Chennai, 26 August – Tibetan Students Association of Madras (TSAM) staged a One Day Hunger Fast on Saturday for “Free Tibet” and “World Peace”.
The students’ group condemned the 2008 Games in China in view of the gross Human Rights Violations and environmental exploitation taking place in Tibet.
With 2008 Beijing Games less than a year away, Tibetans have shown increasing agitation against China.
Here in the South Indian city of Chennai, the Tibetan students studying in various colleges braved the sunny Saturday to hold a day-long hunger fast. The group displayed several pro-Tibet placards and a large banner that reads “ONE WORLD, ONE DREAM, FREE TIBET” a play on the official slogan of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, which is “One World, One Dream.”
The fast protest lasted from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm (as per direction from the local police). The students’ group cited that the Chinese Government, which does not respect the basic rights of its citizens does not have the moral right to hold Olympics in the country.
More than 150 students, all members of TSAM, took part in the hunger protest. The fast began with 20 minutes of prayer for the long live of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. The prayers were repeated after every hour, which the organizers say was to “prevent distraction of participants”. The participants distributed pamphlets titled “Facts of Tibet” around the city to highlight the issue of Tibet.
The group said they would continue to hold similar hunger fasts and other campaign activities to keep Tibet’s issue alive in the city and world at large. The group concluded the fast with Tibetan and Indian National Anthems. The president the association thanked the city police by presenting traditional Tibetan scarves [khataks] for their support.
Chennai [old name: Madras] is a popular educational hub for Tibetan students in India to pursue their further studies. The large presence of Tibetan students in the city helps the association to organize campaigns in large scale.
Based on report by TSAM
