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Tibetans-in-exile mark 100th independence day
Speaking on the occasion, Rinzin Choedon, National Director of SFT-India said Tibetans commemorate the nation’s independent past on February 13 every year for it is a powerful expression of the people’s desire for freedom.
Students for a Free Tibet-India (SFT-India), a Dharamshala-based Tibetan group, organised a “majestic walk”, to commemorate the 110th anniversary of Tibetan Independence Day, highlighting Tibetan cultural resistance.
Speaking on the occasion, Rinzin Choedon, National Director of SFT-India said Tibetans commemorate the nation’s independent past on February 13 every year for it is a powerful expression of the people’s desire for freedom.
On February 13, 1913, the 13th Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people restored Tibet as a sovereign nation and proclaimed Tibetan independence after the failed invasion of the Manchu army.
To mark this historic day, on February 13th, 2013, the global Tibet movement observed the centennial of the Declaration of Tibetan Independence.
Rinzin said China claims its ownership and control over Tibet, but both the present circumstances and the past history negates all their claims. They manipulate and distort Tibetan history through every means yet their efforts remain futile.
“The hope of independence is vital for Tibetan people to preserve our identity, culture and religion thus the hope of a free Tibet must always be preserved,” she said adding, “With this critical work of securing our past history, we are paving the path for freedom in Tibet, and shaping our future.”
“By publicly commemorating our proud history as an independent nation, a history that the Chinese government has spent more than 60 years trying to erase from the global consciousness, we are reclaiming our past for future generations while strengthening our struggle so that His Holiness the Dalai Lama and all Tibetans can one day reunite in a free Tibet,” said Tenzin Lekdhen, SFT campaigns director.
He said a global commemoration of this empowering history will help renew spirits, and reaffirm a global vision of a future independent Tibet with the return of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.
