Dharamshala, April 4, 2014: Today in Dharamshala a new exhibition honouring and commemorating those who have self-immolated for the Tibetan cause has opened in the Tibet Museum.
The Exhibit creates a more permanent memorial than which already existed within the museum and allows visitors to Dharamshala to experience the full scale of self-immolation of Tibetans.
The Kalon for the Department of Information and International Relations, Dicki Chhoyang, officially opened the exhibit, which consists of 27 panels in Tibetan, English and Hindi languages, documenting the aspirations, last words of the self-immolators and the reasons that lead them to self-immolate in protest.
During the inauguration of the impressive new element to the museum on the wave of Tibetan self-immolations inside Tibet Dicki Chhoyang made a speech to explain why the Central Tibetan Administration had decided to create the exhibit: "This exhibit is an effort by the Central Tibetan Administration to ensure that international community is clear about what is self-immolation, why are Tibetans self-immolating, what is leading, up until now, 129 Tibetans to self –immolate."
"Ever since the self-immolations began, we have urged the Tibetans inside Tibet not to resort to drastic forms of action. While the self-immolations continue, we have a moral responsibility to make sure that the international community understands the background," she added.
"The Tibetans self-immolating are not politicians. They are common Tibetan people including farmers, nomads, students, monks and nuns. We have also documented how the Chinese government have responded to the self-immolation protests, she said adding, while we can appeal Tibetans inside Tibet not to self-immolate, the policies that are leading them to self-immolate are not in our control. It is in the hands of the Chinese government. So, through this exhibit, we hope that more and more people would understand the sad events taking place inside Tibet"
The Tibet Museum, an undertaking of the Department of Information and International Relations, was established in 1998, to serve as a remembrance to the loss of Tibetan culture and lives through collected photographs and life histories.
Speaking to the collected media after the openning, Mr Tashi Phuntsok, Director of Tibet Museum said; "We have travelled across India particularly south and north-east India showcasing the exhibition. Lots of people have turned up and expressed their solidarity with the Tibet issue after witnessing the exhibitions. Therefore, we are showcasing our new exhibition at our permanent base in Mcleod Ganj so that foreigners as well as our Indian friends can understand what's happening inside Tibet."
