Tibetan Freedom March marks 1959 Uprising
Kevin Otto | 06.03.2008 02:37 | World
A march and rally in central London on Saturday March 8th will commemorate the Tibetan National Uprising of 1959, when the occupying Chinese forces brutally suppressed an uprising of resistance by Tibetans to the occupation. In the year of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the call for a free Tibet is growing ever louder.
49 Years have passed since tens of thousands of Tibetan men, women and children were killed as they attempted to rise up in protest against the illegal occupation of their country. All around the world marches and rallies will mark the events of March 10th, 1959 as Tibetans in exile show respect for those who died and repeat the demand for an end to the occupation. Many supporters of the movement for a free Tibet will join the UK Tibetan community on Saturday March 8th in London, to show their solidarity.
Those attending the Freedom March are asked to assemble at 49-51 Portland Place, W1 (nearest tube Regent's Park) opposite the Chinese Embassy at 10.30am, with the march due to begin at 11am. The route takes the procession down Portland Place, Regent's Street, onto Haymarket via Piccadilly Circus, around Trafalagar Square and onto Whitehall. The march will pause as a delegation petitions Downing Street, then continue to Parliament Square and Victoria Street. The march will finish on Palace Street, London SW1 at approximately 12.30pm. It will be immediately followed by a rally at Palace Street. The march will pause at Downing Street as a delegation petitions Downing Street.
"With the Beijing Olympics only months away, there has never been a more vital time to show your support for Tibet and to call for an end to China's brutal occupation", said Terry Bettger of the organising committee, "The Chinese government must be held to account for the human rights atrocities committed in Tibet. I urge anyone who cares about human rights to join us on the 8th of March and lend your voice to the call for a free and independent Tibet".
Joining the procession are members of the 'Drapchi 14', Tibetan Buddhist nuns who were imprisoned and tortured for their part in peaceful demonstrations calling for Tibetan independence. The 14 were sentenced for a combined total of 71 years. They became known around the world for recording and smuggling out songs of freedom from behind prison bars, an act of bravery that earned them extended sentences. The nuns will be reunited for the first time since their release.
According to Terry Bettger, the Freedom March is about the present as much as the events of the Tibetan National Uprising. "We must not forget those who were killed in 1959 and we must not ignore the ongoing suffering of the Tibetan people. In 2008, as the world's focus is on China, we have a chance to make our voices heard in the UK and across the globe. Let's urge Gordon Brown to prove his concern about Tibet by meeting the Dalai Lama and discussing human rights with the Chinese government".
Those attending the Freedom March are asked to assemble at 49-51 Portland Place, W1 (nearest tube Regent's Park) opposite the Chinese Embassy at 10.30am, with the march due to begin at 11am. The route takes the procession down Portland Place, Regent's Street, onto Haymarket via Piccadilly Circus, around Trafalagar Square and onto Whitehall. The march will pause as a delegation petitions Downing Street, then continue to Parliament Square and Victoria Street. The march will finish on Palace Street, London SW1 at approximately 12.30pm. It will be immediately followed by a rally at Palace Street. The march will pause at Downing Street as a delegation petitions Downing Street.
"With the Beijing Olympics only months away, there has never been a more vital time to show your support for Tibet and to call for an end to China's brutal occupation", said Terry Bettger of the organising committee, "The Chinese government must be held to account for the human rights atrocities committed in Tibet. I urge anyone who cares about human rights to join us on the 8th of March and lend your voice to the call for a free and independent Tibet".
Joining the procession are members of the 'Drapchi 14', Tibetan Buddhist nuns who were imprisoned and tortured for their part in peaceful demonstrations calling for Tibetan independence. The 14 were sentenced for a combined total of 71 years. They became known around the world for recording and smuggling out songs of freedom from behind prison bars, an act of bravery that earned them extended sentences. The nuns will be reunited for the first time since their release.
According to Terry Bettger, the Freedom March is about the present as much as the events of the Tibetan National Uprising. "We must not forget those who were killed in 1959 and we must not ignore the ongoing suffering of the Tibetan people. In 2008, as the world's focus is on China, we have a chance to make our voices heard in the UK and across the globe. Let's urge Gordon Brown to prove his concern about Tibet by meeting the Dalai Lama and discussing human rights with the Chinese government".
Kevin Otto
