By Phurbu Thinley
Dharamsala, August 7: With Olympic games’ opening ceremony to kick off less than few hours in Beijing, hundreds of restless Tibetans today rallied in Dharamsala, the Tibetan administrative capital in exile, to condemn against, what they call, China’s brutal and illegal occupation of their Himalayan homeland.
Shouting Tibetan freedom and anti-China slogans, Tibetans, including monks and nuns, and Tibet supporters took part in the rally from McLeod Ganj, often called Upper Dharamsala, to lower Dharamsala.
The demonstrators carried protest banners and Tibetan National flags, and wore black dress and put black bands around their heads, to show their protest against 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Similar demonstrations will also take place in Dharamsala tomorrow. According to the organising leaders, there will be more sporadic protests campaigns in Dharamsala and other parts of the world during and even after the Beijing Olympics.
There will be a candle light vigil later in the evening, followed by screening of a new video footage of the March unrests in Tibet.
Dharamsala will also take part in “Candle for Tibet”, described by the organisers as the “biggest single action in the world for Free Tibet” by lighting a candle on the eve of the Beijing Olympics to show their solidarity with Tibetans in Tibet tonight.
The demonstrators were also seen condemning International Olympic Committee (IOC) for giving rights to Beijing to host the games.
“IOC has defeated the very spirit and principles of Olympics by giving China the right to host the Games” Ven. Ngawang Woeber, president of the Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet, told Phayul.
“China with its largest population in the world certainly deserves this right like any other country, but right now it is governed by a communist regime which rules the country through intimidation and violent repression” he said.
“China deprives the rights and freedoms of its own people and does not uphold the ideals of the Olympics in order to host it at this time, not at least after what is happening in Tibet,” he said.
“Since March this year, many Tibetans have perished –many dead, many missing and still many others going through regular extreme and brutal torture in Chinese prisons,” he said, adding “We are in grave concern of what is happening to Tibetans inside Tibet”. “I know how it is being in Chinese prisons, regular interrogation with torture and without medical treatment and proper food,” Ven. Woebar, who suffered torture for four months in Chinese prison after taking part in 1987 demonstration in Lhasa, said.
Woebar fears worst is yet to happen in Tibet after the Olympic Games.
Secret official documents of the Chinese Government leaked out last month revealed that the communist authorities are planning to implement a “cultural revolution” like-campaign in Tibet once the games would be over.
Describing the situation is Tibet as being in “deep crisis”; Ven. Woebar said Chinese authorities have now virtually turned Tibet into a prison camp with military crackdown.
“It is ironic that world leaders and athletes are now ready to celebrate Olympics in a place where the Communist regime has massacred thousands of Chinese students,” Ven. Woebar said referring to the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre.
The Tibetan demonstrators also called on international community to stand up for Tibet in their fight for justice and freedom.
“For the past five decades, China has brought immense sufferings on Tibetans, refusing us basic human rights and freedom,” Chemi Youngdrung, president of Tibetan National Democratic Party of Tibet, said.
Saying Tibetans have fully committed themselves to nonviolent and peaceful means in their struggle for freedom; Mr Youngdrung said, “It is the moral obligation of the peace-loving people of the world to take a stand for truth and justice and for Tibet”.
The exiled Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama yesterday reiterated he supported China’s right to host Olympics, saying it would be a “moment of great pride to the 1.3 billion Chinese people”. He went on to offer “prayers and good wishes” for the success of the games.
