Tibetans in London Make pledges to commemorate the 91st Birthday of H.H. the Dalai Lama and Honour the Testament of Patriots who have self-immolated for the Cause of TibetLondon: The Tibetan Community in Britain (TCB) celebrated the 91st birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama with dignity and jubilation in London, while paying tribute to the late patriot Lobsang Palden, also known as Lobga Rangzen, whose final wish called upon Tibetans to remain united and steadfast in serving the Tibetan cause.Around 200 Tibetans from London and neighbouring cities attended the celebration, with notable participation from Tibetan youth, reflecting a strong sense of community spirit and commitment to preserving Tibetan identity.The programme began with the enthronement of the portrait of H.H. the Dalai Lama by the Representative, Office of Tibet, London, the Chairman, Tibetan Community in Britain, Chairman, UK Ghoton Committee and a former Europe Tibetan MP cum Representative of the Office of Tibet.David Gardner, Honourable Mayor of the Royal Borough of Greenwich attended as the Special Guest of the event while Louie Horne, National Officer of UNISON UK, graced the occasion as the Guest of Honour.The gathering observed a minute of silence followed by prayers in memory of the late patriot Lobga Rangzen.Welcoming the gathering, TCB Chairman Phuntsok Norbu highlighted the immeasurable contributions of His Holiness the Dalai Lama towards Tibet and the Tibetan people. He urged Tibetans to actively participate in community affairs and shoulder their collective responsibility towards the Tibetan cause, recalling the final testament of Lobga Rangzen.Dalha Tsering, the Chairman of the U.K. Ghoton Committee presented a report on the year-long Ghoton celebration, highlighting the committee’s political, religious and social service activities.Lobsang Dolma and Penpa Bhuti, representing the Tibetan Nurses Association, UK also presented their annual report.Tsering Yangkey, Representative, Office of Tibet, offered her birthday wishes to His Holiness and expressed profound gratitude for his supreme leadership and unwavering dedication to Tibet and Tibetan people.Speaking on one of His Holiness’s Four Commitments, she stressed the urgent need to preserve the Tibetan language and identity in response to China’s recently enacted so-called “Ethnic Unity Law,” which she described as an “Ethnic Erasure Law” aimed at eliminating distinct national identities.She said that the enactment of this law compelled the deeply patriotic Tibetan, Lobsang Palden aka Lobga Rangzen to self-immolate in front of the United Nations headquarters in New York.She said Tibetans living in exile have a moral responsibility to honour the supreme sacrifice of Lobga Rangzen and all those who have self-immolated for the cause of Tibet. Quoting Lobga Rangzen, she reminded the audience that while Tibetans may hold different political views, they must remember that their opponent remains one and the same and should never allow themselves to inadvertently advance the interests of their opponent.She further urged the Tibetan diaspora to intensify their efforts to carry forward the legacy of H.H. the Dalai Lama as he advances in age. She said unlike the Tibetans inside Tibet, Tibetans in exile have every freedom, opportunity and resources to preserve Tibetan religion, culture and language. She warned that time is running out as the generation with strong command of the Tibetan language continues to age and if the diaspora community fails to act now, future generations risk losing the fluency in the Tibetan language.Before concluding her speech, Representative Yangkey pledged to stand in unity with fellow Tibetans regardless of regional differences and committed herself to teach Tibetan language to her future grandchildren.Inspired by her appeal, some Tibetans stood up and made public pledges.Tsering Gelek Pangri and his wife Passang Dolma, Tenzin Namkha and his wife Tenzin Namzey and Rinzin Wangyal pledged to speak only in Tibetan within their families and with fellow Tibetans and to provide every possible facility for their children to learn Tibetan including teaching them at home.Likewise, Pema Dorje, Tenzin Samphel, Tenzin Sangmo, Thinlay and Tashi Phuntsok pledged to make their green book contributions regularly without fail.Dalha Tsering also pledged to write in the Tibetan language atleast once every week.In his remarks, Hon. Mayor of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, David Gardner spoke about long association with the Tibetan community and praised the borough’s rich cultural diversity. He highlighted Greenwich’s continued tradition of flying Tibet Flag at the Town Hall every March to commemorate the Tibetan National Uprising Day. Despite the pressure and intimidation from the Chinese government, he affirmed that Greenwich remains committed to raising Tibet Flag in solidarity with the Tibetan people.The programme also included a felicitation ceremony recognising members of the UK Ghoton committee for their year-long service in organising various events.Cultural performances were presented by students of London Tibetan Language School, London Tibetan dance group, Tibetan dance groups from Bristol and Oxford as well as a few other individual performers.The three-hour program concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by the Cultural Secretary of the TCB, followed by dinner and circle dances.-Report filed by office of Tibet London