Today is the beginning of the 50-day countdown to March 10th,
2009. This year's March 10th observance will mark exactly 50
years since that historic day in 1959 when thousands of Tibetans
took to the streets of Lhasa demanding the immediate withdrawal
of Chinese occupying forces. Within weeks, the Dalai Lama and
the Tibetan government escaped into exile in India and thousands
of Tibetans were killed in the aftermath of the Uprising. Read
archived news articles from the London Times in 1959 here:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/system/topicRoot/The_Dalai_Lama_flees_Tibet_/
As a Tibetan, I can find no words that adequately capture the
deep emotional significance of March 10th. For those of us born
or raised in exile, March 10th is an annual ritual of protest
that from our earliest days of childhood connects us to both our
country and to our political struggle.
For our parents and grandparents who were forced to flee Tibet,
March 10th serves as a painful reminder of the land and loved
ones they left behind.
And for Tibetans inside Tibet, every March 10th marks yet
another year that they have been denied their basic rights and
freedom and forced to live without their beloved leader, His
Holiness the Dalai Lama.
This year, March 10th will be particularly emotional as we mark
not only half a century of China's occupation but also one year
since historic protests broke out across Tibet. Still today,
Tibetans are living in a climate of fear under a brutal military
lockdown. At least 200 Tibetans were killed in China's violent
response to the protests and approximately 1,000 remain missing
or imprisoned.
At the same time, March 10th is also a proud time of
remembrance. It's a day when Tibetans around the world hoist the
Tibetan flag, sing the national anthem and renew their
commitment to the freedom struggle. It's a time to honor the
living and remember the dead; a time to pay tribute to those
Tibetans who have steadfastly refused to give up their right to
freedom and independence.
In the lead up to this March 10th, we will profile 50 Tibetans
who embody the spirit of the enduring Tibetan resistance. Each
day, from now until March 10th, we will feature a different
Tibetan hero on our website. We will honor their sacrifice and
inspire a new generation with their courage.
To mark the start of the 50-day countdown, we pay tribute to
Jampa Tenzin, the monk whose image and remarkable story from the
1987 protests in Lhasa has come to symbolize Tibetan resistance
and defiance of Chinese rule. To learn more, go to:
www.studentsforafreetibet.org/50days
We will also be sending a weekly email outlining our plans and
preparations for global March 10th observances, including
materials and resources to help you get involved in this
historic campaign. Don't forget to check
www.studentsforafreetibet.org/50days to see who is being
profiled daily during the countdown.