Dharamshala: - On May 17, Tibetans and Tibet supporters around the world will stand in solidarity with Tibetans in Tibet, who 'yearn for freedom and continue to stand strong in the face of great adversity.'
According to a statement issued on April 30 by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), "observation of the "International Tibet Solidarity Day" is decided jointly by the Kashag (Cabinet) and Parliamentary Standing Committee.
'This day symbolizes international community's solidarity with the aspirations of the Tibetan people who yearn for freedom and continue to stand strong in the face of great adversity," the statement said.
"This also marks the day when 11th Panchen Lama Gendhun Choekyi Nyima disappeared suspiciously in 1995 at the age of 6. Repeated requests to meet him, made by parliamentarians and world leaders, have gone unanswered and his whereabouts remain unknown to this day," it added.
The 11th Panchen Lama's "fate symbolizes that of many other brave Tibetans who continue to be imprisoned and deprived of their basic human rights.
With self-immolations now numbering 117 since February 2009, and over a million of Tibetans who have perished as a result of Chinese occupation.
Tibetans inside Tibet are sending a clear signal to the world rejecting P.R. China's policies in Tibet which have led to political repression, cultural assimilation, environmental destruction and economic marginalization.
Now, more than ever before, Tibetan people need to be reassured and given hope that their plight has not been forgotten by the rest of the world.
The CTA therefore calls upon Tibetans and their friends to observe this day with expressions of solidarity involving people's elected representatives, local government or holding an activity as deemed appropriate.
In view of self-immolations, particularly the recent self-immolation by two monks of Ngaba Kirti monastery, all are requested to hold prayers on that same day."
