TORONTO, March 10, 2014 /CNW/ - 1000+ Tibetans and their supporters carrying colourful Tibetan flags marched across downtown Toronto towards the Chinese Consulate (240 St. George St) to mark the 55th anniversary of the 1959 National Uprising against China's illegal occupation, when the Dalai Lama was forced to flee into exile. It also marks the six year anniversary since widespread protests against Chinese rule swept Tibet in 2008.
"Despite 55 years of China's brutal occupation and systematic attempts to wipe out Tibetan resistance, the Tibetan people's hope for freedom is stronger than ever before" said Urgyen Badheytsang, spokesperson for the coalition. "March 10 is symbolic of the enduring spirit of the Tibetan people's struggle for freedom" explained Badheytsang.
Marchers urged Canadian and world leaders to step up pressure on China as the repression in Tibet and human rights situation continues to deteriorate. "The Canadian government and Canadians must not consider trade over human rights" said Tsering Tsomo, an organizer with the coalition. "The Canadian government must pressure the Chinese government to meaningfully negotiate with Tibetans to resolve the Tibet issue once and for all."
The Canadian Tibetan Joint Action Committee (a coalition of five Tibet NGOs in Toronto) is calling on the Canadian government to take concrete action by publicly supporting a multilateral forum to hold the Chinese government accountable for its abuses in Tibet, a Tibetan version of the "Friends of Syria" contact group formed last year.
Speakers at a rally in front of the Chinese Consulate called for immediate resolution to the spiraling crisis in Tibet where a staggering 127 Tibetans have given up their lives through self-immolation in recent years. Repressive policies and severe crackdown have provoked an unprecedented wave of self-immolations by monks, nuns and laypeople, the majority of whom have lost their lives. "Today we pay homage to all Tibetan brothers and sisters, who have sacrificed their lives for the freedom and dignity of our nation" said Tsomo.
Similar rallies are planned in dozens of cities across Canada and worldwide to commemorate 55 years of Tibetans' courageous resistance against Chinese rule.
SOURCE Canadian Tibetan Association of Ontario
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