Last May 27, in fact, the authorities of the northern state of Uttaranchal arrested the five leaders of the non-governmental organisations that were leading the marchers to Tibet, and locked them up in the prison of Haldwani. Moreover, five foreigners participating in the march were expelled from the country "for participating in a religious activity". Finally, the agents have sequestered the trucks carrying food supplies for the marchers.

Karma Sichoe, a member of the organising commission (the same one that organised the hunger strike in 1989, which ended with the death of the monk Thupten Ngodup) says: "We are marching in peace to support our brothers under Chinese domination. With the Olympics less than three months away, and Tibetans suffering behind the curtain of silence Chinese leaders have drawn around Tibet, we are calling on Tibetans everywhere to rise up and join".

Urgen Tenzin, director of the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, confirms to AsiaNews that the situation in the region "has not improved in all: arbitrary arrests, patrols, political re-education continue. The situation is very tense, especially inside the monasteries".