to scream out of their lung. It is what they  can do at least for the moment , they do it with passion, sincerity and genuine feeling for the nation. 

The parade from the Chinese embassy to Dunpon Circile come to a halt with pizza lunch served to all participants. From there the crowd resumed its protest and marched to White house. Another round of speeches were delivered, one particularly speech by RTYC Manisota was very inspiring.  The protest was a huge  success both for its turn out of protesters and for the message that it has conveyed to all people on the way. The protest has inspired the content for a documentary film. It all come down to one thing.  "United we win and divided we fall". As President Tsewang Rigzin said, it appears the protest would end and we go back to our respective places, but the struggle for Tibetan independence would go on ceaselessly..


 




Katri speaking to India TV

I never knew our Katri speaks fluent Hindi.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iT6PIIW6XI&feature=player_embedded

Second nuns self immolated

selfless act of self immolation,
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/burn-11032011092237.html

Mr Jingpa from Dharamsala, who had contacts with the locals in Tawa county in Tibet spoke to RFA.


“As of now a joint prayers session were organized at the Tawu Nyitso monastery with participants from few other nunneries including Dakar nunnery. After the nun’s self immolation, thousands of local Tibetan gathered at Tawu market areas and shouted slogans such as long live the Dalai Lama, before proceeding to Nyitso monastery. The monastery has now been besieged by local Tibetans. The police and military forces have also been stationed around the monastery and nunnery. The officials of the monastery and nunnery have been summoned to the police station. The reasons for why they are called to police station are unclear”.


“a Tibetan nun from the Darkar Choeling in Tawu has set herself alight around 12:30 pm, on November 03.

She has swollen and doused herself with kerosene before setting herself alight. She was shouting “long live his Holiness the dalai Lama, Free Tibet, Dalai Lama return to Tibet.

In about minute she fell to the ground, but then she rose up and shouted again with hands clasp. Her entire body was engulfed with fire, and flames shooting out of her mouth, her slogans become inaudible. It took her about few minutes before she fell to the ground again and succumbed to the burns. The self immolation took place at the same place, where Tsewang Norbu (a monk from Nyitso monastery has self immolated). Soon after the nun self immolated and dead, local police swooped at the scene and attempted to take possession of the dead body, but then the Tibetan masses at the scene shouted against the police and brought the corpse to Tawu Nyitso monastery and kept in the prayer hall.

Paden Choezom hails from Dongchen village in Tawu, she is 35 years old, her father’s name is Chongney, and mother’s name is Yama Choedon.