Walk for Tibet and Taiwan: A Global Campaign Begins - The Tibet Post International

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Friday, 10 December 2010 17:27 Keary Huan, The Tibet Post International

Taipei: A campaign for Tibet and Taiwan, walk "for World Peace and Human Rights, and Tibetan Independence" held in Taiwan on Friday (10th December) to mark the International Human Rights Day. Over 50 Exile Tibetans and supporters in Taiwan have started to walk from the north to the south of the island to raise public awareness of China's suppression of their homeland.

The thirteen-day event will be part of the "Walk for Tibet" global campaign aimed at "sharing our message of world peace, human rights and the Tibetan struggle for independence," the organizers said. Jigme Norbu, nephew of exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and son of the late Taktser Rinpoche, who supported Tibetan independence, will join the activity, Regional Tibetan Youth Congress Taiwan chairman Tashi Tsering said in a statement recently. The walk in Taiwan will cover more than 400km and 10 counties.

About 50 Tibetan exiles and supporters gathered in central Taipei to see Jime Norbu begin the trek, which is to end in Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan on December 23. A dozen Tibetans are walking with Norbu while other supporters are to join him on different sections of the trek.

Along the way, they plan to show films and give talks about the lives of Tibetans under Chinese rule. 'We start the walk in Taiwan today because today is the world Human Rights Day and it is the day when the Dalai Lama received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989,' said Norbu, son of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's elder brother Thubten Jigme Norbu.

'We dedicate this walk to the millions of Tibetans who have died in peaceful protests against China's occupation since 1959 and want to call on the whole world to support this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner, China's jailed dissident Liu Xiaobo,' he further said.

The Walk for Tibet was launched in Indianapolis in 1995 by the US-based Tubten Jime Norbu, who died in 2008. Since then, Tibetan exiles in the United States and other countries have staged a Walk for Tibet or Bike for Tibet every year.

The Tibetan NGOs who is organizing the event are Students For A Free Tibet Taiwan, Regional Tibetan Youth Congress Taiwan, Taiwan Friends Of Tibet, Tibetan Womens Association In Taiwan, and Tawian Tibetan Welfare Association.

More photos relating this event, please visit the latest gallery of The Tibet Post International.

Last Updated ( Friday, 10 December 2010 17:44 )