Tibetan women mark uprising day with protest in McLeodganj

Dharamsala, March 12

The Tibetan Women Association (TWA) today held a protest march in McLeodganj to observe Tibetan Women’s Uprising Day.

The day is observed to pay homage to Tibetan women who a day after Tibetan Uprising Day, rose against the Chinese government on March 12, 1959. The Tibetan women, who took part in the protest, were arrested and executed.

The spokesperson of the TWA said that 1959 was a critical year in determining whether Tibet would survive as an independent nation. Realising the gravity of the situation, Tibetan women showed patriotism and courage, lead to an organised struggle for freedom.

On March 12, 1959, thousands of women gathered on the ground called Dri-bu-Yul-Khai Thang in front of the Potala Palace in Lhasa. Processions were carried out in the streets of Lhasa. Chinese authorities responded by resorting to force and arrested the leaders of the movement and many other women. They were sentenced to indefinite prison terms, and many of them were beaten to death, the spokesperson said.

In 1969, during the period of the Cultural Revolution, Kunsang led her prison mates in protest against China. As a result, she and a number of other Tibetan women activists were executed.

The same year, a nun, Thinley Choedon, led the Tibetan women of Nyemo in a revolt against the Chinese.