Events
March 10th Rally, Vancouver, BC
Around 150 Tibetans and Tibet supporters gathered in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery in downtown Vancouver on Saturday to commemorate the 48th Anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising Day of March 10th 1959. Though it was raining all day, the crowd stood poised and were determined to go on with the event.
The rally started with singing of Tibetan National Anthem, speeches by members of Canadian parliament Mr Bill Siksay and Ms Libby Davies who voiced their strong opposition to the current situation inside Tibet and pledged their support for the Tibetan cause. Then RTYC Portland/Vancouver President Tsewang Rigzin read aloud the Statement of Tibetan Youth Congress and said passionately, "It is the DUTY of every Tibetan to stand up for our Independence, we must not fail and we will prevail, a few hours in this pouring rain is nothing compared to the atrocities against our brothers and sisters inside Tibet". Kasur T C Tethong also addressed the crowd and reminded everyone that His Holiness has done everything He could but the Chinese never reciprocated to his gestures.
Then roaring chants of "China Out of Tibet" and "Free Tibet Now" started the hour long March to the Chinese Consulate with a few stoppages in front of the buildings hosting the Canadian Mining companies currently in Tibet. There were many older folks in the crowd including Ama Nyima from Portland who is in her 70s and without any rain gear or umbrella limped all the way to the Chinese consulate to fulfill her duty to let the Chinese know we stood up on that fateful day in 1959 and we will continue until we regain our Independence.
The chants got louder as we approached the locked gate of the Chinese consulate. Everyone took turn in leading the protest including many teenagers who were pumped up once they saw the Chinese consulate. The chants reached its highest point when the Consulate gate miraculously opened itself and a few Chinese officials came rushing down to close it. A memorandum describing the day's event and a copy of the TYC statement was handed to one of the officials but was not accepted and it was left on the porch. When they realized they couldn't close the gate themselves and the crowd getting louder, they all rushed back inside and called the police.
The demonstration culminated with singing of Tibetan National Song and two minute silence to honor and respect those who sacrificed their life for Tibet's Independence and those who continue to suffer inside prisons in Tibet.
Jointly organized by CTC, Tibetan Community BC, SFTUBC, TAW and RTYC Portland/Vancouver.
