Dharamshala- The Tibetan community is standing shoulder to shoulder with the ‘Mothers of Tiananmen' and their peaceful movement, as they seek to discover what really happened during the massacre on June 4th, 1989. Twenty-two years have passed since Chinese armed forces opened fire on students and workers who peacefully occupied Tiananmen Square in protest. They had demanded democratic reforms from their communist leaders. However, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of innocent protesters were killed.
It is a moment in Chinese history that Beijing continues to hide, and authorities refrain from discussing the matter.
On June the 2nd, the ‘Mothers of Tiananmen' organisation, which brings together the parents of the people who died or disappeared during the massacre, issued a letter to Bejing. It condemns the Chinese government for offering compensation, while simultaneously refusing to promote the memory of the dead, or to discuss what happened on that fateful day in 1989.
Speaking to AsiaNews, Samdhong Rinpoche, former Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile, stated:
"It is makes no sense to offer compensation to the Mothers of Tiananmen" - highlighting that Beijing does not accept talking about the massacre, despite offering money to the families of those lost.
"It is unreasonable", he added. "We do not have words to console the Mothers of Tiananmen. China does not accept that this kind of massacre is inappropriate. Its government shows neither regret nor remorse. We can only suffer with them and condemn this horrific and inexcusable incident."
The former Prime Minister added: "However, whilst we expect such repressive measures from the Chinese government, it is truly unfortunate that the international community has nothing to say. The silence of the nations of the world is most regrettable because an entire people and its culture face genocide. Even in the 21st century, a people is deprived of security and its culture is not safeguarded. There is no organisation, institution or agency willing to stop these things or even raise its voice against them. It is truly disheartening."
The 22nd anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre will be marked tomorrow around the world, with vigils.
