Tibetans to Pray for Victims of Martial Law in Tibet
Wednesday, 7 March 2007, 4:15 p.m.
Dharamshala: In remembrance of those Tibetans who died during the reign of martial law in Tibet, the Central Tibetan Administration will hold its annual prayer session tomorrow at the TsuglaKhang, from 9:30 am. The Kalon for Religion and Culture, Tsering Phuntsok, is expected to address the congregation.
At the stroke of this midnight, some 18 years ago, Hu Jintao, then Party of the “Tibet Autonomous Region”, declared martial law in Lhasa, following a series of demonstrations after His Holiness the Dalai Lama declared the Five Point Peace Proposal in September 1987.
The immediate consequences of the martial law were the deployment of some 2,000 troops of the People’s Liberation Army in Lhasa and arrests of hundreds of Tibetans.
During the 13 months of martial law, which lasted until 1 May 1990, Lhasa’s numerous prison facilities overflowed, and detainees were subjected to sadistic and horrifying treatment, as reported by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.
