Sikyong Lobsang Sangay speaking at an event organised by Freedom House in Washington
Photo: Tibet.net
Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, leader of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, is on a visit to the United States.
He has given several speeches, the first of which was held at Freedom House in Washington on February 11.
The discussion, “Tibet: Intensified Crackdown, Popular Resistance,” talked about the present social and political unrest in the country and the non-violent opposition of Tibetans in response to severe persecution by the Chinese government.
“Tibet is under occupation. There is economic marginalisation, social discrimination, political repression, environmental destruction and cultural assimilation. There is also an ongoing urbanisation drive of traditional Tibetan areas under the guise of development, which is leading to mass migration of ethnic Chinese people into Tibet,” he stated.
“It is leading to Tibetans becoming a minority in their own land,” he added.Businesses are owned by the Chinese who in turn, employ predominantly Chinese workers. This only encourages more to come.
Sikyongalso talked about the grid surveillance system. He said that “one of its main aims is to make it easier for officials to monitor the activities of the Tibetan people, which helps identify potential protesters by using intelligence gathered by community workers.”
Sikyong ended the event by emphasising the importance of the Middle Way Approach as a means to resolve conflict through dialogue
The following day, Sikyong spoke at the George W Bush Presidential Centre in Dallas, Texas. His speech Why Tibet is important for our world focused on Chinese exploitation of Tibetan resources. “Tibet is significant to the world as it is the source of Asia’s major rivers,” he said.
Dr Sangay was in the city of Birmingham from 15 to 17 February where he visited the Civil Rights Institute, the Birmingham Museum of Art, and Lakeshore Foundation, an organisation that aids those with spinal injuries and cerebral palsy.
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