TIBETAN SOLIDARITY COMMITTEE – DELHI UNIT(Tibetan Government-in-Exile)April 28, 2008
Press Release
New Delhi: Today, on the 49th day of Chinese crackdown on the Tibetan peaceful protesters that resulted in a massacre of more than 154 monks and lay people so far and hundreds of injured, arrests and missing in Tibet, the Tibetan people in and outside Tibet is conducting rituals and prayers to observe the day as she-gu the 49th day after death, which is also a Tibetan Buddhist way of performing a memorial service to honour the dead. The She-gu services are the set of initial services for the deceased. The first of which are the Dun-tsik services held weekly until the 49th day after death. These first 49 days are regarded as especially important as they mark the intermediate stage "Bardo" between birth and death. In this interim state the "old" existence is discarded and is metamorphosed into a "new existence". A ceremony held on the 49th day after death is an important Buddhist ritual, in that it guide the departed souls to the bright path to truth while they journey the interim stage from death to incarnation.A congregation of monks at Jantar Mantar "Dharna site" will perform this prayer ceremony from 9.30 a.m onwards, which will be conducted with a ritual called Lama Chopa Tsok Offering composed by the First Panchen Lama. Tsog means a collection or gathering and this has many profound meanings according to Tibetan Buddhism. It also meant to celebrate the glory of the noble truth, create merit, purify vows and make offerings to the deities and worldly spirits. Inside Tibet, the situation is still very critical and alarming. Arbitrary arrests and torturing of Tibetans are at large scale; tens of thousands of People's Liberation Army have been deployed; major monasteries in whole of Tibet have been cordon off and severe restriction on movement from one place to another have been imposed; intensive re-education campaign, China's another tool of physical and psychological torture for Tibetans is being carried out massively in whole of Tibet. In view of the present crisis in Tibet, we urgently appeal to the UN and the International community to impress upon Peoples' Republic of China (PRC) to;Immediately ends the brutal killings and tortures in the whole of Tibet and release all arrested and imprisoned Tibetans and freedom of movement is granted to the Tibetan people Accept independent fact finding delegations to Tibet to investigate the situation and allow free press to cover whole of Tibet
_____________________________________________________________________________Central Office: C/o Tibetan Parliament in Exile, Gangkyi, Dharamsala (H.P) 176215 Ph: 01892 – 222481Delhi Unit: C/o H-10 Lajpat Nagar – III New Delhi Ph: 9868670385, For daily update log on to : www.stoptibetcrisis.net E-mail: stoptibetcrisis@gmail.com