Fujisan's Kyareng

Monday, October 15, 2012

Jekdel; Leaving the Fear Behind

འཇིགས་འབྲལ། དོན་གྲུབ་དབང་ཆེན།
 October 15, 2012 Monday

San Francisco: Jekdal, Leaving the Fear Behind, a documentary that exposed the gaudy and happy picture of Tibet painted by the Chinese government prior to the 2008 Olympic to fool the world has received wide attention and acclaims of interanatonal community. The documentary is seen as the real opinion of the people in Tibet. This documentary was screened in San Francisco today before some forty young computer and technology professionals. Heidi Minx, a human rights activist organized the event at Causes.com in the heart of the city. She gave a brief introduction of situation in Tibet, and introduced Lhamo Tso, the young wife of the film maker Dhondup Wangchen, who was present at the event.
 
People watched the 25 minutes documentary film with great interest and some were moved to tears, and many were seen showing their support for the young director. After the screening of the film, Lhamo Tso, answered and clarified questions from the audiences.

Lhamo Tso with the organizers Heidi and Rocky
Following is the summary of what Lhamo Tso said in the question-answer session. She said that despite the Chinese promise, situation is Tibet did not change and in fact became worse after the Olympic. Opinion of Tibetan people as reflected in the film is same even today, i.e. freedom of culture and religion, and return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Since 2008 Olympic, Chinese government became very repressive, and intolerant. Situation became so critical that the Tibetans were left with no choice than to commit self-immolation to protest the Chinese occupation, and to draw the international community's attention.

 When asked if her husband received facility of lawyer and trail, Lhamo Tso said that her husband was arrested on March 27, 2008 for making this documentary film. This documentary is collection of public opinion on 2008 Olympic in China, and it also talks about coexistence with Chinese under Middle Path approach adopted by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. But the Chinese police arrested him and sentenced him for six years of imprisonment without any trail. The two Chinese lawyers who represented Dhondup were not allowed to file case. It is not only my husband; there are many Tibetan languishing in prison for speaking up for freedom and justice in our land.

 My husband when he went into prison, he was a healthy man. Today he is in very poor health suffering from hepatitis. I am campaigning for his early release so that we could take care of his health properly.

 Lhamo Tso expressed gratitude to all the supporters, and said that her European and American tour to campaign for Tibet's cause and her husband's release was very effective. Governments, lawmakers, NGOs, and supporters have raised the issue at different platform, and this has had good direct as well as indirect effect in warning the China that the world is watching.

 Lastly, Lhamo Tso thanked the audience for their time, and requested them to use their professional knowledge to spread the injustice going on in Tibet, and to speak for freedom and justice in Tibet.