Toronto — Six Tibetan activists began their fifth "Peace Marathon for Tibet" on Monday, urging world leaders to hold China accountable for its crimes, including human rights violations in Tibet and the arrest of Tibetans who are simply exercising their fundamental rights, the separation of one million Tibetan children from their parents and their forced enrolment in Chinese boarding schools, the systematic destruction of Tibetan culture and language."
Activists, human rights defenders from Tibet, Taiwan, East Turkestan, Hong Kong, Vietnam and China have strongly protested against the Chinese government (PRC) ahead of China's 75th National Day on October 1, 2024. They said: They said, “PRC is build upon the blood and deaths of innocent lives of Tibetans, Ughurs, Hongkongers, Taiwanese and many more. This is not a day for celebration rather a day to mourn.”
The protest held in front of the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Toronto, on September 30, 2024. Which was organised by Canadian Tibetan Association of Ontario-CTAO, Canada Hong Kong Link, Democratic Party of China, Dhokham Chushigangdruk Canada, East Turkestan Association of Canada, Federation for a Democratic China, RTYC Toronto, and Toronto Association for Democracy in China, Taiwanese Human Rights Association of Canada, Tibetan Women's Association of Ontario and Vietnamese Community of Toronto Greater Area.
The "Peace Marathon for Tibet" also started on September 30, 2024, with the protest, at Chinese embassy, in Toronto. They said, “This rally, coinciding with the ongoing protest against the 75th China National Day, aims to draw attention to the grave human rights situation in Tibet and urge the Government of Canada, the UN, and its member states to hold China accountable for its egregious violations of human rights.”
The runners in the fifth “Peace Marathon for Tibet” are Pema Kunga, Dawa Norbu, Dechen Wangdue, Kalden Wangchuk, Lhadup Dorjee and Gyurmey Tsultrim. They will cover 450 kilometres over six days, from Ottawa to Toronto, Canada, and will meet Canadian MPs, politicians and civil servants to present their demands to China, Canada and the international community. They will also distribute leaflets on critical human rights situation in Tibet and their demands to the people they meet on their way.
The Tibetan activists release a statement and it states, “This rally, coinciding with the ongoing protest against the 75th China National Day, aims to draw attention to the grave human rights situation in Tibet and urge the Government of Canada, the UN, and its member states to hold China accountable for its egregious violations of human rights. Since the military invasion of Tibet by the PRC in 1950, the Chinese government has systematically undermined and destroyed the distinct cultural and national identity of the Tibetan people. The PRC's policy of "consolidating the sense of a single Han national identity" is aimed at the extermination and Sinicization of Tibetan culture, language, religion, and way of life.”
They explained, “The Tibetan plateau, a crucial source of fresh water for millions in Asia, is under threat from climate change, China's detrimental developmental policies, the forced relocation of Tibetan nomads and farmers, and the settlement of Chinese settlers in Tibet. Without immediate action, these policies will cause irreversible damage to the Tibetan identity, natural environment, and peace and stability in the region.”
“Human rights violations in Tibet include unlawful killings, disappearances, torture, arbitrary arrests, political prisoners, transnational repression, and severe restrictions on freedoms of expression, movement, and political participation,” the Tibetan activists said.
The Tibetan activists urge the Government of Canada to:
* Protect Tibetan Language and Culture: Ensure Tibetans can learn, use, and develop Tibetan as their official language, as guaranteed by the Chinese Constitution and Law on Regional National Autonomy. Restore Tibetan as the medium of instruction in offices, schools, and higher education institutions across Tibet.
* Release Political Prisoners: Immediately and unconditionally release Tibetans wrongfully detained for exercising their fundamental rights and ensure timely medical treatment for those injured.
* Protect Tibet’s Environment: Halt the construction of mega hydropower dams in Tibet without local consent and ecological considerations. Involve Tibetans in environmental stewardship, respecting their centuries-old wisdom.
* Resume Dialogue: Engage with the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to resolve the Sino-Tibetan conflict through the Middle-Way Approach, without preconditions.
* Respect Religious Freedom: Cease interference in the reincarnation of Tibetan spiritual leaders and the Sinicization of Tibetan Buddhism.
* Reverse Forced Relocation Policies: Stop the forced relocation of Tibetan nomads and respect their role in environmental conservation.
Three demands and appeal to the Canadian government and international community:
1. Save Tibetan Children—Stop Cultural Erasure in Residential Schools!
2. Protect Tibet—The Third Pole and Save Our Planet!
3. Support the Return of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama to Tibet!
