By Tenzin Sangmo
New Delhi, May 19 – “The new generation is here to carry on the struggle”, these words resonated in the walls of the Conference Hall of the Press Club of India in New Delhi today. Donning white t-shirts, frail college students from all over India gathered together for a single purpose-Justice. These university students could not have been more resolute. At an age when most counterparts are enjoying their days in the sun, the young learners have decided to take a stand against the Chinese repression and brutality in Tibet. Thus took birth the All India Tibetan College Students’ Mass Movement.
Volunteers from different colleges all over the nation have drawn together and joined hands in view of the current unrest. Following the March 14 uprising in Tibet which has left a trail of blood and scene of carnage, the movement acts as yet another voice of condemnation by exiled Tibetans. It is also interesting to see that notwithstanding personal ideologies and beliefs- be it the support for middle path or the demand for freedom, the young renegades are raising their voice against one agenda and that is justice and impartiality to all.
They demand:
- Significant and result-oriented dialogue with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
- China to live up to her pledge of improving human rights to the IOC before being awarded to host the Games.
- To release the whereabouts of the Tibetan University students who were detained for expressing their solidarity for the victims of Beijing’s crackdown.
- An end to the subjugation and violent bloodbath inside Tibet.
In addition to their demands, they also urge the United Nations to investigate the ground reality of what really happened in Tibet and a probe into human rights violation in the region. They ask international athletes to consider boycotting the Summer Games if China continues suppressing innocent Tibetans for demanding human dignity and freedom which is lawfully theirs. Finally, they request the Indian Government to review her policy on Tibet and China, adopting a healthier and stronger standpoint on a country that has always been an enemy in disguise.
“In view of the sensitive situation in Tibet, there was an urgent need for an organized student body to express solidarity and displeasure over China’s repression. The idea of the new generation overlooking personal agendas and principles in furthering the Tibetan struggle on the whole has been immensely overwhelming. For students all over India to group under a single banner and give voice to a unified cause is amazing,” said Jigme Yeshi, a History major at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University who also happens to be the President of the TYC-Regional (SOS Youth Hostel)
Started solely on their initiative, the Students’ Mass Movement is as distinct as any adopted by other governing bodies in the exiled community. They pride in saying that this lobby group was neither motivated nor supervised by any other organization in the Tibetan community.
The young students have a busy schedule ahead of them in the Indian Capital. In the coming days they plan to hold a peace march from Ambedkar Bhavan to Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, send written petitions to all Indian states and regions generating awareness about the plight of Tibet, distribute bouquets among various embassies and consulates including the Chinese Embassy here, thus following the path of non-violence as preached by Mahatma Gandhi and the Dalai Lama. They also plan to invite experts on India, China and Tibet and hold an intellectual discourse. The movement as a whole has close to 1,000 Tibetan students taking part in it. With strong support from their Indian equals, the Students’ Mass Movement hope to bring to the forefront the ground reality in Tibet forcing China to provide a fair trial to all the political prisoners.
Buddha Kyab, a second year student at Sarah College, Dharamsala told Phayul, “We are all volunteers here and do not follow any particular political stand at the moment. We are more focused on the immediate crisis and that is to alleviate human rights abuse in Tibet and demand justice for all those incarcerated.”
The students then thanked the members of press gathered for their support in furthering the Tibetan cause emphasizing the importance of media in a democracy.
