Brothers with a mountain to climb in their fight to be free

“IT is now more than 50 years since events in my homeland compelled me and many tens of thousands of other Tibetans to seek asylum in India. We not only lost our freedom but the very survival of our culture and our identity as people is continually undermined... What happens in Tibet also affects the fragile environment of Tibet and the entire Himalayan region, which in turn has an impact on billions of people across South and South-East Asia. In addition, a meaningful solution to the Tibetan issue will contribute to peace and security in the wider vicinity, which is home to more than a third of the world’s population. The Chinese government’s unremitting efforts to assimilate Tibetans is eroding the Tibetan people’s distinct cultural and spiritual heritage. Tibetans continue to make the difficult and dangerous journey across the Himalayas in search of the education and freedom to live as Tibetans that they are denied in their homeland.”