CNN: Buddha’s Warriors

CNN’s Special Investigations Unit has made a news documentary called “Buddha’s Warriors” about the international Tibetan independence movement. SFT’s own Lhadon Tethong is featured, along with our friend Tenzin Tsundue. The documentary is narrated by Christiane Amanpour, who has also posted a blog entry on CNN on the back story of the piece and how she came to tell this story about the Tibetan struggle for freedom. Amanpour has also blogged about the new generation of Tibetan monks and their push for independence for Tibet. The crux of the coverage is the role the return march to Tibet played in driving energy and attention in the Tibetan exile community towards the Olympics and in support of independence.  Both of Amanpour’s blog posts are worth a read, not so much because they present new information that readers of Tibet Will Be Free won’t be familiar with, but because Amanpour’s coverage and commentary represent some of the most mainstream, honest reporting on the contemporary Tibetan independence movement I can recall seeing in recent years.

FINDING THE LOST HORIZON: Update from the March to Tibet

“When the clouds part, you can see Tibet on the horizon,” said Ven. Ngawang Woeber.

He dipped his face in the river at Baanspatan, and joked that monks don’t need to use soap because they have renounced vanity. A couple of hours later, Ven. Woeber was arrested. A former political prisoner, he is the president of Gu Chu Sum, one of the five organizations coordinating the historic March to Tibet, which started in Dharamsala on March 10th. Along with him, five other leaders of the march were also arrested on Tuesday and formally jailed yesterday afternoon in Haridwar Jail. The other detainees are Tsewang Rigzin, President of Tibetan Youth Congress; B Tsering, President of Tibetan Women’s Association, Chime Youngdroung, President of the National Democratic Party of Tibet, Tenzin Choeying, National Director of Students for a Free Tibet India, and Lobsang Yeshi, Coordinator of the March to Tibet.

The last few days have been tense and painful for the marchers. Hours after the arrest of the march leaders on Tuesday, the police confiscated their trucks and intensified the restriction on movement to and from the site, effectively cutting the marchers off from food and other supplies. The marchers are now considering the possibility of eating only one meal a day so that they can hold the ground for a little longer.

The day before yesterday, nearly one thousand police marched to the marchers’ camp and blocked the entrance. Sensing the likelihood of arrest, the marchers sprung into action, staging a Gandhian style sit-in while chanting prayers and singing the Tibetan national anthem. After a stalemate that lasted about an hour, the police retreated. Yesterday, the same thing happened again. Today, more buses and trucks brought more police reinforcements including a bus full of policewomen.

In the evenings, the atmosphere grows light again. Most Tibetan monks and nuns seem to have an uncanny ability to remain calm and happy even under great pressure. Or may be it’s because most of these marchers are actually Tibetans raised in Tibet who came to India in their late adolescence or early adulthood, and the problems they have faced so far on this march are nothing compared to what they had experienced growing up under Chinese rule in Tibet.

Most marchers and volunteers get to take a little breather in the evening, but one person never stops. Lobsang Army, so called because of his past stint in the military, is busy stitching shoe after shoe under a small blue tent. He is the march’s unofficial shoemaker. When he was in the army he had taken a shoe repair class – a skill he had forgotten and had to relearn once he realized that walking twenty kilometers a day was rough on people’s shoes. Lobsang has so far repaired about 200 shoes.

There is little doubt that the police will eventually arrest them, but the fact remains that no one can stop these marchers. “The police may arrest us today, but we will continue the march tomorrow,” said Tenzin Tsundue, a leading youth activist, who has lost much weight since I saw him last. “I heard that people have set off from parts of India to join us. We can’t wait to see them. The more people we have with us, the stronger our message to Tibetans inside Tibet, to China and to the world – we are committed to return and will never give up our struggle for freedom and justice.”

As the Chinese authorities work overtime to ensure a smooth Olympics, and attempt to hide the reality of their rule in Tibet behind a wall of silence and deceit, the movement of this group of unarmed men and women threatens Beijing’s massive propaganda exercise. They are a nonviolent force dedicated to their people, their nation and the truth. They refuse to be silenced at a time when China’s long arm of oppression and manipulation stretches around the world. Their journey north – towards the border across which so many Tibetans have crossed in search of freedom – demonstrates their commitment.

As the stand-off continues, marchers are calling for Tibetans from throughout India to join them in spirit and in person. And they are appealing for support from people around the world who value freedom, justice and peace. Visit www.tibetanuprising.org to follow news about the March. Send a message of encouragement to the marchers. Tell your friends and family about it. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper. And keep the marchers in your prayers.

–dispatch from SFT’s Tendor, writing from Nainital, Uttaranchal, India

Biography of Marcher: Pema Tashi

Pema Tashi is not a Tibetan, but he decided to march with the Tibetan monks that he has spent the last eight years with at Sera Monastery in Karnataka. “I have lived in a Tibetan community for a long time and have always viewed Tibetans as compassionate people and this motivated me to join the march.”

Pema grew up in a Buddhist family of vegetable farmers in Arunachal Pradesh. He delighted his parents when he decided to take the vows of a monk. In 2000, Pema joined Sera Monastery in Karanataka in the South of India because of their reputation of providing excellent education.

When the five NGOs announced the six month March to Tibet, Pema knew right away that he would join. He said, “Since I made up my mind to go on this march, I am fearless.” On March 13^th, Pema was arrested at Dehra in the Kangra Valley with the 100 other Core Marchers and spent ten days in judicial custody with his comrades. Once freed, he joined the second wave of marchers who continued the march from where Pema’s group was arrested. “If I am able to cross into Tibet, I would love to stay there for two months to examine the place and then my dream is fulfilled.”

Videos from the India March

Watch video posted from the mobile video phone

Watch more videos from the Live Archive on YouTube or check if the live stream is active here

http://tibetanuprising.org/live/

Biography of Marcher: Kalsang Choegyal

Kalsang Choegyal, a 26 year-old monk from Jangtse Monastery, decided to join the March to Tibet “to protect the culture and our people.” Arrested on March 13^th with the first wave of marchers, he felt “sad because we knew we are struggling for our freedom and culture and the police did not realize this. I felt pity for them not knowing what they are doing.”

A tall man, Kalsang spoke quietly about his struggle while getting arrested. “I was confused. I couldn’t shout. I wanted to shout. I wanted to push but I couldn’t. I was scared my friends might show violence. I was afraid I might erupt in anger.” In such an emotionally intense moment, Kalsang displayed his and the march’s commitment to nonviolent resistance.

Biography of Marcher: Mewang Namgyal

One of our oldest marchers, the 67 year-old Mewang Namgyal fled Tibet after the suppression of the 1959 revolt. He soon returned to see his parents but the Chinese police caught him. They put the then 17 year-old in a labor camp for five years there before escaping with nine others and fleeing across the Himalayas. Mewang-la dedicated his life to the liberation of Tibet and joined the Special Frontier Force of the Indian Army. Originally formed to act as guerrilla units in Tibet, the group never got to fulfill its mission and instead he regretfully fought in the ‘71 war in Bangladesh. After his discharge with 22 years of service, Mewang-la settled in Karnataka and participated in numerous marches across India to raise awareness about the Tibetan cause.

During the March to Tibet, Mewang-la is often seen at the head of the line of marchers, leading the way. On March 13, the Indian police arrested him with the 99 other core marchers for disturbing the peace. After refusing to sign a document pledging to not march, he was sentenced to two weeks imprisonment. Unexpectedly released a week early, Mewang-la commented, “I always felt the March to Tibet and didn’t feel about the imprisonment.” He rejoined the march as soon as possible to be joyfully welcomed as one of the beloved elders.

His message to his comrades in Tibet: “On behalf of Tibetans in exile to all Tibetans inside Tibet, what you are doing under the Chinese guns we will appreciate and we’ll never forget you all.”

Poem for the Marchers

This poem was sent to the Marchers from Rakra T.C. Tethong in Switzerland.

Faces of the Tibet Protesters

The fifteen Tibetans who staged the independence protest in Lhasa’s main Barkhor Square on March 10 must have known that they faced torture, arrest, and imprisonment at the hands of the occupying Chinese forces. They or their supporters arranged for their photos to be smuggled out of Tibet, so the world would know whom the Chinese security forces had arrested.

The brave fifteen monks and two laypersons range in age from 15 to 32. Here is the youngest, Lobsang, age 15, and the eldest, Gelek Pel, age 32. All these protesters, including children under 18, haven been arrested by Chinese security forces and are at serious risk of torture.

The other marchers can be seen here, courtesy of the Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy. And of course, there were many other monks, nuns and lay persons arrested or hurt during several other protests in Lhasa and other parts of Tibet over the past few days.

Messages for the Marchers from Berea College, Kentucky, USA

Hello, My name is Lindsey Martin and I am from Kentucky in the United States. I heard about your struggle and the march that you all will be partaking in. You have my full support. The world is full of injustices and this is one of them. (more…)