New York, RTYC Office

June 5, 2011

6-4-2011. RTYC and the local Tibetans joined the Initiatives for China and other organizations at the Dag Hammarskjold Plaza to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989.

Around 40 Chinese people both young and old, and men and women, attended the rally. The President of the Initiatives for China, Dr. Yang Jiang li inaugurated the event by asking the participants to observe a moment of silence in honor of those who were killed by the Chinese armed force during the Tiananmen Square students protest in Beijing. Mr. Yang addressed all Tibetans as "brothers and sisters" and said that he stands with "the Tibetans in your struggle for freedom."

In his speech the RTYC president Mr. Tsetan Lhagyal urged the Chinese people to understand the Tibetan history in order to understand the current Tibetan movement. "We are not struggling for something that is made up or based upon lies. We have clear evidence of being independent throughout our history. The Chinese government's inhumane treatment of the Tibetan people is still persisting," the president said. Tendor from Students for a Free Tibet and Ilshat Kokbore from World Uighur Organization, Mr. Allan Curtis from the Eisenhower Foundation were also present at the rally to show their support. Fang Zheng, who lost both his limbs and Xu Liping, whose husband was killed during the protest in 1989 also shared their experiences with the crowd.

As the Chinese government remains stubborn and arrogant, it's vital that smaller organizations conjure up their power and work as a team working towards achieving different objectives and political rights. RTYC believes that this initiative by the Initiatives for China could be a catalyst to bringing major reforms in China.

check out more photos at RTYC NYNJ's profile.

various chinese and tibetan organizations get together to honor the victims of june 4, 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre