The PeaceRide is over, but the fight continues!!!

When it was first considered it must have sounded pretty simple.  The first press release must have been the same:  "Picking up where Thupten Jigme Norbu- eldest brother of His Holiness The XIVth Dalai Lama- left off with his Peace Walks, his son- Jigme Norbu- will lead a group of Tibetans living in exile on a bike journey from Washington, DC to Toronto in an effort to protest the illegal occupation of their country by their Chinese Communist neighbors, and exemplify alternative methods in resolving international disputes to cultivate World Peace."  The PeaceRide04 for Tibet's Independence Bike Tour was born, but as they were all to discover the hard way, it was everything but simple.

Deep inside when they started the ride at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC it had to be considered that only 605 miles stood between them and their goal of reclaiming Tibet¹s long awaited independence, but what the group encountered along the hard road to Toronto truly exemplified the drive, determination, and struggle of a people whose fight is yet to conclude.  As they finally broke free from the winds of Lake Ontario and began to snake through the crowded streets of a Chinatown illuminated by a rising afternoon sun the PeaceRiders pressed on towards their nation¹s freedom.

Six million residing behind invisible bars, a hundred and thirty-thousand others forced to choose life outside, plus thousands locked in the eternal darkness of prison, mingled with the blood, sweat, and dirt on their proud shoulders.  A crowd of excited Tibetans and supporters broke into frenzy as the final revolutions of their weathered wheels were completed.  "TIBET IS FREE! CHINA¹S OUT OF TIBET! TIBET IS FREE!" screamed the crowd as they danced in the sun of a new era.  After fifteen days of riding through driving rains, hail, sleet, bone cold temps, and occasional sunshine dominated by powerful stride-deflating winds didn't the PeaceRiders and Tibetans everywhere deserve that much?  Although the fairy tale ending did not greet them at the PRC Consulate Finish Line on St. George Street in downtown Toronto, a great display of international solidarity made it clear that the Tibetans are not alone in their fight.

Representatives from several international organizations, including YS Columbus Leo-the Secretary General of the National Taiwanese-Canadian Association; Urnaa Myagmar, Mongolian Student Association; and Mohamed Tohti- of the Ulghar Canadian Association; joined an extremely diverse crowd of supporters in praising the PeaceRider¹s dedication to nonviolent means for a peaceful end to the forty-five year Chinese occupation.  Their presence reinforced words delivered by the PeaceRiders at numerous presentations along the Ride, which illuminated the widespread impact the actions of the Communist Chinese Government has had on the international community, including America and Canada.  Larry Gerstein, President of the International Tibet Independence Movement, which cosponsored the PeaceRide, said, "The Chinese Government is afraid!  They're afraid of His Holiness because they know that one day He will not only be in control of Lhasa, but Beijing as well.  The Chinese are historically Buddhist, not Atheist Communists.  It's in their genes, and one day they too will get the chance to openly revere their Spiritual Leader and live outside of this oppressive regime."

Not everyone who participated in the PeaceRide was able to hear these uplifting words or revel in the energized crowd.  Three Riders, two of them monks, who recited Tibetan Buddhist prayers at the Flight 93 9-11 crash site in Shanksville, PA, were turned back at the border for insufficient travel documentation, which clarifies that the Tibetans do not have their own country.  Those that completed the fifteen day journey spoke for their brothers who were not allowed to, and firmly gripped the implications of their actions.  Tashi Dorjee, who had emerged as the spokesperson for the young riders from the Minneapolis area, felt that he had squandered many opportunities in previous years to utilize the rights and freedoms he had at his disposal by becoming a US Citizen.  He was inspired by Rinpo Tenzin¹s drive and determination to ride from St. Paul to Washington, DC on his own solo capital to capital Tibetan Freedom Bike Ride several years earlier, felt that it was finally time he assumed some responsibility, and hoped other youths would follow his example.  He did something to help his country become independent again and feels good that those inside Tibet know that the Tibetans outside will never give up until they are all free.

The emotional day, which concluded at the Royal York Hotel where His Holiness The XIVth Dalai Lama was met by thousands, also included a protest outside the De Monk Center at the University of Toronto.  The PRC Ambassador to Ottawa met with Canadian officials to discuss China-Canada relations, but failed to entertain student groups who wanted Tibet to be discussed.  The crowd erupted when two students inside the center stretched out a Tibetan Flag at the window, but police immediately escorted them out of the building, and no officials accepted the student's challenge to a discussion.

In stark contrast to these officials, people from small town America and big cities like Washington, DC, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo found it impossible to do anything but listen.  Jigme Norbu said it best. "By 2010 China will be the most powerful economic and military nation in the worlSomeday day you may find yourselves under Chinese Communist control, and in fact we are so economically dependent upon China tit'sit¹s as if we already are."  Rider'ser¹s individual stories of escape through the Himalayas, relatives who were burned to death with hot bars for reciting Buddhist Mantras of Compassion, personal accounts of time in prison over writing ŒFree Tibet¹, and simply being denied access to their own families, emotionally ignited crowds in towns devastated by job outsourcing to China.

Their pleas for international help to release their SpiritLeader-The The XIth PancLama-the the world¹s youngest political prisoner who has been missing for nine years, and to stop the planned execution of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche- a Tibetan scholar teacher-did did not fall on deaf ears.  They all made it clear that they were thankful everyone'sne¹s attention but that their emotion was not enough.  It was paramount to inform their government representatives about what they had learned as well as continuing to educate themselves on the Tibetan situation and the true impact that China is having in the world.

Although the ride came to its planned close on April 24th, none of the Riders and organizers felt like it was over.  It seemed as if it had just begun.  With several groups of Tibetan Buddhist Monks touring America on missions of political and cultural awareness; His Holiness¹ visits to Vancouver, Los Angeles, and finally Toronto to perform the Kalachakra Initiation; the Three Hunger Strikers outside the UN in New York throughout the month of April; talks of annual PeaceRides being planned; and Students For A Free Tibet Chapters popping up everywhere, the Tibetan fight for freedom has never been stronger.  The world liberated South Africa, why not Tibet?  The PeaceRide is over but the fight continues. 

The message is clear-GET INVOLVED!