More arrests among participants in return march to Tibet
Nainital (AsiaNews) – Authorities in the northern Indian state of Uttaranchal detained 19 Tibetans last Thursday for taking part in the ‘Return march to Tibet’ and jailed them without any formal charge. The remaining marchers declared that they were determined to continue the march in solidarity with Tibet and against Chinese repression in the region.
“We are marching in solidarity and support for our Tibetan brothers and sisters inside Tibet who are living under a state of siege by Chinese authorities. We must continue to remind the world that Tibetans continue to face killings, beatings, arbitrary detentions and disappearances, an oppressive military presence, and a terrible climate of fear under Chinese occupation,” Tsewang Rigzin, president of the Tibetan Youth Congress, told AsiaNews.
“On Thursday around 50 police came and arrested the marchers, they have not yet been released. The police told us that they had been directed by the central government to stop the return march. We appeal for the immediate release of all those detained and expect that the matter will be resolved peacefully,” said B. Tsering, president of the Tibetan Women's Association.
For China the march is a great provocation for the marchers intend to reach Tibet on foot in time for the start of the Beijing Olympics.
The governments of India and Nepal have expressed their disappointment vis-à-vis the Tibetans living on their territory, warning them that “anti-Chinese acts will not be tolerated.”
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