Uprising Day commemorations show fire burns brightly in Tibetan youth. With members spanning three generations, some 40 representatives of Sydney’s Tibetan community and numerous supporters gathered in Sydney’s Martin Place at 7.30am on Friday, March 10 to commemorate the 47th anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day, March 1959.

With members spanning three generations, some 40 representatives of Sydney’s Tibetan community and numerous supporters gathered in Sydney’s Martin Place at 7.30am on Friday, March 10 to commemorate the 47th anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day, March 1959.

One of the bloodiest days in recent Tibetan history, Chinese forces killed thousands of Tibetans who had gathered in the capital Lhasa to protest the illegal occupation of their country. Fearing for the life of their leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s colleagues subsequently convinced him to flee into India a week later. Hundreds of thousands of Tibetans followed and still do to this day.

Following an introduction to the ongoing Tibetan struggle by Paul Bourke, Executive Officer of the Australia Tibet Council, the colourful group, many of whom wore traditional dress and flew their national flag, treated the passing morning peak hour crowds to a spirited rendition of Tibet’s national anthem, a song that evokes the power of love and compassion to prevail over evil and prays that a new age of happiness and bliss will spread throughout Tibet.

Echoing these sentiments and tempered with pragmatism and humility, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama’s annual Uprising Day statement was read out by Tenpa Dugdak, a refugee from Dharamshala and one of the Tibetan community’s passionate young members. Reflecting on the turbulence of the last 50 years and acknowledging both positive and negative results of China’s “liberation” of Tibet, the spiritual leader’s announcement urged Beijing to “sincerely pursue dialogue” in an effort to resolve their differences. Emotions overflowed during Tenpa’s reading and several Tibetan’s wept openly, a powerful reminder that these people are not here entirely by choice.

At the conclusion of the speech, one of the young Tibetan men launched into a heated verbal attack on the Chinese before being reprimanded by his elders, who persuaded him to lead the group in the less confrontational chants of “Free Tibet” and “Long live the Dalai Lama”. Their heartfelt cries resonated through Martin Place. So vocal was the group that Channel 7’s Sunrise program, whose studio was strategically targeted, asked on several occasions that the noise be stopped to allow them to continue the program outside where the presenters meet their fans. Several Tibetans made the most of this media opportunity, positioning themselves and their Tibetan flags within camera-shot.

Throughout the two-hour rally, a pair of energetic young Tibetan boys helped distribute nearly 2,000 postcards to passers-by, urging the Chinese Administration to talk with Tibet’s Government-in-exile and address the issues of autonomy and self-determination.

At the conclusion of the peaceful, yet powerful CBD demonstration, the Tibetans moved on to the Chinese Consulate in Camperdown, where the program was repeated with even more gusto, this time under the watchful eye of the Australian Federal Police. Reading out statements in both Tibetan and Chinese, the messages clearly penetrated the imposing compound, with the silhouettes of several Consulate staff peering down from their offices clearly visible.

Today’s demonstration was just one of many taking place worldwide. While many of the Tibetans at these rallies have never been to Tibet, it is clear that the longer they remain outside her borders, the more determined they are to bring about change. A generation of exiles, they live in hope that they can return to a free homeland one day. And if the Chinese Government thinks that they are eradicating Tibetan culture, or that the passing away of Tibet’s older generations will extinguish the flame of resistance or silence the call for justice, they are very much mistaken.

Thanks go to the members of the Tibetan Community and the Australia Tibet Council for their part in making Sydney’s March 10 Uprising Day protest a great success.