DHARAMSHALA, September 5: The three Tibetan hunger strikers were for a second consecutive night taken into police custody yesterday evening along with 50 other Tibetans who were arrested for protesting against the visiting Chinese Defence Minister.
The 50 Tibetans were rounded up near the India Gate area, where General Liang was being hosted by PM Manmohan Singh. India and China on Tuesday announced resumption of joint military exercises after a two-year gap.
The protesters were lodged at the Tuglag Marg police station along with the three Tibetan Youth Congress executives, who began an indefinite fast Monday in “solidarity with the self-immolators inside Tibet and to appeal for immediate international intervention” in the unfolding crisis inside Tibet.
Speaking to Phayul from New Delhi, TYC Joint Secretary, Tenzin Norsang feared that the hunger strikers, along with the arrested protesters, would be taken away to Tihar Jail.
Late in the evening, the Delhi police issued further orders notifying TYC to remove their hunger strike tent from Jantar Mantar, the protest venue, warning that it will be broken down and dismantled if left standing.
Despite the night detentions of the three hunger strikers, citing security reasons due to the Chinese Defence Minister’s visit, the Delhi police had earlier assured that the hunger strike will be allowed to carry on.
High drama ensued at Jantar Mantar yesterday when the three hungers strikers were released from their overnight detention at 7:00 a.m. but an hour later were again detained. They were released at around 12.30 p.m. and allowed to sit at the protest venue, but by late evening they were again taken into custody.
“All this while, since the hunger strike began on Monday, the three hunger strikers, Dhondup Lhadar, Penpa Tsering, and Jigme Sholpa have not eaten anything and have vowed to carry on their protest even if lodged in a jail,” Norsang said.
With the hunger strike, TYC is appealing the EU, UN, governments and NGOs to immediately fulfil the promises made by them during earlier TYC hunger strikes through a multilateral approach and also demanding China to grant immediate access to governments, international organisations and the media to travel in Tibet in order to understand the aspiration of Tibetans inside Tibet.
