Press Release: Tibetan Democracy Day

2014 has seen more and more Tibetans stepping up to join the International Shugden Community’s (ISC) peaceful demonstrations all across the globe, the most recent being in Hamburg, Germany.

Taking advantage of the changing sentiments of the Tibetan public, who are beginning to realize the negative effects of the Dalai Lama’s and Central Tibetan Administration’s ban on Dorje Shugden’s practice, the Dorje Shugden Devotee’s Charitable and Religious Society issued a press release on August 30, 2014 encouraging all freedom fighters to join their cause and to participate in global campaigns against religious discrimination.

Formed in 1996, the society is a registered non-profit organization founded to protect Dorje Shugden practitioners from becoming victims of discrimination, injustice, and human rights abuse, just because of their religious belief in the deity Dorje Shugden.

The society also believes that the current conflict surrounding Dorje Shugden’s practice can be resolved through dialogue, petitions and legal remedy. Thus, in alignment with their mission and vision, the society is encouraging their members and Dorje Shugden loyalists to sign up for the upcoming protests scheduled for the last quarter of the year in the USA.

Do read the official press release from Sonam Lama, representative of The Dorje Shugden Devotee’s Charitable and Religious Society, in conjunction with Tibetan Democracy Day.

PRESS RELEASE

August 30, 2014

September 2nd is Tibetan Democracy Day. Unfortunately, there is not any Tibetan Democracy. The XIV Dalai Lama has personally made democracy within the Tibetan community an impossible achievement. The declarations against the International Shugden Community prove that Tibetan Democracy is a farce.

He is using September 2 as yet another day to promote only himself as the source of democracy and therefore all Tibetans must observe his preaching and his dictates. He uses this day to cover up the human rights abuse, religious discrimination and segregation and other human rights violations that he continues to promote.

Those who choose to observe other beliefs are held in contempt and are being persecuted in many ways not in keeping with the true belief in Democracy.

On this day all Tibetans should look carefully at the nondemocratic actions of the Dalai Lama and consider demanding that true religious freedom be observed within all of the Tibetan community.

Six years ago on September 2, 2008, the Dalai Lama was requested to stop persecution of the Shugden Community. Instead he increased actions to persecute these Tibetans and began to segregate and separate Tibetans. As a result, dozens of Tibetans have died and many more have been threatened and terrorized. So many have not been able to stand up and protest these actions.

Now, many young Tibetans realize the true colors of the Dalai Lama and have begun to question his authority and his actions.

The Office of the Dalai Lama has begun to be concerned and worried about the public awareness of these undemocratic activities by his office and the Tibetan Central Government-In Exile. In response, he pretended to give a teaching about Tibetan Buddhism for young Tibetan students.

Just this summer the Dalai Lama gave a lecture on Buddhism to the local high school students. The real purpose was to manipulate the students and to campaign for segregation. After that, he had two Tibetan politicians, Lobsang Sangey, the Prime Minister and Pemba Tsering, Speaker of the Parliament explain sanctions against the Shugden community. They further tried to demonize and slander the Shugden Community. The idea backfired and the students loudly demanded that the Tibetan community be united and free to practice as they wish. They spoke out that segregation is not good for the Tibetan community.

Again, Samdhong Rinpoche, former two-term Prime Minister and assistant to the Dalai Lama went back to the school and tried to furthermore manipulate the students. He told the students that these rulings were democratic and legally acceptable. Just as a person can hang a sign such as “Do Not Disturb” on one’s hotel room door, is the same as segregation signs posted at shops, hospitals, restaurants, libraries, health clinics, temples, and monasteries. Even the public dump in South India has already put up signs officially segregating people.

It is completely absurd and a crime to promote such a comparison about a sign on a hotel room door. Even children will understand how ridiculous such an action is.

The world must wake up and realize the truth that the Dalai Lama is a religious dictator not the peacemaker he claims to be. He has not listened to pleas for all Tibetans to be free to practice religious freedom.

Now, the Dorje Shugden Practitioners have no choice but to protest in the most vocal and public way so the world will see the extremely violent religious persecution and prejudice and direct violation of human rights in the Dalai Lama’s history.

Since 2013, anywhere in the Western world that the Dalai Lama gives public talks, he has been constantly challenged about this issue. There were people there to confront him about Dorje Shugden. In future events scheduled by the Dalai Lama’s organization, there will be people demanding fairness and justice for all Tibetans. Hopefully people that love and support peace and religious freedom will assemble and support these events organized by the International Shugden Community.

I think that we all should do everything possible to join these events.

Thank you very much.
Sonam Lama,
Representative of The Dorje Shugden Devotee’s Charitable and Religious Society.