Determined Tibetan youth sets on solo ‘March for Freedom’
DHARAMSALA, 2 Nov: Inspired by peace march for Tibet from Manali-Delhi, a Tibetan youth embarked on a solo ‘March for Freedom’ from here, the exile headquarters of the Tibetan people till Nathula (pass) in the Himalayas in East Sikkim district that borders Chinese occupied Tibet today.
A modest event at the main square here in Mcleod Ganj, attended by representatives of various Tibetan NGOs and local Tibetans marked the beginning of Tenzin Dhondup’s over 2,000 km solo march for Tibet’s freedom.
“The purpose of this march is to bring light to the continuous exploitation of Tibet’s natural resources by the Chinese Communist Party that not just affects Tibetans, but greatly affects the world, particularly the South-East Asian countries,” said Tenzin Dhondup before he embarked on the over two thousand long km solo march on foot.
The Tibetan youth declared that Tsering Dhondup, 47, Tsering Wangdue, 45, and Chungdak, 65 who undertook peace march for Tibet from Manali-Delhi in September inspired him to march for Tibet’s Freedom.
“It moved and inspired me to see elderly Tibetans take to peace march from Manali-Delhi. We got to do some for our cause,” the lone marcher said and added that he hopes his individual initiative will inspire other Tibetan youths as well.
Dhondup said he sought guidance and assistance from Tibetan Youth Congress, the largest Tibetan NGO in exile once he made up his mind to march for Tibet and declared that if he undergoes any untoward incident during the march, “no one should be held responsible.”
The Tibetan youth demanded urgent attention to the decorating environmental situation in Tibet, the boycott of products made in China to punish Beijing for the recent attack on the Indo-Tibet border and urged the world to accept Tibet as an occupied country.
Dhondup thanked Tibetan Youth Congress, Tibetan Women’s Association, National Democratic Party of Tibet, Gu Chu Sum and Students for a Free Tibet as the representatives from these organisations accompanied him for a solidarity march till Gangchen Kyishong, the Central Tibetan Secretariat.