Speaker Pema Jugney delivered the statement of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (TPiE) on the 61st Commemoration of Tibetan National Uprising Day in Dharamshala, the capital of the Central Tibetan Administration.
The entire statement is available in Tibetan, English and Mandarin languages.
On this day, thousands of Tibetans stood up peacefully protesting against the illegal invasion and occupation of Tibet by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1959. However, the People’s Liberation Army of the PRC crushed the demonstration with guns and artilleries killing hundreds and thousands of Tibetans. Despite the trying situations inside Tibet, the Tibetans have shown unparalleled resilience and have continued to preserve the distinct identity and culture of Tibet. On behalf of TPiE, Speaker Pema Jugney offered obeisance to “the heroic Tibetan men and women who outrightly sacrificed their all, including their very lives, with unwavering courage, determination and actions for the cause of the religious freedom and nationhood of Tibet” and expressed solidarity with “the heroic Tibetan men and women who even today continue to suffer all kinds of hardship due to persecution and torture under the repressive policies of the communist Chinese government.”
Noting the failure of China in exercising required measures of detection and containment at the outbreak of Corona Virus now leading to global catastrophe, Speaker Pema Jugney urged the World Health Organization to instruct China to “extend equal level of protection and help to the Tibetan people against the viral infection.”
Thanking the supporters, Speaker Pema Jugney stated, “on behalf of all Tibetans in and outside Tibet, the Tibetan parliament takes this opportunity to offer heartfelt gratitude to government leaders, members of parliaments, organizations and private individuals, but especially to the Indian central and state governments and people, for extending facilities and assistance by every possible means to the Central Tibetan Administration and the Tibetan people in general in this critical moment of existential threats to the survival of the Tibetan national as well as civilizational identity.”