Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) : Tibetan women-in-exile on Sunday held a peaceful candle march protest in Himachal Pradesh's Shimla against the Chinese authorities to mark the 64th anniversary of Tibetan Women's National Uprising day.
Tibetan women, including Tibetan Buddhist students and others, gathered in Shimla to mark the anniversary and also to remember the women, who died during the 1959 women's uprising inside Tibet.
Under the banner of the Regional Chapter of TWA (Tibetan Women Association) at Shimla scores of Tibetan women participated in the peaceful protest and candle march. These Tibetan women-in exile here are appealing to the international community to support the cause of Tibet.
"Today is the 64th anniversary of the Tibetan women's uprising, The Tibetan women were uprising and the Chinese occupied Tibet crushed the protesting women. We are holding a peaceful candle march to mark the anniversary and also to remember those martyred women," Dolma Tsering, an organizer and President of RTYC Shimla.
"We are requesting the international community to support us and we are also appealing to the Chinese authorities to stop human rights violations in Tibet," Dolma added.The young Tibetans here-in-exiles are observing this 64th anniversary with the hope of getting freedom for Tibet.
These women here offered prayers peacefully, demanding the international community to support the Tibetan issue and put pressure on China.
These young women here in the streets of Shimla town marched seeking support from India and the international community.
"Today is the 64th National Uprising day of Tibetan women. All Tibetan women and others are protesting, holding peace and candle marches worldwide to protest against the Chinese government for our homeland," said a young Tibetan woman.
"As a young Tibetan woman born and brought up in-exile, I dream of one day returning to my homeland. I am grateful to India that I am living here as a citizen. Hundreds of people there [inside Tibet] are doing self-immolation as we can't do anything there as there is neither religious freedom nor any human rights protected. So we (Tibetans inside Tibet) protest and do self-immolation annually. But, here, in exile, we are living freely. Today we are also paying homage to those who have lost their lives in our struggle inside Tibet," she added.
On March 12, 1959, Many Tibetan women in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, were protesting against the People's Republic of China (PRC), and thousands of them were crushed and over 80 thousand Tibetans, including Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, was forced to flee to India.
Since then thousands of Tibetans are living in exile in India and other parts of the globe. Today a large number of Tibetan women in exile across the globe are protesting and remembering those Tibetan women who were killed over 6 decades ago inside Tibet.