Prayer service organised to remember 1989 martyrs

The Department of Religion and Culture, Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), conducted a prayer service yesterday to remember the sacrifices made by peaceful Tibetan protesters who participated in the 1989 demonstrations against the Chinese government.

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In 1989, thousands of Tibetans took to the streets of Lhasa to voice their opposition to the “oppressive and unjust policies” imposed by the Chinese government while also marking the 29th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day. In retaliation, Chinese authorities imposed martial law and opened fire on the protesters, resulting in the deaths of hundreds and leaving many others wounded.

Since then, the CTA has held an annual prayer service on March 8 to remember and pay homage to the Tibetan individuals who gave their lives and suffered for the greater cause of Tibet.

Following an hour-long prayer service, Sikyong Penpa Tsering, while addressing the media, said Tibetans inside Tibet have demonstrated an unwavering dedication to safeguarding their rich cultural and linguistic heritage despite the Chinese government’s escalating efforts to erase Tibetan identity through stricter restrictions and surveillance. “Likewise, we in exile, despite our limited population and resources, must continue our work with the same dedication as Tibetans on both sides, drawing strength and inspiration from one another. Today is the day to reflect on the events of 1989 and the years that followed, and to recognise the important responsibilities that rest upon us,” he said.

Cabinet Secretary, Tsegyal Chukya Dranyi, also gave a brief explanation of the significance and purpose behind the prayer service before the gathering at Tsuglagkhang.

Tibetan uprising day on March 10 marks the day as in 1959 the communist Chinese government carried out a brutal armed suppression in Tibet’s capital Lhasa. It was a part of an elaborate series of machinations by China which even included a plot on the very life of the Dalai Lama, a situation impossible for the Tibetan people to endure. This year tomorrow the Tibetans would commemorate the 66th anniversary of that momentous, historic occasion.

The communist government of China in 1949 launched an armed invasion of all the three provinces of Tibet, during which it took the lives of hundreds of thousands of Tibetan people.