Tibetans mark 1989 uprising by holding special one-hour prayer in Dharamshala

The CTA holds special prayers every year to mark the occasion.

Following an hour-long prayer service, Sikyong Penpa Tsering told Tibet.net, “Tibetans inside Tibet have demonstrated an unwavering dedication to safeguarding their rich cultural and linguistic heritage despite the Chinese government’s escalating efforts to erase Tibetan identity through stricter restrictions and surveillance. Likewise, we in exile, despite our limited population and resources, must continue our work with the same dedication as Tibetans on both sides, drawing strength and inspiration from one another. Today is the day to reflect on the events of 1989 and the years that followed, and to recognise the important responsibilities that rest upon us.”

Cabinet Secretary Tsegyal Chukya Dranyi reflected the importance of the prayer service.

In 1989, thousands of Tibetans had assembled on the streets of Lhasa to oppose the oppressive and unjust policies imposed by the Chinese government while also marking the 29th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day.

The Chinese government retaliated by imposing martial law and opening fire on the protesters.

A large number of protesters died in the firing.

Tibet is a region covering much of the Tibetan Plateau in Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpa, Tamang, Qiang, Sherpa, and Lhoba peoples and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han Chinese and Hui people.

China took control over Tibet in 1950.

The 1959 Tibetan uprising or the 1959 Tibetan rebellion began on 10 March 1959, when a revolt erupted in Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, which had been under the effective control of the People's Republic of China since the Seventeen Point Agreement was reached in 1951.

Armed conflict between Tibetan guerillas and the People's Liberation Army(PLA) had started in 1956 in the Kham and Amdo regions, which had been subjected to socialist reform. The guerrilla warfare later spread to other areas of Tibet and lasted through 1962. The anniversary of the uprising is observed by Tibetan exiles as the ''Tibetan Uprising Day''.

In early 1959 during the Tibetan uprising,their spiritual leader (Nobel Peace Winner) the Dalai Lama and his retinue fled Tibet with the help of the CIA's Special Activities Division, crossing into India on 30 March 1959. He is based in Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh since then.