Dharamsala, May 25: A march to Tibet by eight Tibetan monks have been stopped at a border town called Sumdo in Himachal Pradesh. Shingsa Rinpoche, a Tibetan Lama at the Sera monastery told Voice of Tibet radio service, that the Indo Tibetan Border police arrested the monks at the border town. The exact details of the arrest is unavailable at the moment, the young Buddhist spiritual leader who has been monitoring the march said.
The monks have started the “return to Tibet” march to support the Tibetans inside Tibet who are constantly under fear of Chinese brutality and military crackdown.
According to Shingsa Rinpoche, the monks left the Indian capital on May 14 and headed on foot towards the border where they planned to hoist the Tibetan national flag and then enter Tibet.
The Indo Tibetan Border Police have noted the names and RC (Registration Certificate for Tibetans) number of the monks who will arrive here tomorrow, Shingsa Rinpoche said. The monks are expected to talk to the media on their arrival here.
The monks belonged to the group of around 60 people led by Shingsa Rinpoche that last year was stopped at Kaza in Spiti Valley as they attempted to march to Tibet days before the Beijing Olympics. The group had initiated the march on their own after the one organized by five Tibetan NGOs last year was stopped by the Indian police at Dharchula, the last Indian village bordering Tibet in Uttrakhand.
The monks come from various monasteries in India and do not represent any NGOs.
