Exile Tibetans protest over Nyagchukha suppression

Friday, January 01, 2010

Tibet Sun
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Tibetan nuns who live in India pray during a protest in New Delhi on 31 December 2009 against what they say are human right violation by the Chinese government against Tibetans.(Reuters/Reinhard Krause/India)

Exile Tibetans staged a protest in Delhi on Thursday condemning the human right violations by the Chinese government against Tibetans in Tibet.

Monks, nuns, and lay Tibetans, carrying Tibetan flags and shouting slogans, demanded an end to the Chinese suppression of Tibetan protesters in Nyagchukha in eastern Tibet, and demanded the release of Tulku Tenzin Deleg, the Panchen Lama, and other political prisoners.

The protesters called on the Chinese government to exercise restraint on actions against the Tibetan protesters, and to peacefully resolve the volatile situation in Nyagchukha by addressing the legitimate grievances of the local Tibetans.

The protest was started at Jantar Mantar, where a prayer session was held. A minute of silence was observed to pay respect to those who sacrificed their lives for the cause of Tibet.

The protesters later went to the United Nations Information Centre, appealing for the United Nations to act on the Tibetan issue, and urging them to take up the case of Tulku Tenzin Deleg with the Chinese government for his immediate and unconditional release.

Members of the Tibetan Youth Congress submitted memorandums to the Indian Prime Minister, the United Nations, and also to Hu Jinto, through the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India.

Tulku Tenzin Deleg, a widely revered spiritual master and social worker, is serving a life sentence on charges of “inciting separatism”, “causing explosions” and “illegal possession of weapons” in 2002. He was given a death sentence with a two-year reprieve, which was commuted to life in 2005.

Tenzin Deleg’s relative, Lobsang Dhondup, was executed on 26 January 2003, on the same charges, despite huge international outcry.

Nyagchukha is said to be under a tense situation as Tibetans continue to resent Tenzin Deleg’s imprisonment. Tibetans argue that Tenzin Deleg had been wrongly charged and that there is no proof with the authorities against him.

The Tibetan Youth Congress is the largest non-governmental organisation in the exile Tibetan community. It seeks independence for Tibet, as opposed to the Dalai Lama’s “middle-way” policy, to achieve autonomy for Tibet.