Lhasa Fallout: Tibetans on Edge

NEW DELHI: Two days after a group of Tibetan women clashed with the police while trying to storm the Chinese embassy in New Delhi, and a long march to Tibet was halted by police in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, there was an uneasy calm in Tibetan settlements across the country on Friday.

And, with reports of local people throwing stones at the Chinese army vehicles in Tibet trickling in, the Tibetan diaspora in India seems to be in the grip of excitement and nervousness.

While the situation in Dharamsala – headquarters of the Tibetan government-in-exile – was calm, there was tension in neighbouring Mcaleodganj in view of proposed ‘Return to Tibet’ march on Monday by five Tibetan NGOs – Tibetan Youth Congress, Tibetan Women’s Association, Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet, National Democratic Party of Tibet and Students for a Free Tibet.

The march coincides with the 49th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising in protest against China’s “illegal” occupation of Tibet ahead of the Beijing Olympics.

It was business as usual for Tibetans, living in Dharamsala and other parts of Himachal, who said they wanted freedom through peaceful means.

Tinzen, a hotel-owner, said there was no impact on his business with customers including foreigners coming in large numbers. Lobsang Wangyal, organiser of Miss Tibet pageant who is also holding Tibetan version of the Olympics in Dharamsala in May, said there was no fallout of the unrest in Lhasa.

However, the exiled government distanced itself from the march, saying it was an initiative by five NGOs. Samdhong Rinpoche, a senior minister of the exiled government, said his office had nothing to do with the march.

Protest rallies were taken out at Dehradun in Uttarakhand where about 15,000 Tibetans live. Tsewang Baldon, who participated in the protest rally on March 12, said: “In Tibet, things are getting worse with each passing day… We don’t like violence. But no one is listening to us.”

Tibetans in Mysore and Chamarajnagar districts of Karnataka held a candlelight vigil in an expression of solidarity with the protesters. A Tibetan community leader said the Indian government’s action was unwarranted since they were protesting non-violently.

“We were following Mahatma Gandhi’s principles and were held. This has disappointed us the most,” the leader told TOI, adding the first batch of protesters who would set out from Dharamasala to Tibet on Monday had representatives from the five settlements in Karnataka.

“Why is it that we are being targeted by India, which has provided us asylum all these years,” asked 45-year-old Psering Lhundup, an agriculturalist based at Bylakuppe. “It’s India which gave the world the principle of Ahimsa. And when we are trying to argue our case through non-violent ways, we are targeted,” he added.

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