Reportage – 2008

Dalai Lama returns as Tibetan protests continue

MCLEOD GANJ, India, 29 March 2008 -- Amid posters exhibiting Tibetans who were killed in Ngaba in Sichuan province by the Chinese forces, the Dalai Lama stops to show his appreciation to the Tibetan hunger strikers, as he is passing through McLeod Ganj on his way back from Delhi. He said the hunger strike is an effective means to express resentment non-violently, and said that he heard of fresh Tibetan protests in Lhasa today. [ click here for print size   3.1M ]

DHARAMSHALA, India, 29 March 2008 — Amid posters showing photos of Tibetans killed in Ngaba, and Tibetan hunger stikers demanding that Chinese leaders talk with the Dalai Lama, the Dalai Lama returned to his base in Mcleod Ganj.

The Dalai Lama stopped to interact with the hunger strikers upon his arrival in Mcleod Ganj to show his support and appreciation to them. "Hunger strike is an effective means to express one's resentment non-violently. It is following Gandhi's way," he said to the strikers.

"I stopped because I have the moral responsibility for the hunger strikers, to support and show my appreciation to them."

Speaking to a few mediapersons he said, "I heard people of Lhasa came out in protest again today." No further details were available at the time this report is written.

He strolled about for about 15 minutes, breaking normal protocol, to interact with the strikers and other people who had lined up to welcome him.

He said that the recent Tibetan protests in Tibet and other ethnic Tibetan areas of Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu and Yunan indicate a long-time resentment of the Chinese government by the six million Tibetans.

A series of protests all over Tibet and other provinces of ethnic Tibetans, started since 10 March, left around 140 people dead, mostly Tibetan protestors killed by the Chinese forces, according to the Tibetan government-in-exile. China puts the figure at 19.

There are two million Tibetans in the Tibetan Autonomous Region, and 4 million ethnic Tibetans living in the other four provinces.

"Now the international community is showing concern and solidarity with Tibetans. Hopefully the Chinese leaders will accept the reality."

"Telling lie and pretensions doesn't work. This is the 21st century," he said.