Tibetan communities across Australia this Sunday 10 March will be protesting the ongoing occupation of Tibet and bringing attention to the mass arrest of over 1000 Tibetans in Tibet for peaceful protest.
Tibetans and their supporters mark 10 March each year to show solidarity with Tibetans inside Tibet and to honour and support the brave resistance to China’s rule that continues to this day.
On 24 February 2024 more than 1000 Tibetans, including Buddhist monks, were arrested by Chinese authorities after protesting against a dam project that would destroy six monasteries and forcibly displace the residents of two villages.
Over ten days, multiple non-violent protests have taken place to object to the building of the Chinese hydropower dam on the Drichu river in Kham, Eastern Tibet.
“China has occupied Tibet for over 7 decades now,” said Dr Zoe Bedford, Executive Officer, Australia Tibet Council.
“Tibetans have no freedom to protest, even when their towns, homes and centuries old Buddhist monasteries are at risk of destruction,” Dr Bedford said.
The Drichu river is the Tibetan name for what is called the Jinsha River (Chinese: 金沙江; pinyin: Jīnshājiāng; lit. ‘Gold Sand River’, Tibetan: Dri Chu, འབྲི་ཆུ, Yi: ꀉꉷꏁꒉ) or Lu river. The Drichu [CH: Jinsha) or the upper stretches of the Yangtze River.
The Drichu river runs through more than ten Tibetan provinces, which in Chinese the provinces are called Qinghai, Sichuan, and Yunnan in western China.
Tibetans in Wonpotod (Tibetan: དབོན་པོ་སྟོད, Chinese: Wangbuding) township, Derge (Chinese: Dege) County in Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan have been protesting since 14 February against the planned construction of the 2,240-megawatt Kamtok (Gangtuo) hydropower station on the Drichu (Jinsha) River, located on the upper reaches of the Yangtze.
Tibetans over the decades have rejected and continue to actively resist Chinese rule, through protests, non-violent direct action, or by fleeing into exile.
This Tibetan Uprising Day, 10th March, we will be protesting for these Tibetans unjustly arrested, for the Tibetan children who have been separated from their families under China’s system of colonial boarding schools and against the ongoing occupation of Tibet.
“Tens of thousands were killed when Chinese soldiers opened fire but the Tibetans refused to surrender, and many risked their lives to ensure the success of the Dalai Lama’s escape into exile, where he has been a tireless advocate for his people,” said Mr Kalsang Tsering, Canberra Tibetan Community and Australia Tibet Council Board Member.
“Since China illegally invaded Tibet in 1949/1950 the authorities have failed to win Tibetan hearts and minds, weaken the influence of the exiled Dalai Lama, or assimilate Tibet into mainland China,” Mr Tsering said.
“Tibetans continue to do this in the face of extreme oppression. The recent mass arrest of over 1,000 Tibetans, including Buddhist monks, has — shown Tibetans have no freedom in their own homeland.”
