63rd Tibetan Uprising Day Celebrated Today

GHRTV

Mar 10, 2022 - 14:21 Updated: Mar 11, 2022 - 08:38

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63rd Tibetan Uprising Day Celebrated Today

Photo by Grace Kwon on Flickr

10.03.2022

Mandakini Jathavethan

Tibet and Human Rights Researcher,

Global Human Rights Defence.

March 10th 2022 marks the 63rd anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising Day. On this day in the year 1959, Tibetans peacefully revolted in an unprecedented manner against Chinese occupation. The deep feelings of discontent and yearning for freedom can be judged by the recent self-immolation of Tsewang Norbu to drive focus on the issue.

In Darjeeling (India), about 150 Tibetans participated in a peaceful 80-kilometre march to remind Tibetans of their distinct “language, culture and religion” (Dolma, Y). They also wanted to raise awareness of the atrocities committed against Tibetans, and to be in solidarity with Tibetans who live in Tibet. It was organised by the North East Regional Tibetan Youth Congress in India. They wished to draw attention to Tsewang Norbu, the latest victim of the brutal Chinese policies, and the recent spate of destruction of Buddhist statues and monasteries.

Taiwanese NGOs organised a peace march on 5th March 2022 to honour the Tibetan lives lost to Chinese oppression through the decades, and to highlight the demolition of Buddhist statues in Tibet. This event was preceded by a debate among experts on the historical significance of this Day on 1st March 2022, and a widely-covered press conference attended by members of the Taiwan Parliamentary Group for Tibet on 2nd March 2022.

In anticipation of the Day, the Chinese military conducted a security drill near Tibet and the Indian border. According to Chinese state media, this drill was conducted at an altitude of 4300 metres to be prepared for real combat. Their next steps would include “segmented drills and key training on team cooperation, enemy information collection, terrain research and judgment, etc., and (to) continuously improve the level of actual combat training of the troops” (Asian News International). Monks of Lhasa monasteries had been previously warned by the top Chinese authorities to avoid “engaging in activities which could be deemed anti-China ahead of the Tibetan New Year on Mar(ch) 3 and especially the 63rd anniversary on Mar(ch) 10 of the Tibetan National Uprising Day” (Tibetan Review).