'Free Tibet' tag on woolen clothes for sale in Lucknow

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), Nov.28 : Tibetan exiles living in Lucknow city sell woolen clothes with a 'Free Tibet' tag as part of non-violent struggle for freedom of their homeland.

The exiles said that it was yet another peaceful effort to draw attention to the Tibetan cause.

Hundreds of Tibetans, who have been selling woolens in the city for the last 40 years said that during winters a large number of locals come to buy the woolen clothes from them and it is the best way to tell the world about their struggle for Tibet's freedom.

"We want to send this message to the people that our homeland, Tibet is under Chinese control and they should help us in our efforts to free Tibet. That is why, we have these ''Free Tibet', 'Save Tibet' and 'Save Tibet For World Peace' tags on these woolen clothes," said D.H. Dalawah, president, Tibetan Association, Lucknow.

The shopkeepers attending to customers make it a point to show the 'Free Tibet' tag and take out time from their busy schedule to explain the 'Tibetan Freedom Struggle' to the customers.

The People of Tibet across the globe are seeking greater autonomy or independence from

China and have been devising various means to bring to light their cause ever since March 10, the Tibetan uprising day.

"We want to spread awareness among people about the Tibetan freedom struggle. We want freedom and we want the Chinese suppression to end. We want people to know that we are from Tibet originally and we are living here as refugees," said Dava, a shopkeeper.

Over the weekend, Tibetan exiles who huddled in northern Dharamsala to mull over the future course of their freedom struggle, decided to stick to the Dalai Lama's "Middle Way" approach to China, abandoning the dream of an independent Tibet in favor of seeking greater autonomy within China through dialogue.

China has already rejected the Dalai Lama's demands for greater autonomy as being part of a covert plot for independence.

China blames Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and his supporters for instigating the March 14 riots in Lhasa, which later spilled over into the rest of Tibet and neighbouring Chinese provinces with Tibetan populations.

Chinese troops marched into Tibet in 1950 and the Dalai Lama fled the mountainous region in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.

ANI