Dharamshala — Central Tibetan Administration commemorates the 66th Anniversary of Tibetan National Uprising Day in Dharamshala on March 10, 2025. Kashag said, 'This day marks the darkest and most critical period in the history of Tibet. As we commemorate the Tibetan National Uprising Day, we honour our brave martyrs, and express solidarity with our brothers and sisters inside Tibet who continue to languish under the oppressive Chinese government.'
Tibetans and supporters around the world commemorated the 66th Anniversary of Tibetan National Uprising Day in more 20 countries and 50 cities including Dharamshala, Guwahati, Itanagar, Tawang, New Delhi, Mangalore in India and New York, Minnesota, Jackson Heights, Chicago, Monterey, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Boston in USA. Toronto in Canada, Paris in France, London, Manchester in England, Hague in Netherlands, Berlin in Germany, Brussels in Belgium, Zurich in Switzerland, Oslo in Norway, Stockholm in Sweden, Copenhagen in Denmark, Dublin in Ireland, Rome in Italy, Vienna in Austria, Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane in Australia, Tokyo in Japan, Taipei in Taiwan, Brazil, and Portugal, on March 10, 2025.
The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) commemorates the 66th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising at Tsuklakhang, the main Tibetan temple, in Mcleod Ganj, Dharamshala, on March 10, 2025. Andrej Kiska, former President of Slovakia, attended the event as chief guest, and Juku-Kalle Raid, Member of the Estonian Parliament, as special guest, who headed the delegation from Estonia. Estonia delegation including Sakarias Jaan Leppik, former MP and former head of Tibet support group; Karmen Joller, Member of Parliament; Hanah Lahe, Member of Parliament; Jaak Valge, Member of Parliament; Ando Kiviberg, Member of Parliament; Roy Strider, Coordinator of Tibet Support Group in Estonian Parliament; Urmo Uiboleht, Honourable Regent of Seto Kingdom in South-East Estonia; and Priit Rohumaa, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of AS Ekspress Group and Csaba Kiss, the Coordinator of Slovakia Tibet Support Group attended the event as guest. Top officials including Sikyong Penpa Tsering and Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, secretaries and staff of CTA, hundreds of Tibetans and supporters joined in the commemoration.
During the commemoration of the event, the Tibetan and Indian national anthems were sung and a minute's silence was observed as a mark of respect for the Tibetan martyrs.
Sikyong Penpa Tsering of CTA read out the Kashag's (Cabinet) statement, "In these past sixty-six years and more so today, under the current Chinese leadership a deliberate and dangerous strategy to eliminate the very identity of the Tibetan people as a unique human race is evident. Under the pretext of “strengthening the consciousness of Chinese national unity”, the Chinese government is implementing extensive sinicisation policies that is resulting in the gradual annihilation of Tibetans identity and deprivation of the fundamental human rights of the Tibetan people."
He added by saying, "Furthermore, under its sinicisation campaign, large scale restrictions are imposed in the monasteries with complete denial of freedom of religion and over a million young Tibetan children have been forcibly enrolled in colonial style boarding schools across Tibet. Under the guise of “promoting the national common language”, the use and teaching of Tibetan language is severely restricted."
"The Chinese government’s unchecked mining and construction projects have irrevocably caused extensive damage to Tibet’s natural environment with severe implications far beyond its borders. All these Acts & Practices of China defies not only International and Domestic laws but even the basic human values," Skying said.
"His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s efforts towards the revival of ancient wisdom has impacted including analytical thinking based on logic, and introduced SEE learning (Social, Emotional and Ethical) were introduced and implemented in more than 170 countries, including in 100,000 schools across India," Kashag stated.
Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel delivered Tibetan Parliament in Exile‘s statement, " We are commemorating today a momentous occasion in the history of our nation, marking the 66th anniversary of the 10th of March 1959, when Tibetans from all the three provinces, being of one mind, united in a non-violent, spontaneous action to stage an uprising against the violent mentality and perpetrations of the Communist Chinese government. It is a day so deeply ingrained in the psyche of our people as to remain exceedingly difficult to erase from our collective memory."
Speaker said, "Today is also the Tibetan Martyrs’ Day to commemorate the patriotic valour of the Tibetan men and women who sacrificed their all, including their very lives, for the sake of the Tibetan religious, political, and national causes. The tragedy of the Tibetan nation began with the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 which in due course undertook an armed invasion of the country. This was followed by communist China’s launch of all manners of campaigns, including violent ones, against the Tibetan people."
"The hardline stance and policy which the government of China has pursued in Tibet throughout the occupation rule thus far has led to reprisal protests on successive occasions by monks and nuns, including from the Three Great Seat Monasteries, and the Tibetan public, including especially the major protests which erupted in the years 1987, 1988 and 1989. And then there was the outbreak of the simultaneous 2008 (Great Earth-Mouse year) protests by Tibetans in all the three provinces of the historical Tibet. Likewise, a total of 157 Tibetans in Tibet, feeling too despaired to live under the repressive rule of the Chinese government, made it a point to express their outrage by carrying out protest self-immolations," he added.
"The government of China may have divided and sub-divided the national territory of Tibet into a province, an autonomous region, autonomous prefectures, and so forth to suit its own needs. Nevertheless, wherever the Tsampa-eating People of the Snowland who belong to the Tibetan Plateau region live, whether from earlier times or to this day, and whether they be still living in Tibet or in exile now, there is no forgetting the fact among them that they are all one in their flesh-and-bone feeling of fraternity," the statement of Tibetan Parliament-in-exile said.
Addressing the assembly, MP Juku-Kalle Raid said: ‘This is of course a sad day. 66 years ago, when you rose up to free yourselves from Communist China, and this is what I am really talking about for all Estonians, we can understand because we lived under Communist occupation, under Soviet Russian occupation, for 50 years. We waited, hoping that history would eventually open the window to seize our freedom’.
"I knew that 66 years ago, we consider that around 1.2 million Tibetans, who wanted nothing more than freedom, were killed. In fact, the total population of Estonia is 1.2 million. For us, it's as if the Chinese communist regime had killed every member of our nation. So we really understand what you are going through and what you have been through. However, authoritarian communist regimes around the world cannot kill the freedom and courage of people who want to be free. And you are those people. The Chinese have not only taken your freedom, they have also stolen your children and they commit crimes every day. That's what communists and dictators do," he added.
The chief guest, Andrej Kiska, addressed the audience, “It is a great honour to be here with you today and to speak about compassion, justice, and truth. It’s the first time that I am in India and directly here (Dharamshala). It’s my personal story of how I became a friend of Tibet and a friend of His Holiness. More than 30 years ago, I was in a small library in our town and I found a book by His Holiness. And I started to read, and I was surprised by how I could understand the purpose of life and how I could understand that the biggest enemy is our mind, and what to do with our lives. So, I was then studying lots of books by His Holiness, about His Holiness, but of course, about Tibet and its fantastic history, culture, and sufferings. So, I had the privilege to understand better what His Holiness’ teachings were about.”
“To follow the messages of His Holiness, I sold my business and set up a non-profit charity to help children with cancer. In order to serve even more, I ran for the Slovak presidency and won, so that I could help more people and serve my people. I then had the privilege of inviting His Holiness as President and being at his side in our country, Slovakia,” he added.
He continued, “But today, I am here staying with you, being here, and I want to speak about Tibet, speak about truth and justice. Two days ago, I was in the Tibet Museum and I saw those pictures of 158 people who set themselves on fire for freedom. I was looking at their faces, reading their stories and their words. My eyes were full of tears. Tibet is not just a place on the map; Tibet is a symbol of suffering for human rights, cultural identity, and freedom of religion.”
Referring to the ongoing conflicts in Europe, he stressed the similarity of the difficulties in Tibet and Ukraine, as well as the occupations by the PRC and Russia, and therefore urged European countries to also speak out in support of the Tibetan cause. And you, the younger generations and all those who live here, keep hope and never give up’, he concluded his speech.
With a prayer of the ‘Words of Truth,’ the official commemoration concluded.
