Exiled Tibetan hold candlelight procession against Olympics

Varanasi/Manali/Kolkata, Aug 8 : Exiled Tibetans organised candlelight processions in three Indian cities on Thursday in protest against China hosting the 24th edition of Olympic Games.

Processions were held in the cities of Varanasi, Kolkata and Manali.

With the Olympics beginning in Beijing today, the Tibetans are trying to highlight China's illegal occupation of their homeland and their demand for freedom.

"There is breach of human rights in China. There is no peace and truth in that country but still they are holding Olympics. We are against Olympics in that country. We don't have any problem if any other country hosts Olympics. But a country where there is lot of bloodshed and violence should not be allowed to host Olympics," said Tisha, a Tibetan protester.

Tibetans believe that China should not be allowed to hold the Olympics because of its poor human rights record.

"Olympics should be held in that country where there is freedom and human rights. Chinese, they never give freedom to the people of Tibet. But they are going to hold Olympics there, because they wanted to show something to the world. They say something and do something," Karam Sithere, Vice President, Tibetan Kullu-Manali Association.

In Kolkata, students under the banner of 'Students for Free Tibet' (SFT) raised anti-China slogans and blamed it for "human rights violation."

They said that they wanted to make the world aware of their problems by staging such demonstrations.

"We are opposing Chinese for the Olympics. The country which violates human rights doesn't deserve to have Olympics," said Dhondup, a coordinator, SFT.

Over 25,000 Tibetans are expected to gather in New Delhi on August 8 to participate in a mass demonstration campaign and appeal the world community to boycott the Beijing Olympics.

ANI