Marchers to reach Tibet border area tomorrow

TPUM[Monday, June 16, 2008 12:53]

King of Askote gives Tibetan marchers traditional reception at his palace

Pithoragarh, June 16 – 50 Tibetans marching to Tibet are approaching Dharchula, the last Indian township before the Tibetan border. The marchers are currently in Dunga Toli in Pithoragarh district, and are expected to arrive in Dharchula on the morning of Tuesday, 17th June. On Saturday the marchers were give a reception by the king of Askote at his palace.

Left to right: Tenzin Choeying, Students for a Free Tibet; Shingza Rinpoche, high-ranking lama from Sera Monastery; Lobsang Yeshi, March Coordinator; Dr. B Tsering, Tibetan Women's Association; and the King of Askote Rajwar Sahib Bham Raj Singh Pal of Askote Raj.

" Beijing is wielding the Olympic torch as a bludgeon against the Tibetan people who are already suffering under virtual martial law," said Ven. Ngawang Woeber, President of Guchusum, an organization founded by former political prisoners. Ven. Woeber is a former political prisoner who was imprisoned by Chinese authorities after participating in the protests of 1980s. "We reject China's lies as we march for freedom, truth and justice."

China has deployed additional military troops on the Tibet side of the border with orders to shoot at any Tibetan who might come from Tibet toward the Indian border to support the marchers. The Indian police already arrested 265 Tibetan marchers on 4th June in Berinag, but another group of 50 marchers restarted the march at the same place on Monday, 9th June.

" Beijing has betrayed the commitments it made to press freedom in its bid for the Games," said Tenzin Choeying, National Director of Students for a Free Tibet. "The stakes are higher than ever as China parades its torch through Tibet. For the sake of protecting Tibetan lives, Tibet must immediately be opened to international media."

On Saturday, the king of Askote, Rajwar Sahib Bham Raj Singh Pal, gave the marchers a traditional reception at his palace. "Before 1959, we used to receive Tibetan traders who brought salt from Tibet," said the Askote Raj. "In 1959, Tibetan refugees escaping Chinese brutalities came this way and we gave them shelter. And now again, it is now honor to host this group of Tibetans making their journey home. No matter how long it takes, the Tibetan people will eventually win out of oppression."

The March to Tibet started on March 10th from Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, and reached Banspathan after traversing through many states. Tibetans living in exile in India launched the March to Tibet as part of the Tibetan People's Uprising Movement. On the same day that the march was launched, monks from monasteries in Lhasa, as well as in eastern Tibet, led nonviolent demonstrations, shouting slogans supporting the Dalai Lama and independence for Tibet. Chinese authorities brutally suppressed peaceful protests that continued for days, leading to rioting in the capital and a wave of large public demonstrations that have rippled across the country.

The March to Tibet and the Tibetan People's Uprising Movement aim to revive the spirit of the Tibetan National Uprising of 1959, and engage in nonviolent direct action to bring about an end to China's illegal occupation of Tibet.