‘More protests to come, Won’t let tibet be a lost cause’

The countdown to the BRICS summit is spelling trouble for the Capital. Tibetan activists have drawn up a thorough plan to protest Chinese president Hu Jintao’s visit to New Delhi for the summit.

The countdown to the BRICS summit is spelling trouble for the Capital. Tibetan activists have drawn up a thorough plan to protest Chinese president Hu Jintao’s visit to New Delhi for the summit.

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The activists, some of them from the Tibetan Youth Congress and other youth organisations, have warned that there could be more suicide bids on the streets of Delhi followed by a mass immolation.

“There will be more action from Tibetan youth. We’ll do everything to highlight the Tibetan issue in the international media. We don’t want Tibet to be a lost cause,” said a Tibetan activist, requesting anonymity.

Worldwide, Tibetans have been taking to self immolation to protest against what they call “Chinese rule in Tibet”.

“Tibetans living across India will be in Delhi to protest the visit of the Chinese President, under whose rule atrocities are being perpetrated on Tibetans,” the activist added.

More than a lakh Tibetans have taken refuge in India. Earlier too, Tibetans have been protesting whenever the head of Chinese government has visited India.

Even though the self immolation by a Tibetan activist in high security Jantar Mantar area made it difficult to believe, the police claimed that sufficient arrangements had been made to stop any such incident.

“Our officers will carry fire extinguishers along with wet blankets at all times. There will be heavy deployment of police personnel in the New Delhi area,” said a senior police officer, requesting anonymity.

Tibetans said that their protest would highlight China’s alleged human rights violations in Tibet. “We want the visiting heads of Brazil, Russia and South Africa to notice our plight. The youth is all set to give its life to see Tibet as a free country as it used to be before 1959,” said a Tibetan student, who studies in Delhi University.