Pro Tibet peace march in New Delhi

New Delhi, August 4 : The activists and supporters of Himalayan Committee for Action on Tibet took out a peace march here on Monday in solidarity with Tibetans fighting inside Tibet and for all those fighting for the cause of free Tibet elsewhere.

Hundreds of Tibetans and others from Himachal Pradesh supporting the Tibetan cause marched through the streets shouting slogans and chanting religious hymns.

The protestors said that they had nothing personnel against China but they wanted china to vacate Tibet.

"We do not have any personal fight with China. We just want peace and stability in Tibet. We want the independence of Tibet," said Kalsan Tangmeri, a protestor.

The members strongly condemn the alleged Chinese government's way of handling the recent Tibetan people's 'peaceful' protests in Tibet and the ongoing rampant human rights violations in Tibet.

"Unless the Indian government supports us the independence of Tibet is very difficult. That's the reason our slogan is "We are one, independence of Tibet is security of India" this is the main point and so the Indian government should support us," said Shanti Devi, another protestor.

As the Olympics approach, Tibetans are trying to reinvigorate their freedom movement and protest against what they see as China's illegal occupation of their homeland.

The aim of such solidarity and peace marches is to attract the attention of the international community towards the Tibetan cause.

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.

China has controlled Tibet since People's Liberation Army troops marched into the region in 1950 and Beijing considers Tibet as an integral part of its territory.

Critics accuse China of repressing Tibetans' religious aspirations, especially their veneration for the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

China says it has spent billions of dollars developing the impoverished Himalayan region, and raised its living standards.

ANI