Tibetan Uprising

An appeal for the support of Tibetan People’s Struggle for Freedom, Justice and Human Rights

Your Excellency Sir/ Madam,

The Tibetan People’s Uprising Movement (TPUM) is a global movement of Tibetans launched by four major Tibetan Non-Governmental Organizations based in India. TPUM aims to take control of the political destiny of the Tibetan people by engaging in non-violent direct struggle to end China’s illegal and brutal occupation of Tibet.

Your Excellency, foremost, we express our sincere gratitude and utmost appreciation for the overwhelming humanitarian and political support we have been rendered since China invaded and occupied our country Tibet in 1949. The entire six million Tibetans all around the world cherish this invaluable support and compassion that your esteemed Government and people continue to bestow on us in our most difficult times.

We also express our heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to you for having expressed your concern over the recent uprising and the subsequent tragic events in Tibet.

In order to set the record straight, it is important to note that until the Chinese invasion in 1949, Tibet operated as a fully independent state by modern standards. Tibet had its own national flag, its own currency, a distinct culture and language, and controlled its own affairs such as signing of international trade agreements and border treaties.

However, since China’s illegal and forceful occupation of Tibet, its oppressive rule in Tibet has resulted in death of over 1.2 million Tibetans and the near total destruction of Tibetan tradition, culture, religion and environment. Thousands of Tibetans continue to languish in prisons suffering from inhuman torture and prosecutions. Tibetans are deprived of all basic human rights including religious, cultural, educational rights etc. which results in the fleeing of over 3000 Tibetans each year from Chinese repression.

In the last over 50 years of Chinese occupation of Tibet, the determination and the strong will power of Tibetan people inside Tibet to unshackle Chinese colonialism have been well demonstrated through massive pro-independence demonstrations staged repeatedly since the fall of 1959 and through 1987, 1988, and 1989.

Moreover, this year beginning 10 March, a series of massive demonstrations against the Chinese Government rocked the entire plateau of Tibet. As always China responded with violent and inhuman crackdown of the peaceful demonstrators. So far, the violent crack down of the peaceful protests in Tibet has resulted in the known death cases of over 215, with over 6689 imprisoned, over 1298 injured, and over 1000 missing.

At present, whole of Tibet and Tibetan inhabited areas are under heavy military clampdown with the free movements of the Tibetan people highly restricted. The monasteries and the entire Tibetan residential areas have been turned into a virtual prison with movements, in and out, of the strictly controlled and scrutinized.

In fact, today, the whole of Tibet is undergoing through an intense period of “patriotic reeducation campaign”. The monks and nuns are forcibly asked to denounce His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Moreover, all the monks and nuns under the age of 18 years old are being expelled from their

monasteries. Continuous crackdown on the peaceful protesters and unfair trial of the prisoners is still rampantly followed.

Although the recent widespread uprising in Tibet has categorically exposed the utter failure of China’s policies in Tibet, nonetheless, as in the past China is reluctant to reflect and review its policies on Tibet. The hardline policies were evident in all ranks of the Chinese leadership. Chen Kuiyuan, the former TAR Party Secretary, recommended that Tibet, Tibetan people and Tibetan Buddhism - in other words the very name of Tibet- must be destroyed and the “Tibet Autonomous Region” be merged with provinces like Sichuan.

Furthermore the post Olympic situation inside Tibet demands great concern and attention as recent internal party documents have revealed the Communist Party’s designs of unleashing a Mao-era policy of harsh political repression in Tibet. Similar sentiments were resonated by Zhang Qingli, the hard-line party secretary of Tibet Autonomous Region, when he publicly declared during the Olympic torch parade in Lhasa on June 21 that he will “totally smash” the Dalai Lama “clique” and proclaimed that “China’s red flag … will forever flutter” above Tibet.

Other secret documents also revealed total and final solution of the Tibetan question with mass demographic aggression of over 30 million Chinese in Tibet in the coming years.

Consequently, the fate of one of the oldest and richest civilizations - Tibet is shrouded in uncertainty and faces the greatest threat of extinction under the Chinese Communist regime. Only a more assertive and forceful intervention from the freedom loving nations and people could SAVE TIBET and offer justice to the Tibetan people.

Therefore, on behalf of the Tibetan people we appeal you to pay due attention to end the sufferings and the plight of Tibetan people, as unimaginable tragedy continues on the Roof of the World.
We urge you to press the government of China to immediately end its repressive policies in Tibet and to respect the fundamental human rights and religious freedom of the Tibetan people.

As we move forward with our movement we, the Tibetan People, commit ourselves whole-heartedly to this effort and demand that the Chinese government immediately:

1. Remove all obstacles to the unconditional return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet.
2. Begin dismantling the colonial occupation of Tibet and stop the massive resettlement of Chinese into Tibet that threatened the very survival of the Tibetan nation, race and civilization.
3. Send urgently an independent international fact finding mission and a media delegation to the areas of peaceful protests in Tibet.
4. Release unconditionally all the arrested and imprisoned Tibetans political prisoners.
5. End the ongoing violent crackdown and “patriotic education” campaign in Tibet and Withdraw security forces from monasteries and other Tibetan residential areas in Tibet.
6. Revoke immediately its stipulated post Olympic policy of harsh political repression in Tibet.

Thank you in anticipation of your support,
Sincerely Yours

Dr. B. Tsering Yeshi
For
Tibetan People’s Uprising Movement