Toronto – A Tibetan activist in Canada began his fourth peace walk on Saturday by calling on governments and international organisations to support human rights and freedom in Tibet, support for His Holiness the Dalai Lama and asking the Chinese government to release all Tibetan political prisoners, including the 11th Panchen Lama of Tibet.
Tibetan activist Sangyal Kyab began his fourth Peace Walk (Peace walk for His Holiness the Dalai Lama) on May 6, 2023, from the Chinese Consulate in Toronto to Ottawa, Canada. President of Tibetan Canadian Cultural Center (TCCC) Kaybe and his members, President of Regional Tibetan Youth Congress (RTYC) Sunny Sonam and his members, President of Tibetan Women's Association, Toronto Tibet Peace Rally Marathon Team and Toronto Lhakar Tibet's Freedom Movement Team joined Sangyal to start his peace walk.
During the walking, he will distribute pamphlets about His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the history of Tibet, as well as the current situation in Tibet, along with his demands, to people on the streets and in the mailboxes of homes from Toronto to Ottawa, Canada, and ask governments and individuals to support human rights and freedom in Tibet.
The pamphlet stated, "This year marks 64 years since China illegally occupied Tibet in 1959. Since then Tibet has remained one the most repressed and least free regions in the world. U.S. Washington based research Institute Freedom House has ranked Tibet as the least free country in the world."
"The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) totalitarian ideology is controlling Tibetans in Tibet with ongoing increase in the arbitrary arrest, detention, toture of human rights defenders and activists," it added.
"170 Tibetans have self-immolated in Tibet since February 27, 2009, when Tapey, a young monk from Kirti Monastery, set himself on fire in the market square of Ngawa County, Tibet," the pamphlet mentioned.
"His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibet and this year the medias have targeted him to defame him and tarnish his reputation. We believe that this is a political calculation of Chinese propaganda and we totally condemn these false allegations against His Holiness the Dalai Lama," it stated.
Sangyal's demands to the international community and Canada to stand with His Holiness the Dalai Lama:
1.We must Stand with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the World Media must apologize to His Holiness and stop the Chinese Propagandas
2. Support the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet
3. Renew Sino-Tibet dialogue in good faith
4. Release Panchen Lama and other political prisoners in Tibet.
5. Support for human rights and freedom in Tibet
Sangyal Kyab was born in Tibet and escaped to India, where he studied at the Tibetan Children's Village (TCV). He later immigrated to Canada. Since January 2018, Sangyal has been protesting every Wednesday against the Chinese Communist government at the Chinese Consulate in Toronto, Canada. He has been organising a "Peace Walk for a Free Tibet" from Toronto to Ottawa, and then to Toronto in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
