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Tibetans mark 64th Democracy Day with Estonian guests

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(TibetanReview.net, Sep02’24) – The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) commemorated the 64th Tibetan Democracy Day of Sep 2 at the Tsuglakhang courtyard, Dharamshala, by expressing gratitude to His Holiness the Dalai Lama for his gift of full democracy to the Tibetan people, condemning China for its continued hardline repressive rule in occupied Tibet, and urging international support for the resolution of the issue of Tibet in the presence of guests for the occasion from the Baltic state of Estonia.

The guests were members of the Estonian Parliamentary Support Group for Tibet led by its Chairman, Mr Juku-Kalle Raid, who is a Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Estonia Parliament. The other MP delegates were Mrs Karmen Joller, Member of Social Affairs Committee; Ms Ester Aruse, Member of Foreign Affairs Committee; and Mr Roy Strider, who coordinated the visit, said the CTA on its Tibet.net website Sep 2.

The report said the delegation continued their participation in the event despite strong opposition from the Chinese embassy in Tallinn. It said the embassy had issued a statement on Aug 30, expressing “strong opposition” to the visit of the Estonian Parliamentary Support Group for Tibet to the “Tibetan government-in-exile.”

The statement was stated to include China’s routine claims about Tibet being an integral part of China since ancient times and the “Tibetan government in exile” being an illegal orgaanization, while accusing the Dalai Lama of “engaging in anti-China separatist activities.”

The Dalai Lama has for decades sought a negotiated, meaningful autonomy for an undivided Tibet under Chinese sovereignty on the basis of his middle way proposal, which remains the official policy of the CTA. But China has continued to refused to talk to him, including by setting impossible preconditions.

In their keynote speeches, both Sikyong Penpa Tsering and Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel also strongly condemned China for the current phase of its policy of rapid assimilating Tibet, which has seen Tibetan children being forced into colonial style boarding schools, Tibetan language and culture schools being forced to shut down, and the activities of the religious centres being greatly curtailed.

In his speech, Mr Juku-Kalle Raid condemned the Communist Party of China (CPC) dictatorship while praising the democracy practised by the Tibetan diasporic community. He has called the Chinese statement criticizing his delegation’s visit a “love letter” and denounced the CPC’s dictatorship as “dictator-shit”.

This was Juku-Kalle Raid and Roy Strider’s second visit to the Tibetan exile capital this year, having previously attended the 35th birthday of the Chinese government-abducted 11th Panchen Lama in April, the report noted.

Each of the other delegation members also spoke in similar terms.

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