Candlelight Vigil

April 15, 1998

Students for a Free Tibet and Wisconsin Tibetan Association held a 24-hour fast, which culminated in a candlelight vigil. The following report was written by Jill Gardner for the Badger Herald, and the photos were taken by Joe Koshollek for the Milwaukee Journal.

Students Fast in Solidarity With Tibetans

Members of Students for a Free Tibet participated in a 24-hour fast that ended on Wednesday night to demonstrate their support for six Tibetans in India who have persevered through 36 days of fasting in an indefinite hunger strike.

In addition to those on campus who were fasting, a group of approximately 20 UW-Madison students and local Tibetans gathered together on Library Mall for a candlelight vigil sponsored by Students for a Free Tibet to show support for the Tibetan cause.

The indefinite hunger strike, which began at 10 a.m. March 10, was organized by the Tibetan Youth Congress as a non-violent method of gaining attention from the United Nations concerning the suffering of the six million Tibetans under Chinese rule.

"The 24-hour fast is a solidarity act on behalf of the suffering Tibetans," said Miranda Hofman, a leader of the Students for a Free Tibet. "Tibetans are pretty selfless people and what they are asking for is pretty simple."

The fundamental standards for human rights set forth by the charter of the U.N. was re-evaluated for the first time in 1959, ten years after the Chinese invasion of Tibet. Within the guidelines of the charter, all people are entitled to civil and religious liberty.

The six hunger strike participants are demanding that the U.N. resume the debate surrounding the oppression of Tibetans, that the U.N. investigate the human-rights situation in the Chinese-occupied Tibet and that the U.N. appoint a specialist to promote a peaceful settlement while considering the wishes of the Tibetan people.

The hunger strike is a radical way to call attention to the issue without using violence, Hofman said.

"The demands of the six most courageous Tibetans are genuine and simple," President of the Wisconsin Tibetan Association Sherab Phunkyi said.

"This hunger strike is the longest and the most drastic protest ever staged in India against China's 48-year rule over Tibet," Phunkyi said. "This surely marks a growing frustration among the 100,000 Tibetan exiles at the lack of any progress towards resolving this issue."

Spreading awareness to all UW students about the situation in Tibet was also a concern of those who attended the vigil.

"In order to encourage action, the United States and other countries need to put pressure on the U.N. to step in and remedy the situation," Wisconsin Tibetan Association member Sherab Lhatsang said. "Tonight we are hoping to get the word out about what is going on in India."

UW students who attended the vigil joined together to light candles, recite the Words of Truth - a prayer written by the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader - and express their own sentiments about Tibet.

"Tibetans should be able to run their own lives rather than giving up their culture to the dominating Chinese," UW graduate student Brian Lepore said.

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