Six Tibetans On Hunger Strike in New Delhi, India
March - April 1998
The International Campaign for Tibet will be monitoring the hunger
strikers this week and
posting daily updates on their condition and on the reported visit to
the hunger strikers by
His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Thursday, April 2.
Journal
APRIL
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 1998: ENTERING THE FOURTH WEEK OF FASTING
Nancy Jo Johnson Arrives at the fasting site to report on the
morning's activities.
It is even hotter today. I arrived early as the 6 hunger strikers
were making their way to the water pump for a morning wash...
They are still walking, mostly unassisted, except for Dawa
Gyalpo, who didn't get up at all today. Young Karma Sichoe
found the energy to wash his hair today. Activity at the pump
was mostly bathing, but Indian squatters in the park are also
retrieving water and washing clothes. The pump never seems
to stop...
Vistors now begin to arrive slowly. The cameras and video
recorders are already running. The Tibetans have found their
mallas (prayer beads) and begun their daily prayers; I believe
their sustenance comes from this. In the morning, they found
the strength to sit for a bit. It appears that Mr. Kunsang and
Mrs. Palzom are the strongest still...
FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 1998: THE PUBLIC RESPONDS
Nancy Jo Johnson visits the strikers after the Dalai Lama's visit
yesterday.
Today, former speaker of Indian Parliament Ravi Raj visited. He said,
"I am with you
always. . . None of the governments that have come to power so far
have tried to sort out
the problem seriously. . . India's independence is meaningless unless
Tibet is
independent."
There is also a solidarity five day rotating hunger strike at the
Gandhi memorial park here
in Delhi. In addition, between 16 and 18 Ladakhis are staging a
protest at the United
Nations office here.
SUNDAY, APRIL 5, 1998: FINAL INTERVIEWS FROM DELHI
Nancy Jo Johnson leaves India. The interviews below were conducted on
her last day visiting the hunger
strikers, April 5, 1998. This is the 26th day of fasting.. The
following passages are in response to the
question, "What would you like Tibetans inside of Tibet to hear from
you?"
Yungdrung Tsering (age 28):
In 1995 I went on the peace march in India. I joined this as a chance
to do something for my nation. His
Holiness asked us to stop, to not go to Lhasa. Maybe we would have
been imprisoned or shot in Lhasa. So
it was changed from Dharamsala to Delhi, with more then 500 people.
After that, now this chance.
Whatever you can please do for us. One monk came here and told us,
lots of prisoners do hunger strikes in
jail in Tibet. One went for 10 days, didn't take anything, not even
water, and became very weak. When the
Chinese came to know they put a stick on his mouth and forced food in
it. Chinese didn't even allow him
to die for hunger strike. But if world came to know a Tibetan died
from A hunger strike, then they may get a
problem. This man who told story was in prison for 33 years. Now he
lives in the U.S. and he came all the
way from there to see us and told this story. Indian Government may
not let us die, but if I do, I feel good
to die.
Karma Sichoe (age 25):
Message to Tibetans inside Tibet: You are all very lucky to be born
in Tibet, but right now its occupied by
communist Chinese. But you can always keep it in your mind and think
about your coming generation to
teach your traditions and rich culture and don't think that exiled
Tibetans are separate from you. Being a
Tibetan we always struggle to go back to our motherland. Also our
spiritual leader His Holiness must come
back to Tibet and make it a zone of peace. I have no parents, no
nothing, no support to learn more about
my art and rich culture because I have to survive myself. So I have
not had a chance to learn everything
about Tibet. I want to be able to do research and study my
culture...
Palzom (age 68): (through translator)
I'm from Shigatse and my name is Palzom. I was in and out of prison
many times and now staying in
hunger strike unto death for my country. I want to tell people to be
friendly to each other, to listen to His
Holiness. I want to send a message to those not in Tibet also, tell
them to stick together, to go to the
United Nations office all the time and never lose hope. The UN is
doing good for other countries, why not
us?
Dawa Tsering (age 53): (through translator)
I want to tell people we are doing this for you Tibetans inside and
out. Stay together, don't lose hope, all
of us must be together in Tibet. I am not afraid to die for my
people. Please know I'm doing this for
Tibetans inside and outside Tibet. I want to tell people outside to
listen to His Holiness. We are so proud
and lucky to have such a great leader, so listen to what he says and
stick together.
Kunsang (age 70): (through translator)
Now it has been 26 days and nothing has been done by the United
Nations. I am not afraid to die, I want
to be together with my people, I want our people to struggle together
and bring HH back to Lhasa. My son
came and visited, he told me not to pray anything bad for the
Chinese. We are all Buddhists, and he is
very proud of me going on this hunger strike and to go public with
our demands. I told him not to worry,
maybe we succeed before we die. If I get close to death, I will let
him know. I have no dreams of my son.
He is a monk and so there is nothing to worry about. Please support
continuously and don't forget our faces
and don't forget our country. Our youngsters are getting destroyed
inside and out... we must do everything
to save them.
Dawa Gyalpo (age 50):
The TYC indefinite hunger strike up to death may encourage many
inside Tibet. Many government
officials and non-governmental groups. support us. If my people who
live inside Chinese jail, and also
those who live in the free world, if I can give some encouragement,
maybe they will unite, thinking to rise
continually with our hunger strike to death.
TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 1998: UN SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN
ISSUES
STATEMENT
Attributed to the Spokesman of the Secretary-General
"Yesterday, the Assistant Secretary-General for External Relations,
Ms. Gillian Sorensen met with Mr.
Richard Gere who came to convey his grave concern over the health of
six Tibetans on hunger strike in
New Delhi. The Secretary-General was already aware of the concerns of
the six hunger-strikers. While
recognizing that meeting their specific demands rest within the sole
competence of Member States, the
Secretary-General acknowledges that this non-violent action is a
reflection of their personal commitment.
At the same time, he is deeply concerned for their well-being and
appeals to them, on humanitarian
grounds, to discontinue the strike so as not to further jeopardize
their health. In this connection, the
Secretary-General wishes to refer to the statement regarding the
matter made by Mrs. Robinson, High
Commissioner for Human Rights, on 9 April, and expresses his full
support for it".
Statement of Mary Robinson, United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights
"Over the past weeks I have received a number of representations
regarding the six young Tibetans who
have been on a hunger strike in New Delhi for nearly one month. On 2
April, I met a representative of His
Holiness the Dalai Lama, Mr. Tempa Tsering.
I said that the young people has displayed considerable courage and
had succeeded in bringing their
issues to the attention of the international community. However, I
shared the concern that their lives
should not be lost by continuing the hunger strike. I hope they will
now find the additional courage
needed to end the fast and preserve their lives.
In September this year, I hope to make an official visit to China and
have indicated to the Chinese
authorities my desire to visit Tibet at that time in order to be more
filly informed about the situation there.
FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 1998: U.N. HIGH COMMISSIONER OF HUMAN RIGHTS MARY
ROBINSON
ISSUES SECOND STATEMENT REGARDING TIBETAN HUNGER STRIKE
In Geneva, Switzerland on Friday, Mary Robinson made the following
statement about the strike and
her upcoming visit to China
"In September of this year I will be making an official visit of 6
days to China. From the outset it has been
my intention that this visit would include Tibet, and I conveyed that
wish to the Chinese authorities.
"I have followed closely the situation of human rights in China; in
the broad sense of entitlements of
people to economic, social and cultural rights, as well as the
situation of civil and political rights. The
purpose of visiting Tibet in the context of my visit to China is to
see the situation first hand and have
opportunities to talk directly to a range of people in that
region.
"The exclusive focus of my visit to China, in common with all my
visits, is the situation of human rights. I
would not seek to address political issues including the matter of
sovereignty. It is not part of my mandate.
"I would hope that my expressed wish to visit Tibet in the context of
my visit to China will provide some
reassurance to the six people on hunger strike in New Delhi that the
United Nations is concerned about
their issues and that the situation of the people in Tibet is not
being ignored.
"I reiterate the earnest appeal already made by the Secretary General
and myself to the hunger strikers to
end their action and to preserve their lives. They have succeeded in
drawing international attention to
their issues and have my assurances that I am focused on the
situation of the human rights of the people
in Tibet and will pursue that focus during my visit to China in
September."
SUNDAY, APRIL 26, 1998: INDIAN GOVERNMENT SEIZES THREE HUNGER
STRIKERS
Today, three of the six hunger strikers were forcibly taken to a
hospital in New Delhi
Indian authorities early Sunday forced three of a group of six
Tibetans on a hunger strike
here for more than a month to go to hospital, witnesses said.
The three hunger strikers, who had been refusing food since March 10
to demand their
country's freedom from China, were removed from a New Delhi pavement
by police and
taken to a nearby hospital, the witnesses said.
Police warned on Saturday that the hunger strikers risked arrest if
they refused to go in for
treatment, Tibetan officials said.
Tseten Norbu, president of the Tibetan Youth Congress, said the
police warning was
delivered after doctors said the protestors' condition was
deteriorating. "The doctors said
hospitalisation was highly recommended as the strikers were becoming
weak," Norbu told
AFP.
Norbu said authorities were also "scared" the high-profile hunger
strike would mar the
first-ever visit to India by a chief of the Chinese army, General Fu
Quanyou, on Sunday. The
hunger strike, being held on a pavement in the heart of New Delhi,
has been organised by
the Tibetan Youth Congress, which counts around 10,000 members.
The hungerstrikers, one woman and five men aged between 25 and 70,
are demanding
their country's freedom from China and have called on the United
Nations to send a special
human rights investigator to Tibet.
India is home to the Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of Tibetans, who
has lived in the northern
Indian town of Dharamsala since fleeing his homeland in 1959
following a failed anti-China
uprising.
More than 100,000 Tibetan refugees also live in India.
la premiere equipe de grevistes de la faim
tibetains
la greve de la faim des tibetains : melanie
temoigne
photos des manifestations de delhi avril-mai
98
la deuxieme equipe de grévistes de la faim
tibétains
le Dalai-Lama a l'hopital de Delhi le 28
avril 1998