LITHUANIA: The newly formed Provisional Group for Solidarity with Tibetans in the Lithuanian Parliament (Seimas) jointly with the Tibet Support Group in Lithuania observed Human Rights Day on Friday 8th December. A series of events were held throughout the day to highlight the dire human rights situation inside Tibet.
The day’s events started with a morning press conference at the Seimas with the Chair of the Provisional Group for Solidarity with Tibetans Mr Andrius Navickas MP, Vice Chair Mr Arūnas Gelūnas MP, Chair of the Tibet Support Group Mr Vytis Vidunas and Representative Chonpel Tsering.
Whilst addressing the media, Representative Chonpel Tsering thanked the Chair, Vice Chair and the other members of the Seimas Provisional Group for Solidarity with Tibetans for establishing the Group. The Representative remarked that the establishment of the Seimas Provisional Group for Solidarity with Tibetans, despite the challenges encountered, is deeply appreciated by Tibetans everywhere and that the establishment of this Group reflected the members’ support for the just and non-violent Tibetan struggle and for the human rights of the Tibetan people. The Representative emphasised that His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration were not seeking to separate Tibet from China but rather that they were seeking genuine autonomy for the Tibetan people under the Middle Way Approach.
Andrius Navickas MP in his comments to the media said: “We must constantly remind ourselves there is such a thing as Tibet, there is such a thing as human rights, and we must be consistent. This reminder is the biggest support to Tibet.”
The press conference was the very first event organised by the Provisional Group for Solidarity with Tibetans since it was formally established on 17th November 2017 as a result of the untiring efforts of Seimas members Mr Andrius Navickas, Mr Arūnas Gelūnas, Mrs Monika Navickienė and Mr Vytautas Kernagis, all of whom met with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Riga, Latvia, in September 2017, and of Tibet supporters in Lithuania. It is noteworthy that the Seimas Group for Taiwan is also a Provisional Group and the term ‘Provisional’ does not in any way mean that the group is temporary in nature.
In the afternoon screenings of ‘Children of the Fountain’, a documentary about the self-immolation of 19-year Lithuanian Romas Kalanta that took place in Kaunas in May 1972 to protest against the Soviet occupation of Lithuania, and Tibetan film-maker Sonam Anjatsang’s documentary ‘Mother’s Son’ were held in the Parliamentary complex.
The day’s activities concluded with a screening of ‘Pawo’, a film based on the life of the late Jamphel Yeshi who self-immolated in Delhi on 26 March 2012 in protest against Chinese policies in Tibet. The Representative in his remarks prior to the screening of the film at Skalvija theatre in Vilnius thanked the audience of over 100 members of the public, majority of whom were young, for their interest in the Tibetan issue. He informed the audience about the dire human rights inside Tibet and that the 151 self-immolations by Tibetans in Tibet and China since 2009, and the 10 self-immolations by Tibetans in exile have all been carried out in protest against the Chinese authorities’ repressive policies in Tibet. The Representative expressed the hope that finding out more about the situation inside Tibet would inspire the audience members to become active supporters of the Tibetan cause.
The Representative also took the opportunity on 8th December to visit Vilnius’ Tibet Square where Tibet Support Group representatives briefed him on their future plans for the square.
On Saturday 9th December, the Representative held a meeting with Mr Vytis Vidunas, the Chair of Lithuanian Tibet Support Group, and other key supporters to review the events of the previous day and to discuss future Tibet related activities that the group were planning in Lithuania. The Representative thanked the Chair and the other members of the Group for all their efforts on behalf of the Tibetan people and looked forward to their continued support.
– Report filed by Office of Tibet, London –
