South Africans march of Panchen Lama’s releaseWednesday, 20 May 2009, 9:34 a.m.

File photo of His Eminence Panchen Lama Gedhun   Choekyi Nyima.

Pretoria: More
than forty South Africans and resident Tibetans participated in the
‘Peace and Compassion’ march on 17 May to mark the completion of 14
years since disappearance of His Eminence Panchen Lama Gedhun Choekyi
Nyima.  In the morning the marchers chanted the ‘Words of
Truth’ prayer led by a resident Tibetan spiritual master.  Held under
the auspices of the Tibet Society of South Africa, the marchers ,
wearing yellow T-shirts printed with ‘Peace in Tibet’ slogans and
carrying placards walked four kilometers from the Mahatma Gandhi square
to Nelson Mandela bridge in Johannesburg.At the bridge
symbolizing South Africa’s liberation and freedom, the marchers recited
prayers.   Representatives from Burmese freedom group took part in the
march.The marchers were addressed by a representative of South
African Human Rights Commission and the Representative of His Holiness
the Dalai Lama in Pretoria.In the memorandum submitted to South
Africa’s President Jacob Zuma,  the marchers among others called on him
to  take steps to end violence, strife and suffering found in the
countries such as Burma, Tibet, and many African countries. The
memorandum specifically called for unconditional release of His
Eminence Panchen Lama Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, release of Tibetan
political prisoners, investigation of real conditions inside Tibet by
independent international bodies, freedom to foreign media for unbiased
reporting from inside Tibet.   It further urged African
leaders to urge Chinese authorities to sincerely discuss  the recent
Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan people presented last
year by Tibetan envoys at the behest of the Chinese authorities. 
Copies of memorandum copies were sent to the UN Secretary-General, EU
Representative and Chinese Embassy in Pretoria.Representative
of South African Human Rights Commission and the Representative of His
Holiness the Dalai Lama in Pretoria addressed gathering.–Report filed by Office of Tibet, Pretoria, South Africa