TIBET SEALED OFF AS NEW YEAR AND TIBETAN UPRISING ANNIVERSARY APPROACH

24th, February, 09

Dharamshala - On the eve of the Tibetan New Year, Tibetans in Dharamshala held a protest in solidarity with Tibetans inside Tibet who are under attack from the Chinese government as Tibetan New Year and the upcoming 50th anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan Uprising on March 10th approach. China has flooded Tibet with thousands of troops in recent days and towns and villages are under constant patrol, as the authorities attempt to intimidate Tibetans from carrying out protests or other acts of resistance. The recent clampdown follows ten months of the most repressive political conditions and tightest security in Tibet in three decades.

“The Chinese government is exercising overwhelming force to intimidate and clamp down Tibetans before Losar - the traditional Tibetan New Year - on February 25th and the 50th anniversary of Tibetan National Uprising on March 10th,” said Tenzin Choeying, National Director of Students for a Free Tibet - India. “With foreigners being banned and the state militarized, we are worried that another massacre might undergo unnoticed.” (more…)

Tibetans inside Tibet and around the world are refraining from Losar (Tibetan New Year) celebrations this year to mourn the more than 200 Tibetans killed by Chinese forces.

Read news coverage of the response by Chinese authorities. Learn more here.

For first hand information about the situation inside Tibet from Tibetan bloggers, visit: www.highpeakspureearth.com

Visit TCHRD website to learn about recent developments in Tibet.

Prayer vigils planned to mourn Tibetans killed by Chinese forces in 2008

Dharamshala, India - Tibetan exile groups announced today they will cancel Tibetan New Year celebrations to mourn the deaths of over two hundred Tibetans killed by Chinese forces following the uprising in Tibet last year, and to protest China’s ongoing crackdown. According to the Tibetan lunar calendar, February 25th will mark the first day of 2136, the year of the Earth Ox. Instead of the usual celebrations marked by singing, dancing and other festivities, silence will be observed and butter lamps will be lit in the temples and homes to pray for the deceased. Tibetan leaders also called on Tibetans worldwide to organize similar observances in their communities.

In observance of a one-year mourning period, Tibetans inside Tibet are refraining from public festivities on Tibetan New Year. Tibet remains under virtual martial law, with the Chinese government imposing travel restrictions on Tibetans as well as foreign journalists in many areas.

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