Tibetan conference on 'Freedom, Justice and Equality' begins

Dharamsala, Apr 28: A four-day conference on 'Freedom, Justice and Equality' began here today which is being attended by nearly 50 Tibetan delegates from India and other countries.

Media was barred from the conference organised by US based pro-democracy organisation "Initiatives for China'. "We do not want any media coverage and there would be no official briefing about the conference and also the delegates have been asked not to talk to media about the deliberations," a source close to the organisers said.

Mediapersons were not even allowed to go near the hotel where the delegates were staying. In an e-mail statement, the organiser said, "Media coverage could potentially do more harm than help and could lead to difficulty and even an impediment to the future activities."

The conference was at the centre of a controversy over India denying visa to some well-known rights activists who were to take part in the meet.

The delegates earlier today met Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. Yang Jianli, a delegate, said, "India is a great country. We are thankful to the people and government here for supporting Tibetans, Tibetan issue, Tibetan cause and human rights in general and it's wonderful that they allowed us to have a conference here."

PTI