TYC to launch ‘Bharat Jagran Yatra’ campaign across India
By Lobsang Tenchoe
DHARAMSALA, Nov 30: Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), the largest Tibetan non-governmental organization in exile will launch ‘Bharat Jagran Yatra’, a month long grass root level campaign across India on Dec 10, World Human Rights Day.
“The campaign aims to raise awareness on the Tibet issue and garner support of the Indian people and government leaders to recognize that Tibet was historically an independent country and is currently an occupied nation by the communist government of China,” Tenzing Jigme, TYC President said at the press conference held today at its headquarter in Dharamsala.
‘Bharat Jagran Yatra’ will kick off on World Human Rights Day, Dec 10 from three different cities, McLeod Ganj (Dharamshala), Salaugara (West Bengal) and Chennai, covering 150 towns and cities all over India.
“This campaign will include travelling from village to village, town to town and city to city where at each stop, public rallies, press conferences, distribution of pamphlets, signing of petitions, and advocacy work would be organized,” TYC President added.
Tenzing Jigme concluded by asserting that Tibet’s independence is the safest guarantee for India’s security and peace along the Himalayas.
“It is in India’s interest that New Delhi officially recognizes Tibet as an illegally occupied nation and leads a regional coalition to pressure China to resolve the issue of Tibet. The buffer zone has now become a war zone and if we want a zone of peace in the region then Tibet must be free,” TYC President said.
TYC’s three core appeals of the campaign are:
1) Appeal to the Indian people to urge their MLA’s to take up the issue of Tibet in their respective legislative assembly
2) Appeal to the government of India to review its policy and recognize that Tibet was historically an independent country and is currently an occupied nation by China
3) Appeal to the India masses and Tibetans to Boycott Products Made in China.
Ten lakh documents will be distributed during the course of the TYC’s month long campaign across India in several different languages which include Tibetan, English, Hindi, Bangla and Kannada.
The documents will contain TYC’s appeal and the geological threats caused by China’s rampant damming across Tibetan rivers among others which adversely effect India as a downstream nation.
‘Bharat Jagran Yatra’ will wind up with the submission of the signed petitions to the Indian Parliament and the Central Government of India in New Delhi.
