Tibetan martyrs remembered, China criticised

DHARAMSHALA: Over 30 members of a foreign parliamentary delegation joined the official commemoration of the 64th Tibetan Uprising here in Dharamshala on Saturday. United in solidarity with the Tibetan leadership and Tibetans in exile, the parliamentary delegation of Mexico, the European Parliament, Lithuania, and Taiwan marked the day by honouring the Tibetan martyrs who dauntlessly stood up against the occupation of the Chinese government. The heads of three democratic pillars of the Central Tibetan Administration, Kalons, parliamentarians, secretaries, CTA’s civil servants, directors, and the representatives of various NGOs were also in attendance. Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel of the Tibetan Parliament and Sikyong Penpa Tsering read out their respective statements of Parliament and Kashag.
Chief guest MEP Mikuláš Peksa in his key address expressed the EU’s strong condemnation and criticised  China’s oppressive policies involving mass DNA testing violating the rights of Tibetans and the forced assimilation of Tibetan children into the majority Han culture through the mandatory colonial barding system. He added that these pressing issues are taken into serious consideration by the EU.
“I believe I speak for all my co-parliamentarians when I say that we will do every possible in our mandate to point out the injustices committed upon the Tibetan people. We will continue to hold China accountable for a transgression,” said MEP Peksa.
Special guest Damon Wilson, President of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) commended the inspiring courage and the indestructible spirit of the Tibetan people while conveying his solidarity and support for the Tibetan people’s struggle for freedom, justice, and democracy.
He underscored three points outlining ways the world could take inspiration from Tibet and the Tibetan people. He outlined that Tibetan people’s resilience in sustaining the struggle for 64 years in exile without wavering once from the truth and pursuit of justice and principles of non-violence and compassion could serve as a model of inspiration for all freedom-loving people around the world. Secondly,  he extolled the thriving Tibetan system of democracy as a moral exemplar around the world.