Tibetans urge UN to send fact-finding mission to Tibet[Wednesday, 1 June 2011, 10:44 a.m.]

Tibetan Community for Switzerland and Liechtenstein gather in front of the UN office in Geneva

The Tibetan Community in Switzerland and Liechtenstein has appealed to the UN to send a fact-finding mission to Tibet.Around
350 Tibetans, joined by supporters gathered in front of Palais Wilson,
the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, to
express their concern for the human rights situation in Tibet.Mrs
Ann Mahrer, former Chairperson of the Geneva Parliament, member of
Parliament and Green Party Geneva, Mr Rene Longet, President of the
Socialist Party, Geneva, and Tenzin Samphel from Tibet Bureau addressed
the event. A well-known Swiss singer Nubya, also performed in
solidarity with the cause of Tibet. It was followed by a prayer session
led by monks from the monastery of Rikon.The 17th session of
the UN Human Rights Council is being held from 30 May to 17 June at the
United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. The Chinese authorities
continue to mistreat Tibetans as they tortured and forcibly shaved the
heads of two Tibetan women from Ngaba named Choeco, 45 and Serkyi, 35,
in prison.They were arrested for protesting and resisting the
Chinese security forces from forcibly taking away over 300 monks of
Kirti monastery, aged between 18 – 40, to an unknown place on 12 April.While
in detention for 55 days, the Chinese authorities had severely tortured
Choeco and Serkyi, leaving them mentally disabled. Moreover, the Chinese government prohibited the observation of annual practice of Nyung Ne
(Fasting) during the religious festival of Saka Dawa at Drepung
Monastery, reported the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy
(TCHRD) based in Dharamsala. Saka Dawa is one of the most important
festival marking the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha.According
to the Radio Free Asia (RFA), the Chinese authorities permitted Deprung
monastery to observe the Saka Dawa festival after repeated appeals from
the monastery. However, the Chinese work team members ordered to stop
the preparation for Nyung Ne and forced the Tibetan elders to return home who traveled all the way to observe Nyung Ne in the monastery.Around
60 Chinese government officials are stationed in the monastery to
conduct “Legal Education” and an additional force of People Armed
Police (PAP) is reportedly posted inside the monastery to monitor the
monks.