Amnye
Machen is a 6282 meter high peak in the Amdo region of Tibet,
forming a part of massif known as the Machen Kangri mountains. Amdo
region is considered as one of the three main lands of Tibetans and
is located in the northeast corner of the Tibetan Plateau. Amdo is
home to approximately 25% of the total Tibetan population and
consists of parts of 3 Chinese provinces: northern and eastern
Qinghai, southwest Gansu and northern Sichuan. The massif of Amnye
Machen is considered as Amdo's most sacred mountain and Tibetan's
believe it to be the home to the protector deity Machen Pomra. This
holy and mysterious mountain is probably as sacred and important to
eastern Tibetans as Mount Kailash is to the western Tibetans. The
water of the glacial streams from Amnye form the headwaters of the
famous "Yellow River" of China.
The
nomads living in this mountainous region are known as Golok nomads
and for them Amnye Pomra massif is an important pilgrimage
destination. Tibetan pilgrims travel for weeks to circumnavigate the
peak known as “Kora.” The circuit’s sacred geography and
stunning wild mountain scenery, makes it a fantastic, though
adventurous, trekking destination. There are number of monasteries
alongside the circuit, including Guri Gompa near Xiàdàwǔ and
Chörten Kharpo (White Stupa) at Chuwarna.
On
Saturday 6th
of July 2013 a large crowd of Tibetans, including many Buddhist
monks and nuns, had collected at Tawu village in Ganzi county of
Sichuan province for what appeared to be a pilgrimage to the
mountain. According to Radio free Tibet, the number of people
collected was about one thousand. The real purpose of their
pilgrimage however was not a visit to Amnye Machen. They were going
up the hill to celebrate the 78th
birthday of His holiness Dalai Lama. Some of the people had already
put up a photograph of the Dalai Lama on the hillside and these
people wanted to make offerings and burn incense to celebrate the
Dalai Lama’s 78th birthday, As these people left for the hillside
in their vehicles, they were greeted by a large numbers of armed
paramilitary police and soldiers. According to an eyewitness, at
least seven army trucks and police vehicles at the scene. Police
forced the pilgrimage vehicles to stop.
When
some some of the Tibetans present, argued that burning incense was
not a crime, Police started smashing doors and windows of Tibetan's
vehicles and started beating the Tibetans gathered in the area to
disperse them. In the scuffle that followed, Police started shooting
without warning on unarmed crowd and used tear-gas. At least 8 people
were injured with two monks shot in the head and several others
seriously injured. However, Tibetans from nearby areas managed to
mark the Dalai Lama's birthday despite the presence of paramilitary
police. Their in-exile brethren, from all over the world, also
participated in processions in honor of their spiritual leader, His
Holiness The Dalai Lama, on the occasion of his 78th birthday. On
6th
July 2013.
As
media reported the police shootings of monks marking Dalai Lama's
birthday, A Chinese top official in charge of religious groups and
ethnic minorities declared that he would step up the fight against
exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. He told local
officials and religious leaders that the Dalai Lama's separatist
activities ran counter to the country's interests and to Buddhist
tradition. He added that the Dalai Lama's 'middle way' aimed at
achieving so-called 'high-degree autonomy' in 'Greater Tibet' is
completely opposite to China's constitution and the country's system
of regional ethnic autonomy. Reuters reports that despite a heavy
security presence, protests and resistance against Chinese rule in
Tibetan areas have continued.
Dalai
Lama has become an ultimate anathema for the Chinese Government. No
wonder that for the people, who had collected at Tawu, it was an
unusual birthday celebration of their revered Dalai lama; one with
the police bullets.
12th
July 2013
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