 14 December 2011
Over 300 Tibetans and supporters from across Australia gathered in Canberra on 10 December to say “Enough!” to the escalating crisis in Tibet and urge the Australian government to “Stand Up for Tibet”.
Tibetans and their supporters around the world marked the 63rd Human Rights Day in the backdrop of the twelfth incident of self-immolation by 46-year-old Tenzin Phuntsog in Chamdo in eastern Tibet.
The Tibetan Community Association, which organised rallies in the city centre and at the Chinese embassy, urged the Australian government to publicly express its concerns over the tragic protests and work with governments around the world to institute multi-lateral mechanisms to advocate for the Tibetan people.
Senator Sarah Hanson-Young addressed the rally in the city, calling for a bolder stand on Tibet. “We always get told about how careful a line we need to walk because of the China-Australia trade agreements but I think we can walk and chew at the same time. We can’t continue to use timidness as an excuse not to speak out on human rights issues because we think it might make some people uncomfortable,” said Senator Hanson-Young, the Greens spokesperson on Tibet.
Please sign an urgent message to Prime Minister Julia Gillard today.
The global campaign to save Tibetan lives is important. During his recent visit to the US, exiled Kirti Rinpoche was asked why Beijing, in light of all the resources it has mobilised to crackdown on Kirti monks, hasn’t managed to shut down the monastery. The head of Kirti Monastery in Dharamsala replied, “The Chinese government could and surely would like to do that, but the only reason the authorities haven’t shutdown the monastery is because of the surge in international attention on Tibet since 2008.”
Thanks to photographer Kunchok Gyaltsen for images.
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