Taipei, March 11 – Around 300 people participated in an annual march in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, to commemorate the 1959 Tibetan uprising. Organizers warned that China's "expansion of authoritarian rule" would not be limited to just one place, according to local media.
Kelsang Gyaltsen Bawa, chairman of the Tibet Religious Foundation and a spiritual leader, Dalai Lama, said, "The story of Tibet is also a reminder to the world, especially Taiwan," as reported by the Central News Agency (CNA).
"The expansion of authoritarian rule will not be limited to just one place," he added, noting that China's influence has already extended to Uyghurs, Southern Mongolians, Hong Kong, and other regions of the world through "transnational repression, infiltration by united fronts, and long-arm jurisdiction."
Kelsang Gyaltsen Bawa emphasized the importance of marking Tibetan Uprising Day in Taiwan so that the calls from the island nation to support Tibet's dignity and democracy are heard globally. He mentioned that Tibetan Uprising Day falls on March 10 and commemorates the day in 1959 when around 10,000 Tibetans gathered in Lhasa to protest against China's strict control.
According to the Human Rights Network for Tibet and Taiwan, the authorities brutally suppressed the uprising, leading to the Dalai Lama's exile and forcing approximately 150,000 Tibetans to relocate overseas, as reported by CNA.
Yeh Ta-hua, a commissioner at Taiwan's National Human Rights Commission, said that Taiwanese have witnessed how Tibetans "fearlessly resisted" the "brutal rule" of Chinese authorities while protecting their freedom and faith over the past 67 years. He added that supporting Tibet implies supporting democracy and the freedom of Tibet, and that the people of Taiwan should support Tibetans in protecting the "autonomy of religious reincarnation and resisting transnational repression."
Speaking to CNA, University student Jacky Ling, who participated in the protest, said that the people of Taiwan could learn about identity from Tibetans, who he said firmly identify themselves as Tibetan and safeguard their own religion, language, and clothing.
"When it comes to national identity, if you do not have a clear sense of who you are, it becomes very easy for external forces to define you, and you end up becoming whatever they say you are," he said, referring to Beijing's efforts to reshape how the people of Taiwan see themselves.