(TibetanReview.net, Sep23’24) – Recently, a Tibetan named Sengge living in Adelaide, southern Australia, and going by the online name of Gangseng (Snow Lion) not only defamed the Dalai Lama but also made a threat to his life. Because of it, eight Tibetan non-governmental organizations (NGOs) met in the Tibetan Welfare Office hall in Dharamshala on Sep 23 and issued a joint protest declaration, reported the Tibetan language tibettimes.net Sep 23.
President Dawa Tsering of -Tsang Cholkha Association’s working committee informed the press that as the many Tibetan associations in Australia had initiated actions, including legal recourses, to deal with this matter, the eight Tibetan NGOs in Dharamshala too had decided to commit both human and financial resources for this purpose.
“As discussed in the Tibetan Parliament in Exile, the Department of Security Kalon (minister) had said the person who issued the threat had committed a criminal offence and will be sued in the court of law. We will not leave it for the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) alone to deal with this matter. Rather, the entirety of the members of all the eight Tibetan NGOs will lend whatever cooperation may be needed in this initiative.”
“His Holiness the Dalai Lama has at all times advised people to be kind, loving, non-violent and so forth. We the Tibetan people should not digress from our characters of being kind-hearted and compassionate. To act contrary to these attributes will only bring us more harm than good. It is important that we should drive this message home while protesting against the action of this person.”
At a press conference, leaders from the eight Tibetan NGO’s – the Tibetan Youth Congress, the Central Tibetan Women’s Organisation, the National Democratic Party of Tibet, Students for a Free Tibet, Centre for Middle Way Approach, U-Tsang Cholkha Association, Dotoe Cholkha Association, and Domey Cholkha Association – have voiced all-out opposition to Sengge’s reprehensible remarks and reaffirmed unwavering support for the Dalai Lama.
Their protest declaration has accused Sengge of making outrageously defamatory remarks against the Dalai Lama, “who is like the eyes and the heart of every Tibetan”, and posing a direct threat to his life. “Targeting the CTA as an enemy, he sought to instigate its destruction,” the declaration said, and expressed protest against him from all the members of the eight major Tibetan NGOs.
Noting that his unimaginably defamatory remarks were intended to endanger the life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the declaration has sought to consider Sengge a destroyer of the Tibetan national unity and a terrorist. Accordingly, the eight Tibetan NGOs have vowed to submit to the central government and concerned regional authorities in India his publicly issued audio and video-recorded remarks and threats, as well as his personal history and other materials, with a view to urge them to prevent him from entering India out of concern for the personal safety of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Thirdly, the eight Tibetan NGOs have vowed to seek international as well as national cognizance for “terrorist Sengge” for his terrorist threat against His Holiness the Dalai Lama, on the basis of existing protocols for the purpose. They are to urge the CTA to take legal actions against Sengge and have vowed to lend whatever cooperation may be needed for this and all other related purpose.
And the eight Tibetan NGOs have called for a full investigation to find out the people acting behind him, urging the CTA’s Department of Security to ensure that issues like this are never left unattended.