Town Council Proclaims March 10 As Tibet Day
Photo: amherstma.gov
Source: amherstma.gov
On February 28, Town Council voted to approve the 2022 Tibetan National Uprising Day Proclamation. Please join members of the Regional Tibetan Association of Massachusetts for a flag raising ceremony at 9:30 a.m. on March 10, 2022, in front of the Amherst Town Hall and followed by a Walk for Tibet from Amherst to Northampton.
2022 Tibetan National Uprising Day Proclamation
Council Sponsors: Councilors Bahl-Milne, De Angelis, Griesemer, and Miller; Community Sponsor: Regional Tibetan Association of Massachusetts
WHEREAS, on March 10, 2022, Tibetans throughout the world will gather to commemorate the 63rd Anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising against the brutal annexation of their country and pay tribute to more than one million Tibetans who lost their life in their struggle for the freedom of Tibet; and
WHEREAS, the annexation and ongoing suppression of human rights and freedom in Tibet, egregious Sinicization of Tibetan Buddhism and the intentional marginalization of Tibetan language, culture, and identity should continue to be a concern for all freedom-loving people everywhere; and
WHEREAS, on December 19, 2018, the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act (sponsored by Representative Jim McGovern) was signed into law, calling for an end to China’s isolation of Tibet and providing American citizens, including Tibetan Americans in Amherst, with the same opportunity of access to Tibet as enjoyed by Chinese citizens visiting our country; and
WHEREAS, on December 27, 2020, the Tibet Policy and Support Act (again sponsored by Representative Jim McGovern) was signed into law, dramatically upgrading the United States political and humanitarian support for Tibetans in key areas, and making it an official US policy that His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s succession is a strictly religious matter that only His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his followers can decide without the interference from the Chinese government; and
WHEREAS, the local community of Tibetan-Americans welcomes the passage of Tibetan Policy and Support Act and urges the State Department to robustly implement the programs and directives in the above bills to address systematic and egregious human rights abuses occurring in Tibet; and
WHEREAS, in recognition of the importance of the Tibetan Plateau as the source of eight largest river systems in the world, impacting more than 1 billion people in Asia, China’s reckless development policies are devastating Tibet’s fragile environment including major glaciers and rich biodiversity, putting the whole planet at risk; and
WHEREAS, as many as one million Tibetan children and young people, as young as four years-old, are faced with intense political indoctrination, as they are being removed from their families, sent into colonial boarding schools, and forced into political re-education classes designed to strip them of their Tibetan identity; and
WHEREAS, the President of the Central Tibetan Administration reminds us that, “over a million Tibetans have lost their lives in the past six decades under Chinese rule,” and Tibetans everywhere ask us to join their calls for the release of the 11th Panchen Lama; and
WHEREAS, the Chinese invasion of Tibet has systematically disrupted the culture of Tibetans whose nomadic traditions and Tibetan Buddhist traditions encourage balance and peaceful growth towards enlightenment; and
WHEREAS, the “Snow Lion Flag” of Tibet, designed in 1916, that remains a symbol of unity and protest and encourages us to support the fight to end the censorship of Tibetan voices, many of whom are in exile, asking for freedom of expression and basic human rights; and
WHEREAS, the Regional Tibetan Association of Massachusetts urges governments across the globe to take stronger multilateral action in response to unprecedented human rights abuses perpetrated by the Chinese government and demand China to immediately fulfil its human rights obligations in all bilateral and multilateral dialogues and exchanges; and
WHEREAS, the town of Amherst is home to a small vibrant community of Tibetan Americans who have contributed to the diversity of our culture and tradition; and
WHEREAS, to pay tribute to 154 self-immolated Tibetans among the brave men and women who have given their lives for the cause of freedom in Tibet, members of the Regional Tibetan Association of Massachusetts (based in Amherst) will hold a flag raising ceremony at 9:30 am on March 10, 2022, in front of the Amherst Town Hall and a Walk for Tibet from Amherst to Northampton.
NOW, THEREFORE, be it hereby resolved that we, the Town Council of the Town of Amherst in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, recognize the local Tibetan American community’s plea for justice for the people of Tibet on this 63rd Anniversary of Tibetan National Uprising Day and continue to proclaim each March 10, as TIBET DAY, and further recognize this proclamation by raising the Tibetan National flag from March 10 to March 20, 2022, to help cultivate awareness for all residents of Amherst.
Voted the 28th day of February 2022.