Dharamshala 23 December – Around 150 Tibetans and supporters today marched through Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to mark one month of the infamous Drepung unrest, Voice of Tibet reported. The Tibetans were protesting against the People’s Republic of China’s crackdown on monks of Drepung monastic university and other Buddhist institutes. The Tibetans were demanding immediate reinstatement of the five expelled monks of Drepung monastery who were feared by the Chinese authorities to be influential in spiraling a rebellion in future.
The peaceful protest rally was being led by the exile Tibetan parliament. Addressing a gathering at Jantar Mantar, vice chairperson of the Tibetan parliament Gyari Dolma said that China must put an end to its ‘patriotic reeducation campaign’ which forced Tibetans to denounce the Dalai Lama and acclaim China’s sovereignty over Tibet.
“Drepung monastery is sealed, no one is allowed in or out, we extend our solidarity with the monks of Drepung monastery “, she said.
Ms. Gyari Dolma also said that there is no better alternative than the Middle Way Approach to the Tibet issue but that China must reciprocate the exile government’s efforts for dialogue. “We totally support His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Middle Way Approach but China must change”, she stated.
Memorandums had been sent to the UN General Secretary Kofi Anan and Chinese President Hu Jintao. The memorandums were also read at the rally.
Five members of the Tibetan parliament’s Standing Committee were also present at the rally. Indian parliamentarians like Vashisht Narayan Singh (Rajya Sabha) of the Indian Parliamentary Forum for Tibet were also present to back the rally.
