Tokyo: The Students for Free Tibet (SFT) Japan chapter organised a talk and cultural event at Bunkyoku Civic Center to commemorate the 113th anniversary of the declaration and reaffirmation of Tibetan Independence by H.H. the 13th Dalai Lama on 13 February 1913.

Fujita Yoko of the SFT moderated the event and welcomed the speakers and the audience. Tsering Dorjee, Chairperson of the SFT Japan, thanked the audience and briefly explained the Tibetan independence movement and the importance of the event. The organisers have invited Dr. Tsewang Gyalpo Arya of the Liaison Office of H.H. the Dalai Lama for Japan and East Asia and Tenpa Dhargyal, a Tibetan activist from Australia, to address the gathering.

Representative Arya briefed the audience about the historical and political events leading to the declaration to reaffirm Tibetan independence by H.H. the Great 13th Dalai Lama. Touching the historical time period of the Tang, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties and the People’s Republic of China, he explained how Tibet has been an independent nation since ancient times, and how the Chinese Communist Party leadership is blatantly distorting history to justify their occupation of Tibet. He talked about the Chinese colonial boarding schools and the treacherous objective behind this policy to rob the Tibetan children of their inalienable rights to language, culture, and identity.

Tenpa Dhargyal, a Tibetan activist, who is in the city to campaign for Tibet, spoke about his mission, “Not to celebrate Tibetan New Year until the reunification of Tibetans inside and the outside”. He explained about his being in India and returning to Tibet; how he was arrested and consigned to prison for nearly five years from 2001-2006; his rearrest in the wake of the 2008 Tibet uprising; and the eventual flight to India in 2009. When asked what he would like to convey to the Japanese government and people, he said he has three main points: first, to inform the sufferings and messages of the Tibetans, who self-immolated themselves for Tibet; second, to appeal for the immediate release of Choyang Khedup, who he said has been in prison for more than 26 years; and thirdly, to inform the closure of Tibetan schools and establishment of Chinese colonial boarding schools in Tibet.

Prof. Ryosuke Kobayashi of Kyushu University participated online, where he talked about how H.H. the 13th Dalai Lama worked hard to get help from the outside world, including his writings to the Japanese Emperor through Aoki Bunkyo, U.S. diplomat W.W. Rockhill, and others.

Tenpa Dhargyal participated in the question-and-answer session, where he further clarified his mission and the situation in Tibet. He explained how the prisoners are pressured to accept and sign papers denouncing three things: Tibetan independence, H.H. the Dalai Lama, and the Central Tibetan Administration in exile. He said that in most of the prison rooms, at least two Chinese spies are kept to monitor the Tibetan prisoners.

Tibetan students studying in Japanese universities presented cultural performances to celebrate the day and to entertain the gatherings. Tenpa Dhargyal will speak in some other events in the following days. Dr. Choden Bum helped in Japanese translation for him.

–Report filed by the Office of Tibet, Japan