“Walk for Tibet” marchers cross an intersection in Hadley.
Reminder Publishing photo by Trent Levakis
In recognition of the 66th anniversary of the National Tibetan Uprising Day, the Regional Tibetan Association of Massachusetts led a “Walk for Tibet” on March 10, starting in the morning in Amherst, through Northampton in the afternoon and ending the day in Easthampton.
A flag raising and proclamation reading in recognition of the day occurred at each community’s city hall, where leaders from each community came out to show their support. With the sun shining bright all day, it made for great weather for the marchers in their efforts to recognize the 66th anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day.
National Tibetan Uprising Day commemorates their resistance against the People’s Republic of China’s occupation of Tibet — an occupation widely condemned as brutal and illegitimate. Over the past six and a half decades, China’s authoritarian policies have led to the loss of more than 1.2 million Tibetan lives and the repression of Tibetan cultural, religious and political identity.
Reminder Publishing photo by Trent Levakis
“Today we gather here to remember an important day in our history,” said Regional Tibetan Association Massachusetts President Yonten Gyatso. “On this day 66 years ago, the Tibetan people rose up against China’s occupations. Thousands of Tibetans stood together to protect his holiness the Dalai Lama and our country’s freedom. The Chinese government responded with brutal force and since then, Tibetans remain under strict Chinese control. Even today, Tibet is one of the most oppressed places in the world.”
The Regional Tibetan Association of Massachusetts marked the historic day with “Walk for Tibet,” an 8-mile peace march from Amherst to Northampton, alongside the ceremonial readings of proclamations and the hoisting of the Tibetan National Flag outside the town halls of the three communities visited.
The origins of the day trace back to March 10, 1959, when more than 300,000 Tibetans surrounded the Norbulingka Palace in Lhasa to prevent the Chinese Army from abducting His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The Chinese response was swift and brutal and by March 17, 1959, the Dalai Lama was forced to flee into exile in India. Since then, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army unleashed a violent crackdown on Lhasa, killing thousands and destroying countless Buddhist monasteries.
Reminder Publishing photo by Trent Levakis
This year also marks the 17th anniversary of the 2008 Tibetan Uprising, during which peaceful protests across Tibet were met with severe military suppression. Since then, over 157 Tibetans have self-immolated, calling for Tibet’s freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama.
The U.S. Department of State has repeatedly condemned China’s human rights violations in Tibet, including extrajudicial detentions, enforced disappearances and torture. A recent campaign by the Chinese government has reportedly forcibly relocated up to one million Tibetan children into colonial-style boarding schools for political indoctrination.
In light of these injustices, the Regional Tibetan Association of Massachusetts continued to the call upon all defenders of human rights, justice and peace to stand in solidarity with the Tibetans on the 66th anniversary of its uprising.
“It is a moral imperative to speak out against China’s oppression and support the Tibetan people’s right to live freely in their homeland,” the association said in a statement.
Reminder Publishing photo by Trent Levakis
