50th Anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day (video)

Today is an important day in Tibetan history, 50 years ago on March 10, 1959, thousands of Tibetans stood up and protested the illegal occupation of their country.  And as a result, they were brutally killed by the Chinese military.  This day has now come to be remembered as Tibetan Uprising Day.  On March 10th, Tibetans and its supporters from around the world gather to commemorate the lives of the over 87,000 who died voicing their opposition to Chinese forced assimilation.  On this day, we remember the brutal atrocities of the past, while protesting the ongoing human rights violations and cultural genocide of the present.  Over 1.2 million Tibetans have died as a direct result of China’s illegal occupation.  The reality today is China has never been held accountable for its atrocities of the past and continues aggressions to silence Tibetans today, most notably last year in the lead up to the Beijing Olympics.  Days following the 49th anniversary, Tibetans living under the oppression of the Chinese rose up again, resulting in over 200 hundred Tibetan deaths, over 1000 injured, with several thousands arrested, detained or missing.  However, their actions were not in vain as it once again exposed the brutality of the Chinese government at a time when the world was watching.  The lead up to the Olympics saw people from all over the world protest the Beijing Olympic torch run for Tibetans and human rights, resulting in several detours and world media attention.  Several world leaders applied pressure on the Chinese government, resulting in false promises of honest dialogue with Tibetan leaders.  The Chinese government managed to weather the Olympic storm last year and today their determination to prevent another is clear.  Today, thousands of military convoys patrol the streets in Tibet’s capitol, authorities have imposed a security lockdown, tourists and international media have been barred.  It will no doubt be an immediate death sentence behind very tightly closed doors for Tibetans who dare to speak their minds in protest on this day.  However, no number of armed soldiers will ever be able to silence the spirit and determination of all Tibetans around the world!  FREE TIBET! 

Note: In 2006 I did a presentation commemorating Tibetan Uprising Day in Japan.  Check it out below!

If you would like to see this video translated in Japanese. Click this link: COMMEMORATING “TIBETAN UPRISING DAY” IN JAPAN (IN JAPANESE)