wfn.org | Taiwan Church News: PCT supports human rights on 50th anniversary of Tibet Uprising

["Lydia Ma" <enews@pctpress.org>]

>Taiwan Church News

>2977 Edition

>March 16~22, 2009

PCT supports human rights on 50th anniversary of Tibet Uprising

>Reported by Li Hsin-ren

>Written by Lydia Ma

The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) took part in a rally held on  March 14th to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Tibetan National  Uprising Day. As participants held signs that read “Today Tibet,  Tomorrow Taiwan!”, PCT General Secretary Andrew Chang reminded the  crowd that the violent repression Tibetans face today may happen to  Taiwanese people in the future. PCT’s participation in the rally  and support of Tibet is based on spiritual convictions, ecumenical  values, and desire to protect Taiwanese people’s future, added  Chang.

“Free Tibet, UN wake up!” chanted participants as they urged  the international community to care for the violation of human rights in  Tibet by Chinese authorities. About 3,000 people participated in the  rally supporting Tibet, including Tibetans, Taiwanese organizations, and  Taiwanese citizens. Andrew Chang reminded the crowd that Taiwan is now  facing similar dangers Tibet faced fifty years ago and should it lose  its autonomy, its future will mirror today’s Tibet. He also pointed  out that many in Tibet today have lost their individual freedoms and  their homes.

The convener of the rally, Regional Tibetan Youth Congress in Taiwan  Chairman Tashi Tsering, led the crowd in singing Tibet’s national  anthem. “If your child goes to the neighbor’s house and is  kidnapped for a day, how would you feel? Tibetans have been exiled from  their country for the past fifty years, unable to go home. Tibetans in  Tibet really miss the Dalai Lama and want to see him,” he told the  crowd. During the rally, participants stopped for a moment of silence to  mourn for Tibetans who were massacred in the past 50 years.

According to Ngawang Woeber, President of the Tibet Ex-political  Prisoners Association, the Chinese authorities don’t allow Tibetans  to practice their traditional religion and losing one’s religion is  like losing one’s soul. That is the reason why many Tibetans and  Tibetan monks would rather give up their lives in exchange for the  freedom to practice their religion.

He also said the Communist government in China has ordered mass arrests  in Tibet since March last year. In the past year alone, more than 6,000  Tibetans have been arrested and more than 1,000 Tibetans are reported to  be missing. Furthermore, the Chinese government has extensively  exploited Tibetan natural resources, began building railways into Tibet,  and encouraged high levels of tourism and immigration into Tibet despite  opposition from the international community and Tibetans. As a result,  Tibet’s pristine environment and native culture have been greatly  damaged and the survival of Tibetans is currently at stake.

Ngawang Woeber said he was grateful for the support Tibet has received  from Taiwan and the international community regarding human rights  violations. He believed that human rights transcended religion,  ethnicity, and national boundaries. He hoped that Chinese people could  examine their hearts and reach out to Tibet because Tibetans do not view  Chinese people as enemies and only hope that they can respect  Tibetans’ desire for autonomy.

PCT will continue supporting human rights in Tibet after the conclusion  of the rally. PCT Church and Society Committee Secretary Chang Meng-yi  reported that Taiwan Friends of Tibet Association will distribute DVDs  on anti-violence and human rights issues in Tibet. PCT General Assembly  will organize events and invite speakers to hold forums and play the DVD  at churches interested in knowing more about issues concerning Tibet.

March 14th also marked the 4th anniversary of the Anti-Secession Law,  and for many in Taiwan, it was another reminder of Taiwan’s  precarious condition. The law formalized a China’s long-standing  policy to use "non-peaceful means" against Taiwan independence in the  event of a declaration of independence.

>******************

Taiwan Church News is published weekly in Taiwan's local languages.

You may translate and re-use the articles if you acknowledge the source  as "Taiwan Church News" and list the names of the reporter and writer.
Visit our web site: http://www.pctpress.org (Chinese)

>http://enews.pctpress.org/ (English)

Please direct all comments and questions to: enews@pctpress.org

If links are not working or you prefer e-news as plain text attachments,  please let us know. Thank you!

>******************