RTYC Gangtok holds peace rally against China’s ‘Ethnic Unity’ law
Regional Tibetan Youth Congress members in Gangtok staged a peace rally against China’s new ‘Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress’, citing concerns about,
A local Tibetan community group in Gangtok held a peace rally on Saturday as part of a wider campaign against China’s newly passed “Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress”. The Regional Tibetan Youth Congress (RTYC) Gangtok organised the event, beginning at Indira Bypass and moving to the District Court in Gangtok.
Organisers said more than 500 members of RTYC Gangtok and members of the Tibetan community took part in the demonstration. They described their participation as solidarity with Tibetan activist Lobga Rangzen, who died after self-immolating outside the United Nations headquarters in the United States.
Concerns raised over language, culture and schooling
In interviews during the rally, RTYC Gangtok president Chung Chung Bhutia said the protest was linked to the law passed on July 1. The group said the law’s provisions would require people identified as minorities in regions under Chinese rule to move away from their own language and script, including in schools.
The RTYC also connected the rally to what it called a lack of response from the international community after multiple Tibetans carried out self-immolations. Bhutia said Tibetans in the United States continued protests outside the UN headquarters after Rangzen’s death, and that the community wanted stronger attention to the issue.
Next demonstration planned in Kolkata
The Gangtok rally was described as part of a worldwide chain of actions coordinated by the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC). According to the organisers, a separate rally was held at Rabongla in South Sikkim on Friday. They also announced that around 700 people from Gangtok are expected to travel to Kolkata on August 20 to demonstrate in front of the Chinese Embassy.
Addressing residents in Sikkim, Bhutia appealed to people to use the term “Indo Tibet border” rather than “China border” when referring to the frontier in Sikkim. Organisers said the Sikkim government granted permission for the rally, and they expressed thanks for allowing the peaceful event to proceed. Supporters who could not attend physically were also asked to share and comment on protest updates on social media.
