March for Tibet Stops at Pier en Route to L.A.

Amid a sea of U.S. and Tibetan flags, the two-week March for Tibetan Independence arrived Sunday at the Huntington Beach Pier, the last stop of its Orange County leg.

Passion for spreading awareness of Tibetans’ concerns is driving the weary group of 13 freedom walkers.

The group, which left San Diego on May 29 and plans to reach the World Trade Center in downtown Los Angeles on June 24, is led by the Venerable Palden Gyatso, a Tibetan monk who was tortured during his 33-year imprisonment in a Chinese jail.

Since serving his full sentence and going into exile, Gyatso, 70, has dedicated his life to making the world aware of Tibet’s situation.

“The human rights violations continue in Tibet 41 years after the Chinese took over by military force,” Gyatso said. “I cannot go back to my home, so I walk--every step brings me closer to Tibet.”

The group had visited Newport Beach the day before and is scheduled to make a stop in Long Beach today.

In Huntington Beach, the group was greeted by Councilman Tom Harman.

“The purpose for today and the rest of this march is to continue applying pressure to the Republic of China until they release Tibet from their stronghold,” Harman said.

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One of the group’s walkers was Irvine resident Ava Park, who has been active in Orange County Friends of Tibet for several years.

“We ask that people help by using their power as consumers to help regain peace in Tibet where the death count keeps rising,” Park said, adding that 1.2 million Tibetans have been killed since 1949 in the struggle for independence. “Chinese trade depends upon our purchasing power, and if we can stop buying products made in China and start talking about this to others in our community, then we can send a message against violence.”

The march will end when the freedom walkers meet another group--led by Buddhist nun Ani Panchen Dolma that started in San Francisco--for a news conference in front of the Chinese consulate in downtown Los Angeles.