50 years in exile marked in Paris with Tibet event
Phayul[Monday, April 06, 2009 14:26]
By Tenam
Paris 4 April: The Office of Tibet and the Salvation Army organised a day-long programme to mark the 50 years since the exile of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people at the historic Cite de Refuge built by the legendary French architect known simply by Le Corbusier in 1933. Welcoming the participants, Mr. Tashi Wangdi, His Holiness’ representative for Europe said that any event organised to talk about Tibet is labelled as work of “anti-China” forces by the Chinese authorities which is a misnomer.
The day started with a photographic exhibition of the chronology of the last fifty years since the invasion and coming into exile. People heard from Sinologist like Marie Holzman, Jean-Luc Domenach and Tibetologist Anne Marie Blondeau in the first session of the afternoon.
“2009 is a year full of anniversaries starting from the May 4 student movement of 1919, 1949 establishment of the PRC, the 1989 Tienanmen massacre,” Marie Holman said.
People around that world hoped that China hosting the Olympics might help to open it up but the way the the Chinese government reacted to Tibet protest of 2008 showed that it knew only “one way to react to opposition, that is by employing its machine of suppression” she added.
“Today the Chinese government retains all the power of an authoritarian system and the worst aspect of capitalism – the complete exploitation of the weakest class in the society”, she concluded.
Pointing at the current global economic crisis, Jean-Luc Domenach said that it is a “bad news” for Tibetans as China seeks to “recolonise its hinterlands.”
The second session in the afternoon saw very touching testimonials from two nuns from Drapchi 14, and a Chinese student who participated in the Tienanmen protest in 1989.
“I am aware of the Chinese government’s way and so I extend my sympathy to the two former political prisoners from Tibet and apologise” said Zhen Sang.
Due to the constant government propaganda, many Chinese look at the Tibetan culture as backward, Mr. Sang said. “Yet it is changing today”” as he believes that the question of Tibet is not a question about nationalism but about basic human rights”.
“More and more intellectuals inside China are starting to speak out in favour of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan culture,” Mr Sang said.
Sharing his experience of the Olympics torch relay in Paris, he said many Chinese students told him they were asked by the Chinese Embassy to come for the torch relay.
“We are not against the Chinese people but against the policies of the Chinese government,” said Gyaltsen Drolkar, one of the 14 ’singing nuns of Drapchi.’
“The reason I protested was I could not remain immobile to the sufferings and daily humiliations perpetrated by the Chinese government in Tibet,” she added.
“I had no choice,” added Namdrol Lhamo, the other speaker.
“Based on personal experience and from what I hear, the situation inside Tibet continues to deteriorate. Now more than ever we need the support of the people around the world,” pleased Gyaltsen Drolkar.
The evening ended with the screening of “Tibet: le mensonge Chinois?” (Tibet: The Chinese lie?), a film that chronicles the recent history of Tibet, since its occupation by juxtaposing Chinese propaganda newsreel and interviews with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, exile Tibetans and former political prisoners.
In an interview with ‘France Info’, the French Ambassador to China, Herve Ladsous, said that the China Daily frontpage story that quoted him as saying that Tibet was a “slave society over 60 years ago” is not true and that is is not the first time that the government controlled “China Daily had misrepresented him.”
Last week Tibetans here organised a candle light vigil in front of the Chinese Embassy to denounce the “Serf Emancipation Day” decreed by the Beijing authorities. To mark the 50 years of Tibetans and Tibetan supporters are planning year long events in France. The Tibetan Community of France is organising a two day event in Paris with conferences, film screening, cultural programmes etc in the end of the month.
Tags: Free Tibet, Tibet, Tibetan