Tibetans-in-exile stage protest rally against '17-point agreement'of 1951

Monday, May 24, 2010

ANI
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The “17-Point Agreement” signed under duress at the Qinzheng Hall in Zhongnanhai on May 23, 1951

A number of Tibetans-in-exile staged a rally here on Sunday to protest the China-Tibetan Agreement of 1951.

Organized by the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), the rally marked the 59th anniversary of the controversial 17-point agreement.

The protestors said that the '17-point agreement' was forcefully imposed by Chinese authorities on the Tibetan delegation.

Marching through the streets of Shimla, the protestors holding Tibetan flags and banners, raised slogans against the Chinese authorities and asked for India's as well as the world community's support for their cause.

"We want support from the Indian Government and the Indian people, all of the world, so that's why we are here. We are against the 17-point agreement imposed on 59 years ago," said Tenzin Namgyal, TYC Vice-President.

The controversial agreement has compelled Tibet to coexist with People's Republic of China, allowing the country to legitimise its claim on the vast, resource-rich Tibetan land.

In 1950, Chinese troops marched into Tibet and occupied it. An estimated 134,000 Tibetans live in exile, a majority of them in India and Nepal.