Dharamshala — Gu-Chu- Sum Movement of Tibet, an organization of former political prisoners of Tibet, marked its 25th anniversary and began its 7th General Body Meeting on September 27th at Norbu Hotel in Dharamsala.
The opening day included several notable guests, including Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok, Deputy Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile (TPiE) and former Kalon (Minister) Rinchen Khando.
Atsok Lukar Jam, President of the organization, recalled the history of the organization and its foundation. Highlighting the current political development in China, he said: “The exercise of political clampdown and suppression in China over one political wing by another will result in revolution.”
“The biggest weapon we hold against the Chinese Communist government is the unfathomable spirit of the Tibetan self immolators and the political prisoners,” he added.
“Because of the instable and shaky nature of Chinese government, we may as well see better days and the oldest political prisoner here may get to set foot on a free Tibet,” he concluded.
“Among the various objectives of the organization, the prime objective is to create awareness of the plight of the political prisoners who are languishing in Chinese jails, on the global stage as well as to help rehabilitate former political prisoners who have escaped into exile.”
The event also served as a book launch for a biography on Tibet’s foremost political prisoner Tanak Jigmey Sangpo, in addition to a book on peaceful protests in eastern Tibet, taking place from 2008-2016.
In his address to the guests, Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok drew links between the Tibetan political prisoners and India’s Mahatma Gandhi, both of which possess great spirit of resistance.
“Our political prisoners have sacrificed everything for the cause of Tibet and stood against the Chinese communist regime’s brutal and repressive policies,” he said, highlighting the indomitable spirit of resistance shown by Tibetan political prisoners.
The Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet was established on September 27, 1991 in Dharamsala by former Tibetan political prisoners. The NGO works to provide support to ex-political prisoners who have escaped into exile and also to secure the release of other Tibetan political prisoners in Tibet.
The Tibetan words Gu-Chu-Sum stand for the numbers 9, 10 and 3, which refers to three months in the late 1980s (September 1987, October 1987, and March 1988) when major Tibetan protests were crushed by the Chinese government in Lhasa, the traditional capital of Tibet.
