Tibetans in India to hold anti-China protests

Mar 9, 2009, 11:45 GMT

   New Delhi - Tibetan leaders and groups in India Monday said thousands of protestors will join anti-China demonstrations to commemorate the 50th anniversary of an uprising that forced 140,000 Tibetans into exile.

   The protests for the 50th anniversary that falls Tuesday include rallies, marches and hunger-strikes in the northern hill-town of Dharamsala, home to Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, and in the Indian capital New Delhi.

   The occasion this year also marks five decades since the Dalai Lama fled to exile in India. Demonstrations outside the Chinese Embassy and UN offices in Delhi have also been planned.

   The protests have been organized by Tibetan groups including the pro-independence Tibetan Youth Congress, Students for Free Tibet and Gu-Chu-Sum, a body of former Tibetan political prisoners.

   'The campaign will be aggressive as this date is of significance to Tibetans across the world, it is 50 years since our country was usurped by China,' said Tenzing Norsang, a senior leader from the Tibetan Youth Congress, which is organizing the protests.

   The protests are despite appeals from the Dalai Lama for quiet ceremonies and prayers to commemorate the event.

   'While thousands of Tibetans are in exile, millions are suffering inside Tibet under Chinese rule. His Holiness's appeal does not mean we keep quiet,' he said.

   The protests will see between 5,000 to 10,000 people participate in Dharamsala and New Delhi, according to Tenzin Choeying, president of Students for Free Tibet. Demonstrations are also planned in South India.

   'The Tibetan movement against Chinese oppression has gained momentum since last year's protests. We aim to internationalize the Tibet issue,' he said.

   In Dharamsala, Tibetan exiles including monks and children will join rallies, candlelight vigils and a march from the Dalai Lama's residence to a main square in the town.

   In Delhi, the Tibetans will lead a march from Rajghat, the memorial to the leader of India's non-violent freedom struggle, Mahatma Gandhi, to the Jantar Mantar area near the Indian Parliament. At least 50 Tibetans will go on a hunger strike for 50 hours.

   Indian police and security forces are on alert as the Tibetan groups will hold demonstrations outside the Chinese embassy and the UN offices on March 17.

   Almost 110,000 of the total 140,000 Tibetan exiles live in India - the largest concentration of Tibetans outside Tibet. Six million Tibetans live in Tibet.

   The Dalai Lama has adhered to his 'Middle Way' policy - that demands 'greater autonomy' for Tibet rather than independence - for nearly three decades.

   But resentment among Tibetans is rising since eight rounds of talks between Beijing and the Tibetan leader's envoys since 2002 have failed to yield any result.

   Tibetans inside Tibet participated in large-scale protests against Chinese occupation in March last year, months ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games.

   The government said 19 people were killed in the rioting but the Tibetan government-in-exile said up to 200 people were killed, most of them Tibetans shot by Chinese paramilitary police.