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Tibetan government-in-exile urges activists to end march
Prime Minister Samdhong Rinpoche, while lauding the sincerity of Tibetan marchers, urged them to call their rally, reports Gaurav Bisht.
The Tibetan government in exile in India on Friday urged the activists who had embarked on the Return March to Tibet to end their campaign.
Even as Tibet erupted, the government in exile dissociated itself from the march organised by five Tibetan NGOs. Hundreds of activists had been arrested by the police on Thursday. “The rally was an independent initiative,” said Prime Minister Samdhong Rinpoche. He noted that the Dalai Lama had endorsed the right of China to hold the Olympics.
Rinpoche, while lauding the sincerity of Tibetan marchers, urged them to call their rally. The organisers, however, remained adamant, gathering at Mcleodganj to discuss their future course.
“There is certainly pressure on us from all sides to end the peace march. We are trying very hard to get our arrested marchers released,” B Tsering, who heads one of the NGOs leading the march told Hindustan Times.
Meanwhile the arrested marchers who had gone on hunger strike to protest their detention, ended their fast following persuasion, from the government in exile.
The Kangra police had warned the marchers on the very first day not to leave the boundaries of the district. “We are disappointed with the orders of the Indian government, restraining the exiles from returning back home. It seems India wants to hold back the refugees, while China welcomes their return,” TT Karma Choephel, speaker.
