Northern Voices Online (NVO)
May 12th, 2009

Dharamshala -- Five Tibetan youths, who
participated in the peaceful protests in north
eastern Tibet last year against the five decades
of wrong policies initiated by the Chinese
government in Tibet, gave a detailed account of
China’s policies of marginalising the Tibetans,
their identity and the brutal crackdown unleashed
by the Chinese authorities since 10 March last year.

The five Tibetans are Gedun Gyatso, Kelsang
Jinpa, Jamyang Jinpa, Losang Gyatso and Jigme Gyatso.

Gedun Gyatso and Kelsang Gyatso took part in the
protests in Sangchu County in Labrang (Ch: Kanlho
Tibet Autonomous Prefecture, incorporated into
China’s Gansu Province) on 14 March 2008.

On 9 April 2008, Jamyang Jinpa, Losang Gyatso and
Jigme Gyatso spoke openly in front of a visiting
international media exposing the repressive
policies initiated by the Chinese authorities in
Tibet and the state of Tibetans living under constant fear and intimidation.

They spent the past one year in forest fearing
arrest and torture by the Chinese authorities and
finally managed to flee Tibet.

The five Tibetan escapees spoke to the media on
Monday after their safe arrival in Dharamshala in
India, the seat of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
and the Central Tibetan Administration. The press
conference was organised by the Central Executive
Committee of Domey based in Dharamshala.

They testified about the Chinese government’s
repressive policies targeted at the Tibetan
people and recounted the unimaginable sufferings
undergone by Tibetans following the Chinese
government’s violent suppression of Tibetans’
unprecedented call for more freedom, independence
and return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet.

In their testimonials, the five Tibetan youths
said unequivocally that the Tibetan people had
voluntarily initiated the protests in Tibet as
the existence of Tibet’s identity is on the verge of extinction.

They vehemently denied the Chinese government’s
claim that His Holiness the Dalai Lama had
orchestrated the peaceful demonstrations.

They said the Chinese authorities particularly
target Tibetans in the monastic community and
students who are the backbone of Tibetan identity
by enforcing ideological  indoctrination and patriotic education sessions.

The Chinese government’s violent crackdown on
Tibetan protesters since 10 March 2008, left 220
Tibetans dead, 1,294 injured and 290 sentenced.
More than 5,600 were arrested or detained and over 1,000 disappeared.