TYC urges PM Modi to discuss Tibet with visiting Chinese leader
DHARAMSALA, Nov 7: Tibetan Youth Congress, the largest Tibetan NGO in exile on Nov 5 urged Indian leaders including Prime Mininter Modi to make Tibet part of the agenda during talks with the Chinese Vice-President Li Yuanchao, expressesing serious concern on the current critical situation in Tibet.
Li Yuanchao is on a five-day visit to India and will meet with top Indian leaders including, PM Modi, President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice-President Hamid Ansari. Li is the first Chinese Vice-President to have visited India in more than six decades. He arrived in India on Tuesday and visited Aurangabad and Kolkata before travelling to the national capital.
To stop Tibetans from carrying out protests and demonstrations during the Chinese leader’s visit to the Indian capital, Indian police have locked down Samyeling Tibetan settlement (popularly known as Majnukatilla) where most of the Tibetans in the capital stay.
“While we recognize that this meeting is a great opportunity for India and China to push for progress, we strongly urge for Tibet to be a part of the agenda. Indian leaders need to take a proactive approach and not brush aside the issue of Tibet. The current Chinese communist government is directly responsible for the current spate of tragic events unraveling inside Tibet including human rights violations and restriction on freedom of religion,” TYC said in a statement.
TYC also stressed that a free Tibet and a Tibet without China’s military presence is the only way to ensure lasting peace and security for India.
“On the issue of border we are very clear – we believe that a lasting peace and security for India lies only in a free Tibet. A Tibet without China’s military presence is the only assurance you can have of an India free from constant Chinese incursions as well as ludicrous claims on the borders. Therefore, such issues make it highly relevant for the Tibet issue to be discussed,” said Tenzing Jigme, President of TYC.
Over a 140 Tibetans have self-immolated inside Tibet since 2009. Random protests are taking place across the plateau, demanding the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and freedom for Tibet.
Some Tibetan protesters have also called for an independent Tibet.
