Delhi, June 30: The Tibetan Youth Congress members detained in Delhi’s Tihar Jail since June 26 has begun an indefinite hunger strike from today, according to information received from TYC’s Information Secretary Mr. Dhondup Dorjee.
The indefinite hunger strike was announced by TYC General Secretary Mr. Tsultrim Dorjee this morning in prison. The nine female members were also informed beforehand about the decision by the Information Secretary during one of his routine prison visits.
The Jail Superintendent has reportedly urged the TYC hunger strikers not to resort to such activities inside the Jail premises when he was informed about the plan by Mr. T. Dorjee, one of the detainees in Tihar. “Our decision to sit on hunger strike is not targeted at Tihar Jail Officials or Indian Police. We are opposed to China’s Railway in Tibet and will continue our activities by resorting to Indefinite Hunger Strike until all our members are released without any conditions from the Jail”, TYC release quoted T. Dorjee as saying.
Expressing his concerns over the railway built in Tibet, Mr. Kalsang Phuntsok Godrukpa, President of TYC said, “The purpose and intentions of China’s Railway project in Tibet are to completely wipe out the Tibetan identity and its Buddhist Culture by rapid population transfer of Chinese nationals inside Tibet after the completion of railway. This is also a colonial policy of the Chinese Government to extract Tibet’s rich natural resources to China, which will have devastating impact on Tibet’s environment and ecology. Tibetan Youth Congress recognizes that Railway in Tibet will bring more harm than benefits for the Tibetan identity and nation”.
TYC reiterated that the Gormo-Lhasa rail link will lead to demographic aggression in Tibet and completely annihilate the Tibetan population. It also said the planned extension of the railway up to the southern Tibetan city of Shigatse will enhance military maneuverability, enable rapid troop deployment up to 12 infantry divisions, facilitate the expansion of army bases and increase nuclear weapon stockpile and missile deployment on the Tibetan plateau which already has 17 top secret radar stations, eight missile bases furnished with a huge payload of intercontinental ballistic missiles and 25 airfields and airstrips.
