High-profile supporter of the Tibetan cause, Richard Gere, visits three hunger striking Tibetans on the 17th day of their protest outside the UN.
Gere’s visit comes a day before the 53rd anniversary of the 1959 uprising in Tibet, when Tibetans rebelled against Chinese Communist forces. The uprising was crushed, and the Tibetan Spiritual Leader, the Dalai Lama, was forced to flee to India, where he has remained in exile ever since.
Gere says the hunger strike form of protest displays Tibetan’s Buddhist values.
[Richard Gere, Actor]:
“This is a unique expression of Tibetan pain and suffering, and a uniquely Buddhist way to express that. Terrorism is not in the blood of Tibetans, and as a long time friend and student, I know of this deep sense of universal responsibility in Tibetans, and also the willingness to self-sacrifice, for the good of the community, the good of the world, the good of the universe. It’s something very powerful.”
Tibet is currently closed to all foreign media and tourists. The uprising and the Tibetan New Year are both sensitive dates to the Chinese regime. And both have been accompanied by protests in the region. London based NGO Free Tibet reported 100s of people detained and three shot dead in the lead up to the anniversary.
[Richard Gere, Actor]:
“Thankfully this is in New York and they're allowed to do this, in Nepal they are not allowed. Obviously, in China they would be in jail or worse right now.”
Gere says that China’s power of veto at the UN has made the organization powerless to do anything to change the human rights situation in Tibet, even though the Chinese regime did sign the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
[Richard Gere, Actor]:
“I think the world should know, the Chinese have signed on to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and that’s a solemn commitment, and goes hand in hand with membership in the UN, and Tibetans are asking for no more and no less than what is documented and provided for in that declaration of human rights.”
The hunger strikers have been outside the UN every day since February 22nd. They have issued five demands to the organization, including a demand to send a fact finding mission to Tibet to gather information about the human rights situation in the region.
NTD News, New York.
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大家都来看”九评共产党” ( VCD, 书)!
Let’s find “Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party”(VCD, books)!
快上大纪元声明退出共产党和共产党其它组织(/团/队)，抹去邪恶的印记!
Quit the Evil Chinese Communist Party or its affiliated organizations today!
