Tibetans take out rally in Uttarakhand

Dehra Dun, Mar 10 (UNI) Thousands of Tibetans, including students, women and monks, took out a rally here today to commemorate the 48th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising in Lhasa in 1959.

The people of Tibetan origins from all spheres of life from all over the state gathered at Parade Ground, including students in their uniforms, monks in their maroon clothes and men and women in their traditional attire 'Bakkhu', under the banner of Tibetan Freedom Movement Committee headed by its President Pema Namgyal and took out the rally with protestors carrying placards -- ''We demand Human Rights in Tibet'', ''Freedom in Tibet-Peace in Asia'', ''President Hu Jintao respond to the Dalai Lama Middle Path'', and ''Freedom in Tibet-Stability in China''.

The protestors also demonstrated head bands with ''Free Tibet'' written on them. They distributed pamphlets of His Holyness Dalai Lama's Statement during the rally which went round various places of the city and ended back in Parade Ground.

Spearheading the rally, Pema Namgyal said the Committee had forwarded a letter endorsed by the heads of various Tibetan Organisations to UN Secretary General Ban-Kyi Moon, Chinese president Hu Jintao, UN Human Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Abour, Chinese Ambassador Hua-Jundao and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh mentioning the issues like Nangpa-La incident that occurred on 30th September 2006 in which 41 Tibetans trying to escape through Nangpa-La pass were brutally attacked with machine guns by Chinese Army on the pretext of self-defence.

He said it had also been stated in the letter that construction of 1412-km-long Lhasa Golmund Railway line with forced labour was ''a silent killer of the entire generation of Tibet,'' making them minors in their own country due to huge migration of Chinese people.

Namgyal said the Tibetan community also opposed the 2008 Olympics in China for the reason that the Gold Medals that were to be presented to the winners were illegally dragged out, Silver medals mined and Bronze medals were melted up from Tibet. ''We urge all the international organisations, governments and, particularly, the Government of India to play a constructive role in resolving the Tibetan issue on the basis of the realistic approach of His Holiness the Dalai Lama,'' Namgyal said.

UNI