March 10 to April 25, 1996

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Following is the text of the 2 speeches given by Mr. Thubten Jigme Norbu at the completion of the 45-day March from Washington DC to New York City.

1. United We Walked & United We Stand: Independence for Tibet

2. The 7th Birthday of Gendhun Choekyi Nyima

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United We Walked & United We Stand: Independence for Tibet

Thubten Jigme Norbu

April 25, 1996, United Nations, New York City

Friends, We made it! And I am happy to see so many of you with us now that we have finished the long trek from the capital of the United States to what is in some ways the capital of the world: the United Nations in New York City. Those of you who walked all the way can take pride in the great distance you have travelled. Those of you who joined us for part of the way can also take pride in making a solid and important contribution to our campaign to increase awareness of the just cause of the Tibetan people. I think all of you too can now appreciate a little bit what it has been like for many Tibetans over the years who have trekked over long distances and high mountain passes to reach asylum and find the freedom which has been denied to them in their own country. Thank you so much for your food, housing, car horns, victory signs, kind and supportive words, and financial assistance. We could not have made it here without all of you.

It is fitting that we are gathered here before the United Nations.

Over 30 years ago the Tibet Question was put on the UN's agenda as one of the most pressing cases of injustice in the world; one that needed urgent attention. The International Commission of Justices, which has acted in an advisory capacity to the UN, went so far as to call what had been happening in Tibet genocide. However, the sad fact is the Tibet Question is one of the issues against which the UN's ability to live up to its ideals will be measured by history, and up to now the record is not good. Still, we hope that the UN may yet show itself worthy of the hopes that so many of the worlds peoples have placed in it.

In the last few years, the importance of the Tibet Question to world peace and human dignity has become a central element in the changing vision of world peace. This was made quite clear when the Nobel Peace Prize Committee decided to award the 1989 prize to His Holiness The Dalai Lama, in recognition of his efforts for peace, and his non-violent struggle to win the liberation of Tibet. More and more people have realized that the world situation, following the end of the Cold War, presents all peoples with the opportunity to create a new order based on mutual respect for our inherent dignity as peoples. And this means that a commitment to the basic human rights of all peoples must extend to the oppressed as well as to the powerful; to the Tibetans as much as to anyone else. By being here today you are helping to make this point clear to many who do not remember, or were too young to have experienced, the dramatic and tragic events of China's invasion of Tibet, as well as Tibet's valiant attempts in the 1950s

and 1960s and up to the present to resist China's tyranny.

I speak to you today simply as one Tibetan among more than 6 million. All Tibetans are equal and I do not claim to be more worthy of speaking before you than any of my fellow Tibetans. But I feel that all of us should try to use whatever opportunities we might have to place before the world community the basic hope of almost all Tibetans. Tibet must be independent. Tibetans want no more and no less from China than the full right to determine their own future, and on this point make no mistake about what self-determination means: Tibetans, after decades of death and destruction at the hands of China are determined that their future must be one in which Tibet is a free and independent member of the community of nations. We Tibetans must be permitted to fly our flag here at the UN. His Holiness The Dalai Lama must be allowed to speak before the United Nations. What I am saying to you today is not the view of one Tibetan. It is the common desire of almost all Tibetans, and more importantly, it is an absolute nec

essity if we are to survive as a people.

I must emphasize that if Tibetans are not accorded their just rights, including their right to an independent country, they will continue their struggle to secure these rights. This means if Tibetans want to live in an independent Tibet then they shall live in an independent Tibet. Anything less will simply be an agreement for further suffering, much as was the case with the 17-Point Agreement of 1951. This agreement was forcibly signed between Tibet and China. Again, Tibetans will be forced to continue their struggle until they attain their just right to self-determination and freedom. Remember, the United Nations clearly guaranteed this right to Tibetans in its' 1961 resolution on Tibet.

China has said that everything between Tibet and China is negotiable except for independence, which is out of the question. Ordinary Tibetans do not accept this. Tibetans say that everything between Tibet and China is negotiable except for independence, which must be the fundamental prerequisite for any solution to the Tibet Question. "Autonomy" for Tibet as a part of China is out of the question. Independence for Tibet is neither unrealistic nor extreme. The question of what is realistic and unrealistic is simply a matter of our determination to stand by the Tibetan people inside Tibet, who are firm in their determination to safeguard the Tibetan nation for future generations of Tibetans. Just as many of the peoples of the old Soviet Union finally triumphed by standing firm on their national hopes for independence, in the face of one of the strongest armies in the world, so too Tibet can triumph if Tibetans and their supporters make our national hopes for independence known and firm. As for the idea that in

dependence for Tibet is extreme, I will simply point out that Tibetans are nowhere demanding vengeance for the horrors that China has inflicted on us for more than four decades. An independent Tibet is one that can certainly accomodate China's security needs and interests. Moreover, the struggle for independence is one that easily lends itself to non-violence and reason. This is hardly an extreme position. But Tibet must be independent and in a position to deal with China as an independent party for any arrangements to have any validity.

Without independence we will only see a continuation of the same horrors that have been occurring in Tibet over the last four decades. Even as we speak Tibetan political prisoners are being killed and they are suffering the torture and brutality that is common in Chinese-run prisons. Even the seven year-old Panchen Lama, an innocent child, has been taken from his home and placed in Chinese confinement with his family, simply for being recognized by The Dalai Lama and all Tibetans as the incarnation of one of our great religious figures. It is important, therefore, that we keep up our campaign for Tibet's independence and that we insist that the United Nations take strong action to help Tibet regain its independence. We insist that the United Nations send investigators to Tibet to examine in detail the human rights situation there and to publicly and strongly condemn all violations of relevant articles of the International Declaration of Human Rights that are found there. We insist that the United Nations gra

nt observer status to the Tibetan Government headed by His Holiness The Dalai Lama. We also insist that the United Nations begin implementing the various resolutions on Tibet that it has adopted Finally, we insist that the United Nations demand that China release Gendhun Choekyi Nyima, the real Panchen Lama, his family, and everyone else involved in his discovery. The UN must force China to guarantee their safety. As many of you know, today is Gendhun Choekyi Nyima's 7th Birthday. It is unbelievable, but almost a year has passed since Gendhun Choekyi Nyima disappeared from the planet. And, we still do not know where he is. How can the free world let this happen? Are our leaders afraid of China? Are they more interested in money than human rights? Please ask them these questions.

Gendhun Choekyi Nyima is the youngest political prisoner in the world. China's treatment of all the individuals involved in his disappearance is disgusting and it clearly demonstrates the extreme cruelity of this government. We must all fight hard for Gendhun Choekyi Nyima's safety and release. Please educate people about his situation especially your children, and write the UN, your government officials, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch demanding his release. Now, I would like to invite you to join me in a moment of silence in recognition of Gendhun Choekyi Nyima, the missing seven year old birthday boy who is the true Panchen Lama.

I would again like to express my deep appreciation to all of you who have come here today and those of you who helped us along the way. With your continued help and your belief in the justice of our cause, I know we shall ultimately triumph. We will, one day soon, see the fulfillment of the hopes and desires of all Tibetans for the independence of their homeland. Someday in the near future, I want to stand here with you and hoist the beautiful green, blue, yellow, white, and red snow lion found on the Tibetan flag. BOD RGYAL-LO!

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The 7th Birthday of Gendhun Choekyi Nyima

Thubten Jigme Norbu

April 25, 1996 - New York City

Today is the 7th Birthday of Gendhun Choekyi Nyima, Tibet's Panchen Lama and one of the most important figures in our Buddhist religion. As I speak, we have no idea as to where this young boy might be, what his future may be, and he is only seven years old. This is the sort of system under which Tibetans currenly live; a ruthless government targets a child as an enemy for no other reason than that the Tibetan people recognize him as one of their major religious leaders. Gendhun Choekyi Nyima is probably the youngest political prisoner in the world. He is also a pawn in the international community's unwillingness to confront the deplorable behavior of The PRC. Imagine, a young 7 year old boy being sacrificed and ignored because the free world is afraid to put its' foot down and stop a criminal. And, the free world wants to make money at the expense of a young boy and entire culture. This is disgusting. All of us must do something. Gendhun Choekyi Nyima is not only important to the Tibetan people. He is the em

ination of Amitaba Buddha. Thus, all Buddhists should be concerned about his whereabouts and safety.

I have great sympathy for the missing Panchen Lama and his family who are also missing. My sympathy is not the type that comes from inexperience. Over 45 years ago, I too was held prisoner by China. In my case, this lasted for almost a year. I too was taken to Beijing for a period of time, while Chinese leaders tried to convince me to assassinate His Holiness The Dalai Lama. Then and there, and ever since, I have been aware of exactly what China's policy is toward Tibet. It is a policy aimed at total control. And, it is ruthless. Any form of "autonomy" that China offers is simply a tactic of delay. I am sure that those of you who have supported us in our walk from Washington to New York realize that only independence can protect Tibet from the kind of regime that pursues policies that require the murder and imprisonment of Tibet's religious leaders, even if, like Gendhun Choekyi Nyima, they are only children.

I hope that all of you who are with us today realize that we cannot trust our future or the future of innocent children like The Panchen Lama to The PRC. That is why we are working so tirelessly for Tibet's independence. I will repeat here what I have said many times before. Independence for Tibet is neither unrealistic nor extreme. The question of what is realistic and unrealistic is simply a matter of our determination to stand by the Tibetan people inside Tibet, who are firm in their determination to safeguard the Tibetan nation for future generations of Tibetans. Tibet can triumph if Tibetans and their supporters make our national hopes for independence the firm element that anyone concerned about "realities" must deal with. As for the idea that Tibetan independence is extreme, I will simply point out that Tibetans are nowhere demanding vengeance for the horrors that China has inflicted on us for more than four decades. An independent Tibet is one that can certainly accomodate China's security needs and

interests. Moreover, the struggle for independence is one that easily lends itself to non-violence and reason. This is hardly an extreme position. But Tibet must be independent and in a position to deal with China as an independent party for any arrangements to have any validity.

As you consider what I am saying today, I firmly ask that your thoughts turn to the young Panchen Lama. When we work for Tibet's independence, remember that we are working for a country where no Tibetan, young or old, needs to fear a government authority that might, at any moment, decide to imprison and torture innocent people. May we soon see Gendhun Choekyi Nyima restored to his rightful position, safe, and at peace, in an independent Tibet. Now please join me in a few chants:

Long live Gendhun Choekyi Nyima

Long live Gendhun Choekyi Nyima

Long live Gendhun Choekyi Nyima

Long live The Dalai Lama

Long live The Dalai Lama

Long live The Dalai Lama