Tibetan Youth Congress

The Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) is a Tibetan non-governmental organization that gathers more than 70,000 Tibetans in exile throughout the world, and is very active for the defense of the Tibetan cause. This NGO was founded in Dharamsala (India) October 7 1970 in the presence of the 14th Dalai Lama.

The Congress has 77 regional branches, situated in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Norway, Canada, France, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, USA and in Switzerland.

Aims

The aims of the Congress summarizes in 4 major axes:

# Serve Tibet and his people under the aegis of the Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet,
# Promote and protect national unity and integrity by giving up all distinctions based on religion, regionalism or status,
# Work for the preservation and the promotion of the religion and unique culture of the Tibet, as well as of its traditions,
# Fight for the independence of Tibet, even at the cost of one's life.

TYC uses nonviolent means for its actions, to the request of the Dalai Lama. However, it's manifesto implies the loss of life [ [http://www.tibetanyouthcongress.org/aboutus.html#aims_and_objectives Aims and Objectives of the Tibetan Youth Congress] ] .

Because of the absence of progress in the talks between Beijing and the Tibetan government in exile, the TYC organized several unlimited hunger strikes in New Delhi in India, in particular in 1998. The brother of the Dalai Lama, Kasur Gyalo Dhondup visited the fourteen Tibetans on the 24th day of their hunger strike to request that they stop their strike in order not to put their lives in danger, ensuring then that he would defend their cause with the Chinese government through embassy of China in New Delhi. [ [http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=17409&article=Kasur+Gyalo+Dhondup+to+raise+hunger+strikers%e2%80%99+cause+to+the+Chinese+Government%3a+Day+24 Kasur Gyalo Dhondup to raise hunger strikers’ cause to the Chinese Government: Day 24] ] .

The Government of People's Republic of China define Tibetan Youth Congress as a terrorist organization [ [http://www.chinaview.cn/08lhasa/ PRC state news outlet's collection of Tibet-related articles] Website chinaview.cn, date?] .In response, the Tibetan Youth Congress explained China’s Communist leader are trying to smear its reputation, but the association always used non-violence. [ [http://www.meyul.com/news/china-labels-tibetan-youth-congress-as-terrorist-organization/ China labels Tibetan Youth Congress as Terrorist Organization] Website Meyul.com, April 11, 2008] , [ [http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?c=2&t=1&id=21973&article=TYC+refutes+Chinese+Communist+Party%e2%80%99s+allegations TYC refutes Chinese Communist Party’s allegations] ]

See also

List of organizations of Tibetans in exile

External links

* [http://www.tibetanyouthcongress.org TYC] web site

Notes and references