Book on Peaceful Protests in Tibet’s Amdo Province UnveiledFriday, 3 October 2008, 10:40 a.m.

Kasur Kirti Rinpoche (L) unveils the book on peaceful protests in Amdo province in Tibet during a function at Gangchen Kyishong in Dharamshala, India, on 2 October 2008. Also seeen in the picture is Kasur Alak Jigme (R).

The chief guest, Kirti Rinpoche, a former member of the Kashag, unveiled the book at a function here at Gangchen Kyishong. Dignitaries including the members of the standing committee of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile and secretary of the Kashag secretariat attended the function.A one-minute silence was observed to remember and express solidarity with Tibetans who lost their lives, those who are injured and imprisoned.While introducing the book, Mr Hortsang Jigme, former member of Tibetan Parliament, said the objective of publishing the book is to express our solidarity and concern with the Tibetans living under China’s oppression and to etch their courageous work in Tibetan history.The book also aims to detail the actual number of Tibetans who were killed and injured, and those who have been detained or imprisoned. We hope these facts would enable the international community to release those imprisoned and render medical assistance to the injured ones, said Mr Jigme, who is a member of Dhomay Alliance for Freedom and Justice, which published the book.In his address, Kasur Kirti Rinpoche said the peaceful demonstration in Tibet this year is a clear indication of the Tibetan people’s strong indignation of the wrong policies of the Chinese government. The demonstrations across the three traditional provinces in Tibet have shown the Tibetan people’s strength and spirit of unity, he added.He emphasised the need to keep Tibetan people’s activities as completely non-violent, adding that the movement must also remain consistent, which would benefit the Tibetan cause in the long run.Underlining that preservation and protection of the Tibetan religion and culture form the bedrock of keeping our identity alive, he said Tibetan people, particularly living in Tibet, should give top priority to Tibetan language and traditional costumes in their daily lives.

Mr Mingyur Dorjee, secretary of the Kashag Secretariat, addressing the gathering at the book release function.

Expressing concern over the growing immoral elements such as prostitution in many parts of Tibet, especially in the capital Lhasa, he said Tibetans should uphold moral behaviour as advised by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, which is an important aspect of Tibetan identity.While speaking on the occasion, Kasur Alak Jigme said the book is an expression of appreciation and gratitude to all those Tibetans, who sacrificed their lives in the struggle against decades of repression under China’s rule.He strongly condemned the Chinese authorities’ baseless allegations leveled against His Holiness the Dalai Lama and described their behaviour as “ very disgraceful”. He said the Tibetan people should respond in clear and strongest terms against the Chinese government’s claim that His Holiness the Dalai Lama has no right to speak on the issue of Tibet.Mr Mingyur Dorjee, secretary of the Kashag secretariat expressed appreciation for keeping the accomplishments of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the heroic efforts of the Tibetan people in the historical records. Learning from our own experiences during this crucial, efforts have to be made so that our future generations do not have to face the problems that we have suffered.Besides Amdo province, series of non-violent protests were also witnessed in U-Tsang and Kham provinces. The Chinese government, instead of addressing the Tibetan people’s grievances, used heavy-handed tactics to ruthlessly suppress them resulting in 218 Tibetans killed, 6705 detained or arrested and 1290 injured so far.