Tibetans gathered at Tsuk-lag-khang, the main temple in Dharamsala, North India to mark 5 years since Tapey, the first Tibetan inside Tibet set himself ablaze in Aba, Sichuan Province on Friday, February 27, 2009.
Five Tibetan NGOs held prayers and released a statement to express gratitude and respect to the Tibetans who have sacrificed their lives for the Tibetan cause, simultaneously condemning China's propaganda on the false allegation against them as setting themselves ablaze for personal grievances.
The NGOs urged Tibetans to put more effort in the freedom struggle and called on the international community to send in an independent body to check the real situation inside Tibet. They also urged China to solve the Tibet issue as per the demands of the self immolators to prevent further problem.