Tibetans boycott Losar celebration, stage protest in Delhi

New Delhi/Dharamsala, Feb 25 (ANI): On the first day of their New Year celebration, Tibetans in exile staged a protest rally boycotting the Losar celebration.

Carrying Tibetan flags and shouting slogans against the Chinese Government, the protesters demanded international intervention to end the alleged atrocities by the Chinese against the Tibetans in Lhasa.

"Through this campaign, we want to voice our resentment to the Chinese government. We want to appeal to the international community, United Nations, European Parliament, respective countries and individuals to bring some constructive events to our struggle," said Thupden, President, Tibetan Youth Congress, New Delhi.

Boycotting the Losar celebration, the Central Tibetan Administration assembled in the main monastery of Tibetan's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala and offered prayers to show their solidarity with those killed in the last 50 years.

"Our government and people are not celebrating Losar this year to show solidarity with the Tibetans, who have been killed in the last 50 years and particularly last year when hundreds of Tibetans were killed under the Chinese crackdown," said Dawa Tshering, member of Tibetan Parliament in-exile.

The protest also gains significance as the 50th anniversary of the exile of Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who fled to India after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, comes close.

Tibetans living in exile contend that Chinese atrocities have increased since the Tibetan uprising in Lhasa in March 2008, whereas China blames the Dalai Lama led clique for instigating unrest in that region. (ANI)