-Report filed by OoT, London-
Northampton: The Tibetan national flag was raised in front of the Guildhall in Northampton for the 20th consecutive year on 5 March 2019.
‘Today The Mayor Councillor Tony Ansell and The Mayoress Jayne Crofts along with Councillor Phil Larratt, Caroline Scattergood from Cotton’s Farmhouse, His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Representative Sonam Tsering Frasi and Sonam Norbu Ratsa, representative of the Tibetan Parliamentary Delegation and the people of Northampton, raised the Tibetan Flag at the Guildhall for the 20th year. This is to acknowledge the plight of the Tibetan people and mark the 60th anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising” The Mayor posted the above message on his official Facebook page.
Representative Sonam Tsering Frasi thanked the Mayor and the Mayoress, Councillor and all the members of the public attending the ceremony and most importantly to the chief organiser of the event Caroline Scattergood for being an integral part of the annual flag raising event, which has become kind of a tradition here now.
The Northampton Tibetan flag raising ceremony is held every year in March to mark the Tibetan National Uprising Day.
‘You will be imprisoned in Tibet for as simple an act as flying the Tibetan national flag, as it is considered illegal. It is in this context that your act of flying the Tibetan flag year after year for the past two decades is a show of solidarity for the Tibetans inside Tibet who continue to be deprived of basic rights under the Chinese communist rule for 60 years now.’ Frasi remarked in his address.
After the flag raising ceremony, The Mayor hosted a tea ceremony for the Representative and the Tibetan Parliamentarian at his office, where Sonam Norbu Ratsa, Member of Tibetan Parliament-in-exile, offered a Tibetan white scarf (Khata) and gifted a memento to The Mayor to thank him for his support.
Expressing his deep admiration for and gratefulness to Caroline Scattergood, Ratsa also gifted her Memento.
The crowd of about 100 at the flag raising event were thrilled to be part of the solidarity for Tibet and rejoiced at the success of the event. The bright sunny day added to the warmth of the uplifting atmosphere.