Three Hunger Strikers Conduct Indefinite Fast for Tibet
On the first day of the Tibetan New Year, February 22, three Tibetan hunger strikers started their plea for justice outside the United Nations building in New York City by conducting a water-only Indefinite Fast for Tibet, organized by the Tibetan Youth Congress, the largest worldwide organization for Tibetans.
The three hunger strikers were: His Eminence 11th Shingza Rinpoche Tenzin Choekyi Gyaltsen, age 32, founder/editor of Wokar.net, a site that is popular with Tibetan scholars and writers; Dorjee Gyalpo; and Yeshi Tenzing, age 39. The hunger strikers had five requests for the United Nations to consider in an effort to end the crisis in Tibet:
to immediately send a fact-finding delegation to Tibet to assess the critical situation there;
to urge China to stop the undeclared martial law in Tibet;
to urge China to allow international media to investigate and report on the ongoing atrocities in Tibet;
to urge China to release the Panchen Lama, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, and all political prisoners;
and to urge China to stop its 'Patriotic Re-Education' campaign in Tibet.
United Nations Officials Respond to Hunger Strike
On March 10, the Tibetan Uprising Day rally in New York City took place. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon voiced concern for the Tibetan hunger strikers.
On March 12, which marked day 30 of their hunger strike, United Nations Asst. Secretary General Ivan Simonovic met with the three hunger strikers. The three Tibetans told him that before they would consider ending their hunger strike, they wanted "concrete action" by the Chinese authorities to end the current crackdown in Tibet. Mr. Simonovic agreed that he would convey their concerns "to the relevant Special Rapporteur, and to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, in line with established procedures in handling human rights matters."
The three hunger strikers gave their list of 5 Requests to Mr. Simonovic and ended their victorious hunger strike at the United Nations. However, Dorjee Gyalpo had to be hospitalized due to his deteriorating condition, and from his hospital bed he continued his hunger strike to ensure real change by the United Nations.
Mary Beth Markey, President of the International Campaign for Tibet, announced, "We sincerely hope that the hunger strike will draw the attention of the United Nations to the critical situation in Tibet and compel China to change its policies."
In a press conference in Dharamsala, India, the Prime Minister of Tibet-in-Exile, Lombay Sangay, further stated, "There were three hundred strikers in front of the UN, supporting the three hunger strikers, stating for the UN to investigate the real conditions inside Tibet. Truth will be heard, supported, and will prevail. Many NGOs have urged the United Nations to send Special Rapporteurs or an envoy to Tibet to investigate the repressive policies of the Chinese government, especially the brutal repressive policies since 2008, which has been an unprecedented brutality.
"The Australian Ambassador in China has requested to be allowed to go to Tibet immediately. 1.2 million Tibetans have lost their lives since the 1950s. We are seeking the return of H.H. the Dali Lama to Tibet, to his rightful place at the Pogola Palace in the capital of Tibet, and we are seeking freedom for Tibetans inside Tibet."
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