Chinese Liaison Officer Dawa Sangmo with other Participants at Ashfield church

Canberra: The Sydney Uniting Church hosted a momentous prayer meeting at Ashfield Church in Sydney on 26 May 2024, commemorating the 35th anniversary of the 1989 Chinese Democracy Movement and the 5th anniversary of the 2019 Hong Kong protests. This event, a beacon of hope and a call for change holds immense significance in China’s ongoing struggle for democracy and human rights.

For 35 consecutive years, Pastor Bill Crews has held prayer meetings at his Ashfield Uniting Church in Sydney to commemorate the victims of the Tiananmen Massacre in 1989. Pastor Crews firmly believes that the human spirit of advocating freedom will one day overthrow the totalitarian system.

While participating in the meeting, Dawa Sangmo, Chinese Liaison Office of Tibet Information Office, paid respect to the sacrifices made by countless individuals in the pursuit of democratic ideals in China and highlighted the escalating repression and systemic discrimination faced by Tibetans under Chinese rule. She further spoke on how His Holiness the Dalai Lama has devoted his life to promoting harmonious relations among different religions.

Following the prayer service, the ‘Australia and New Zealand Alliance for Victims of the Chinese Communist Regime’ hosted a seminar at the church. The seminar’s host, Feng Chongyi, a renowned Chinese studies scholar at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), emphasised the universal value of fighting for freedom and human rights, a value shared by different ethnic groups. He further underscored the unity among the participants, stating: ‘Because we share common ideals, common concepts, and a common enemy – the CCP, we must continue to work together and unite to end the CCP’s tyranny as soon as possible.’

Chinese democracy activists, Falun Gong members, Hong Kong protest groups, Tibetan representatives and international students from China attended the events.

-Report filed by Office of Tibet, Canberra 

Chinese Liaison Officer Dawa Sangmo laying flowers at the Goddess of Democracy statue erected in the front yard of the Ashfield church