Tibetans march in Kalimpong. Picture by Chinlop Fudong Lepcha

Kalimpong, April 29: The Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) held a prayer service to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the “martyrdom” of Pawo Thupten Ngodup, who had set himself on fire in New Delhi on this day in 1998 to protest against “the continuing occupation of Tibet by China”.

The prayer service at Manilhang Khang gumba was followed by a silent candle-lit procession through the main thoroughfares of the town late in the evening. Monks in maroon gown led about 200 marchers, including women dressed in their traditional costume, baku, and schoolchildren.

“On this day, Tibetans all over the world salute the supreme sacrifice made by Thupten Ngodup and thousands of other martyrs inside Tibet,” said Chungdak, the Kalimpong unit president of the TYC.

However unlike in the past, the day was observed on a larger scale this year, given the recent Chinese crackdown on Tibetans that has led to world-wide protests.

“The uprising in all three traditional provinces of Dotoe, Domey and Utsang in Tibet is an expression of resentment against the autocratic rule of the Chinese regime,” said Chungdak.

The TYC also said it would continue to protest against the staging of Olympics in Beijing later this year. “The ideal of the Olympic Games is peace and harmony, but allowing China to host it has brought more violence, including killings and torture, in Tibet,” said the youth congress leader.

Appealing to the United Nations and the world to support the cause of Tibetan independence, the TYC said it was the duty of all Tibetans living in-exile to “spread the message of freedom that is being raised by their long suffering brethren back home”.