NE Tibetans protest China's crackdown

Guwahati, Apr 8 (UNI) Protests against China resounded in North East today with about 500 Tibetans from the region sitting on a hunger strike, led by their parliamentarians in-exile Karma Yeshi and Dawa Tsering.

Today's hunger strike, organised by the Tibetan Solidarity Committee, NE India, would be followed by a ''funeral procession to mourn China's massacre in Tibet'' tomorrow and a skit show on the present situation in Tibet the day after. Besides candle light vigils and daily prayers, would be held.

The NE has a sizeable Tibetan population, mostly concentrated in Arunachal Pradesh.

The Tibetans in NE had been mobilizing public opinion against China's brutal crackdown on non-violent demonstrations by Tibetans and had held previous meetings in the region.

The demonstrators in Guwahati said their protest was to express solidarity with their countrymen, 'who are suffering under the tyranny of Peoples Republic of China inside Tibet'.

They urged for a more-proactive role of the international community, including India, to pressurize China to check the 'brutal crackdown' in Tibet, release all political prisoners, dispatch independent fact finding international representatives to Tibet and lifting of media ban and free movement of press in Tibet.

UNI SG PL MSJ GC1515