Pro-Tibet rights groups to hold march in Taipei to show solidarity with Tibetans facing oppression in China

Pro-Tibet and human rights groups are set to hold a march in Taipei today to show their solidarity with Tibetans and other minority groups facing oppression in China, Taipei Times reported.

The annual march also seeks to showcase the plight of Hong Kongers and people in Xinjiang, an organizer said and called on Taiwanese to take notice, as per the news report. The organizers said the procession will assemble at MRT Zhongxiao Fuxing Station Exit 2 at 1 pm (local time) and march towards Taipei City Hall at 2 pm (local time).

The event, held annually in early March since 2004, was originally intended to commemorate those who died during a Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule that started on March 10, 1959, as per the Taipei Times report.

Over the years, the event has grown in terms of its size and agenda, according to organizers. They further said that this year's event is meant to showcase support for people facing oppression in Xinjiang and Hong Kong.

Kelsang Gyaltsen Bawa, the Tibetan government-in-exile's representative to Taiwan, called on the Taiwanese to learn a lesson from those who face oppression by the Chinese government.

Speaking at a news conference in Taipei, Kelsang Gyaltsen said that Taiwan is a beacon of democracy and it must not go down the same path as Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong, as per the Taipei Times report.

Kelsang Gyaltsen, who heads the Tibet Religious Foundation of Dalai Lama, said China invaded Tibet in 1950 and a year later forced Tibetans to agree to the Seventeen-Point Agreement on the "return" of Tibet to China, as per the news report.

He said that Beijing has breached clauses in the agreement that mention that religions and customs should be respected. According to Kelsang Gyaltsen, Beijing has implemented policies aimed at fundamentally changing Tibet.

Kelsang Gyaltsen said that these changes led to the uprising of Tibetans against the Chinese government in March 1959. Kelsang Gyaltsen said the situation in Tibet has worsened and stressed that Tibetans are facing cultural annihilation under Chinese President Xi Jinping's government.

Citing a United Nations report, Kelsang Gyaltsen said that one million Tibetan children have been taken away from their homes and placed in residential schools as part of China's efforts to enforce cultural, religious and linguistic assimilation, as per the Taipei Times report. He stressed that the situation in Hong Kong is similar as China has encroached on the territory's civil liberties and autonomy.

( With inputs from ANI )