DHARAMSHALA, October 10: The Tibetan ‘Flame of Truth,’ on its journey across the world, calling for an end to the ongoing crisis inside Tibet, is continuing its campaign in different cities.
In India, the torch relay brought its message of solidarity with the Tibetans inside Tibet to the lake city of Udaipur on October 6. The Tibetan delegation led by Tibetan Member of Parliament Karma Yeshi met with hundreds of Indian supporters and local leaders, including AG Trivedi, General Secretary of Shanti Peet, Gulab Chand Kataria, former Home Minister and current MLA, and Kiran Maheshwari, MLA.
Addressing a press conference in the city, Yeshi spoke about the worsening human rights situation in Tibet, heralded by the increasing numbers of self-immolations by Tibetans in protest against China’s continued occupation of Tibet.
Over a hundred Tibetans and Indian supporters took part in a candle light vigil in the city, during which pamphlets in Hindi and English on the crisis in Tibet were widely distributed. Signatures were also collected for the torch petition calling on the United Nations to discuss the issue of Tibet based on its earlier resolutions, to send an independent international fact-finding delegation to Tibet and to take special responsibility to ensure that the basic aspirations of the Tibetans inside Tibet are fulfilled.
The Tibetan torch relay also received support from the former Chief of Indian Army, General V K Singh, who expressed his solidarity to the “just cause of Tibetan struggle by holding the torch and signing the Tibet petition.”
The India-leg of the ‘Flame of Truth’ torch relay, which began July 6, coinciding with the birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, has so far travelled to over 100 regions in 25 Indian states.
The Australia leg of the torch relay, which was launched on September 2, Tibetan Democracy Day, reached New Zealand on October 8.
Tibetans and supporters marched with the ‘Flame of Truth’ from Auckland’s Aotea Square to Queen Elizabeth Square in the city’s Central Business District. In his address, Thuten Kesang, a Tibetan resident of New Zealand, stressed on the importance of keeping the struggle alive.
“For Tibetans, it’s our moral duty. However the support of non-Tibetans is appreciated and I am a great believer that Tibet will win some day,” Kesang said.
Chinese writer and member of Tibetan Chinese friendship group, Caoxia said he was very happy to be a part of the relay. “I think there are more Chinese now than ever who stand up with Tibet,” he said, while expressing sorrow at the ongoing self-immolations in Tibet.
As part of the torch relay, a long life prayer for His Holiness the Dalai Lama and a prayer service for Tibetan self-immolators was also held earlier this morning.
In New Zealand, the torch will head up north to Whangarei, Christchurch, and Dunedin before being flown out to Perth in Australia.
The relay, after travelling around hundreds of cities all over the world, will conclude on December 10, World Human Rights Day, with the submission of the petitions, simultaneously to the UN Headquarters in New York City, UN Human Rights Council in Geneva and UN information office in New Delhi.
