Gangtok — The 54th Executive Committee of the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) concluded on Saturday in Gangtok, Sikkim, and issued a statement against the Chinese government's forced closure of schools in Tibet, including the Ragya Sherig Norbu School and schools in monasteries in Tibet. They said: "The Chinese government is violating the human rights of Tibetans and destroying the Tibetan language and culture in Tibet.”
The 54th Executive Committee of the Tibetan Youth Congress was held in Gangtok, Sikkim, from August 6 to 10, 2024. There were 162 participants from India and Nepal and they discussed how the TYC can serve the security of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, how the TYC can organise activities to raise the issue of Tibet, how the TYC can encourage Tibetan youth to participate in activities related to the Tibetan campaign and promote patriotism among Tibetan youth, how the TYC can conduct timely protest and campaign against the various brutal policies of the Chinese government against Tibetan religion, culture and language.
In 2025, will be the 30th anniversary of the disappearance of the 11th Panchen Lama of Tibet by the Chinese government, how can the TYC organise special campaigns on him, how can it raise awareness of the current situation in Tibet on the international stage, and how can it organise a campaign to get international organisations, the government and non-governmental organisations to support the Tibetan cause? etc.
After five days of active discussions, the Tibetan activities of the TYC issued a statement on August 10, 2024, against the Chinese government's forced closure of schools in Tibet, including the Ragya Sherig Norbu School, schools in monasteries in Tibet, the Chinese government's ongoing human rights violations in Tibet, and they condemn China's crimes of genocide in Tibet.
The statement wrote,”With the closing ceremony on the 10th of this month, The Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) has issued a statement protesting against the Chinese government. In Tibet, the Chinese government has closed down schools such as Ragya Sherig Norbu College and other schools. The TYC has condemned the forced closure of many Tibetan schools and we strongly protest against this measure.”
“The Chinese government's suppression of Tibetan religion, culture and language is a violation of international law. It is also a violation of human rights in Tibet. Monasteries and schools in Tibet are the main centers for preserving Tibetan language and culture. Therefore, forcibly closing them is a cruel attempt to destroy the identity of the Tibetan people,” the Tibetan activities of TYC said.
“We call on the international community to pay attention to the current situation in Tibet. The Chinese government must respect the basic human rights of Tibetans. We call on the international community to pressure China to reopen the forcibly closed monasteries and schools in Tibet,” they requested.
“Tibetans must have the right to practice their religion and culture freely. The international community should support the Tibetan people in their struggle for freedom, justice and equality through peaceful means. In particular, we call on the international community to work together to protect the fundamental human rights of Tibetans in Tibet,” the Tibetan activities urged.
