General Discussion

ellisonz

(27,711 posts) Fri Mar 30, 2012, 08:30 PM Mar 2012

Tibetan Exiles March for One of Their Own Who Died in Flames; US Senate Passes Tibet Resolution.

Mourners threw white scarves on the casket of Jamphel Yeshi on Friday morning. - Kuni Takahashi for The New York Times
By EDWARD WONG
Published: March 30, 2012

DHARAMSALA, India — The body was late for the funeral. It had left New Delhi on Thursday morning for the winding 12-hour drive to this Himalayan hill town. The Tibetan exiles here talked with anticipation about a mourning ceremony on Thursday night. But the ambulance carrying the body stopped overnight in the town of Chandigarh, and in the early morning continued the climb toward the snow peaks.

So it was with some fanfare that the body of Jamphel Yeshi arrived beneath cloudless skies at the main temple of Dharamsala on Friday morning. He was a martyr for the Tibetan cause, having set himself on fire on Monday in New Delhi during a large protest before a visit by President Hu Jintao of China. Mr. Jamphel Yeshi’s family was from eastern Tibet, the region known as Kham, where some of the bloodiest fighting took place when the Chinese Army invaded Tibet in 1950.

Mr. Jamphel Yeshi, 27, did not have close family members in Dharamsala, home to the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile, but he had attended school here before moving to New Delhi. Word of his self-immolation, invariably called an act of sacrifice by Tibetans here, spread not just throughout this town, but across the globe, as the photographs of him in flames proliferated on the Internet.

At least 32 people in Tibetan areas of China have burned themselves since March 2011 — the two latest acts were committed by monks in the town of Barkham on Friday — but none of those events were caught on camera as clearly as Mr. Jamphel Yeshi’s was.

More: NY Times Story

You can see video of the procession at the NYTimes Story. - Previous Thread on the self-immolation of Jamphel Yeshi where still images can be found.

I would add that most of the self-immolations have been since last Fall when the PRC has really stepped up their repression, which includes threats of torture for those who spread information on dissent. The PRC has "closed" Tibet off to Westerners since mid-February and are supposed to re-open it soon, whether this will occur is unknown and the reality is that it is easier to report from Pyongyang than from Lhasa, according to Reporters Without Borders.

Last night the United States Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution on the issue of PRC repression in Tibet:

30 March, 2012
International Campaign for Tibet
Senate passes resolution calling on China to end crisis in Tibet; House resolution introduced

The United States Senate has approved a resolution which calls on the Chinese government to end repressive policies targeting Tibetans, address the legitimate grievances of the Tibetan people, and allow unrestricted access to foreign journalists and diplomats to Tibet. The resolution, S. Res. 356, was approved by the Senate by unanimous consent on the evening of March 29. An identical resolution has been introduced in the House of Representatives.

“Congress has made clear its expectation for meaningful action by the Chinese government to address the legitimate grievances of the Tibetan people,” said Todd Stein, Director of Government Relations at the International Campaign for Tibet. Just the day before, the State Department said that the ‘continuing vilification of the Dalai Lama … adds to the Tibetan grievances and just makes the situation worse.’ The U.S. government is united in its demand for an end to the Chinese crackdown in Tibet.”

S. Res. 356 was introduced by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and cosponsored by a bipartisan group including Sens. John McCain (R-AZ), Joseph Lieberman (ID-CT), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Mark Udall (D-CO).

The House resolution, H.Res. 609, was introduced yesterday by Reps. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and George Miller (D-CA).

The resolutions:

mourn the death of Tibetans who have self-immolated and deplores repressive policies targeting Tibetans;
call on the Chinese government to suspend religious control regulations, reassess religious and security policies in Tibet, and resume a dialogue with the Dalai Lama’s representatives;
call on the Chinese government to release all persons that have been arbitrarily detained, including Kirti monks, and allow unrestricted access to journalists, foreign diplomats, and international organizations to Tibet;
commend the Dalai Lama for his decision to devolve his political power in favor of a democratic system, and congratulates exile Tibetans for conducting free and fair elections;
reaffirm the unwavering friendship between Americans and the people of Tibet; and
call on the State Department of State to establish a consulate in Lhasa, Tibet, and to not permit China to open further diplomatic missions in the United States until the Chinese government agrees to open a U.S. consulate in Lhasa.

Press Release from the International Campaign for Tibet

Something the two parties can agree on at last!

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Highlight:

Tibetan Exiles March for One of Their Own Who Died in Flames; US Senate Passes Tibet Resolution. (Original Post) ellisonz Mar 2012 OP

The Final Letter of Jamphel Yeshi ellisonz Mar 2012 #1

Kick. ellisonz Mar 2012 #2

K&R pinboy3niner Mar 2012 #3

My pleasure... ellisonz Mar 2012 #4

ellisonz

(27,711 posts)

1. The Final Letter of Jamphel Yeshi

Reply to ellisonz (Original post)

Fri Mar 30, 2012, 09:52 PM

Mar 2012

Long Live His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who is the shining example of world peace. We must strive to ensure return of His Holiness to Tibet. I pray and believe that the Tibetan people in and outside Tibet will be united and sing the Tibetan national anthem in front of the Potala Palace.

My fellow Tibetans, when we think about our future happiness and path, we need loyalty. It is the life-soul of a people. It is the spirit to find truth. It is the guide leading to happiness. My fellow Tibetans, if you want equality and happiness as the rest of the world, you must hold onto this word ‘LOYALTY’ towards your country. Loyalty is the wisdom to know truth from falsehood. You must work hard in all your endeavors, big or small.

Freedom is the basis of happiness for all living beings. Without freedom, six million Tibetans are like a butter lamp in the wind, without direction. My fellow Tibetans from Three Provinces, it is clear to us all that if we unitedly put our strength together, there will be result. So, don’t be disheartened.

What I want to convey here is the concern of the six million Tibetans. At a time when we are making our final move toward our goal – if you have money, it is the time to spend it; if you are educated it is the time to produce results; if you have control over your life, I think the day has come to sacrifice your life. The fact that Tibetan people are setting themselves on fire in this 21st century is to let the world know about their suffering, and to tell the world about the denial of basic human rights. If you have any empathy, stand up for the Tibetan people.

We demand freedom to practice our religion and culture. We demand freedom to use our language. We demand the same right as other people living elsewhere in the world. People of the world, stand up for Tibet. Tibet belongs to Tibetans. Victory to Tibet!

From the New York Times