By Phurbu Thinley
Dharamsala, March 12: Eight Tibetan students, including four girls, belonging to pro-Independence Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) Friday staged vigorous protests outside of the Chinese Embassy in the Indian capital.
At around 2:30pm, the protesters shouted slogans, “Long Live His Holiness the Dalai Lama”, “China out of Tibet” and “Independence for Tibet” for about fifteen minutes before being detained by police, TYC president Mr Tsewang Rigzin, who is currently in Delhi to coordinate the protests, told Phayul over the phone.
Rigzin said today’s protest was organised to mark the 51st anniversary of the Tibetan Women’s Uprising Day.
He also said the protest was organised by the organisation in co-ordination with RTYC Rohini and RTYC Samyeling.
This is the second time Tibetan activists made attempts to storm the New Delhi Chinese embassy.
Around 30 Tibetan activists, including women, were detained on Tuesday, on the eve of the 51st anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day, when they tried to storm the heavily guarded Chinese embassy in Chanakyapuri as part of their protest.
A day after the protest, a large number of additional security personnel were reportedly deployed around the Chinese embassy to avoid further protests.
Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA), one of the largest non-governmental organisations in the exile Tibetan community, and its regional chapters around the world Friday mark the 51st Anniversary of the “National Tibetan Women’s Uprising Day” against the “illegal Chinese occupation of Tibet”.
On March 12, 1959, two days after a hugely popular Tibetan uprising in Lhasa was brutally crushed down by the Chinese Communist forces, thousands of Tibetan women assembled at the foot of the Potala Palace to protest against continuing Chinese presence in their homeland.
In Dharamsala, the seat of Tibet’s Government in exile in north India, TWA held a somber official function to mark, what it described as, “a painful anniversary”.
The organisation later organised a massive protest demonstration calling for freedom in Tibet. Protesters also took part in “Pledge Campaign” declaring minimum life-long commitment to contribute to the cause of Tibet in their own possible way.
As part of the anniversary, TWA also announced two new programs- “TWA Fellowship for Women for Specialised Studies” designed to help fund qualified Tibetan women in professional studies, and a “Women’s Environment Desk” to monitor and undertake research on Tibet’s environment issues to combat China’s destructive environmental policies in Tibet.
