Tibetans unite in protest on 49th day since activist’s self-immolation

Tibetans across India held prayers and peaceful demonstrations on Thursday, August 20, while similar gatherings were planned in the US and other parts of the world to mark the 49th day since Tibetan independence activist Lobga Rangzen’s death.

Rangzen set himself ablaze outside the United Nations headquarters in New York on July 2, a day after China’s so-called Ethnic Unity and Progress Law came into effect, in protest against the legislation and Beijing’s policies in Tibet.

Critics say the law provides a legal framework to accelerate the forced assimilation of Tibetans, Uyghurs, Mongolians and other communities whom Beijing classifies as ethnic minorities by weakening their distinct linguistic, religious and cultural identities. China says the legislation is intended to promote national unity and social cohesion.

The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), based in Dharamsala, India, fears the law will deepen surveillance, intensify efforts to erase Tibetan identity and suppress Tibetans across the world, among other concerns.

“Whether the objectives of this law succeed in the long run depends on how Tibetans inside and outside Tibet resist this sinister strategy and the extent to which the international community supports the truth and the just cause of the Tibetan people,” CTA President Penpa Tsering said, appealing to governments around the world to hold China accountable.

Tsering, Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile Speaker Dolma Tsering Teykhang and Chief Justice Commissioner Yeshi Wangmo led a peaceful march attended by members of the exile administration and the wider Tibetan community.

The march, held after a two-hour prayer service at the Tsuglagkhang temple in McLeodganj, ended at the Police Ground in Dharamsala.

Similar peaceful demonstrations were held across Tibetan settlements and cities in India, and more are planned across the US and other parts of the world to honour Rangzen and other Tibetans who died for the Tibetan cause.

Rangzen, whose real name was Lobsang Palden, set himself ablaze in front of the UN headquarters on July 2 after planting a Tibetan flag at the site. He was later pronounced dead in hospital.

In New York, community members have prayed daily near a makeshift altar erected at the site of his death for the past 49 days. In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, it is believed that the departed soul attains rebirth within 49 days of death.

Final words

Rangzen, 52, had not disclosed his plan even to close friends or family members, people who knew him told AFP. He spent 14 years as a monk in southern India before moving to the US in 2006 and was a prominent participant in demonstrations outside the UN and the Chinese consulate.

In a six-minute final statement, Rangzen accused China of seeking to destroy Tibet’s distinct identity and appealed for unity among Tibetans.

“If we don’t do anything, we will get nothing,” he said. “We are all Tibetans. Therefore, we should work for the Tibetan nation; we should work for the people of Tibet.”

He also said his action was not driven by poverty or personal despair. “Today, if I engage in an alarming act of activism, it is not because I lack food or clothing, or out of sadness. I do it for the Tibetan nation,” he said.

Since 2009, more than 170 Tibetans have self-immolated in protest against China’s rule in Tibet.

“Not a single brave Tibetan who self-immolated, whether inside Tibet or in exile, ever harmed the lives or property of others. Rather, they sacrificed their own precious lives with the sole motivation of drawing the attention of the Chinese government and the international community to the plight of the Tibetan people,” Tsering said.

While mourning Rangzen, Penpa Tsering urged Tibetans not to follow the same path. “While we honour his devotion, human life is precious and must be preserved to serve the long-term struggle for Tibet,” the Sikyong said in a statement released after Rangzen’s death.

(Edited by : Ajay Vaishnav)