By Phurbu Thinley,
Phayul Correspondent
Dharamsala, November 20 – A day-long hunger strike, to be followed by candle light vigil procession later in the evening, is being organized here by the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress (RTYC), Dharamsla and supported by various other organizations.
Around 500 Tibetans, including monks, nuns and students have taken part in the hunger strike that started at 9:00 in the morning and will go on till 5:00PM local time here. The participants will later join the candle light procession right after that.
Many of the Tibetans, residing here, had earlier left for the Indian capital city, New Delhi to protest the four –day visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao to India. Tibetans elsewhere in India are also staging similar protests in their respective places, while the largest collective protests by Tibetans continue in New Delhi.
Hu Jintao is due to arrive in New Delhi later today at 1830 IST and will reach Hotel Taj around 1910 IST.
“There are many reasons that the greater national interest of India can be realized along side a free and independent Tibet then compromising constantly with China’s never ending demands”, says Tsewang Topla, the Vice-President of RTYC here.
“Supporting the cause of Tibet by India is pro-truth and does not, in anyway, amount to anti-China, and that itself will be in the best interest of growing India in the long run”, feels Sonam Dechen, the PRO of the organization.
Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, the Tibetan Prime Minister in exile, was earlier in his interview with Hindustan Times was quoted as saying, “We are ready to sacrifice for it”, if both India and China thinks that Tibetan issue is standing against the national interests of each other.
Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) is the largest Tibetan non-governmental organization in exile committed for the complete restoration of Tibet’s lost independence.
