Tibetan Uprising

For Immediate Release
May 20, 2008

No stop for March to Tibet despite warning from local authorities

Dharamshala - More than 300 Tibetans marching back to Tibet are determined to continue their March to Tibet despite warnings from the authorities in Pithoragarh District, which is adjoined to the Tibet border. Contrary to May 19 media reports, the March has not been stopped by the local authorities. The March organizers have decided to camp at Seraghat for a few days in order to assess the situation and discuss the matter with the authorities.

On May 16, local authorities visited the campsite of the marchers at Seraghat to warn them of the possibility of being stopped at some specific cordoned area citing “security reasons.”

The Organising Committee and the marchers remain committed to upholding the principles of non-violent direct action and to seeing this March continue.

All the Marchers dream of reaching Tibet and in order to realize that dream, the Organising Committee has been discussing the matter with the local authorities. They are striving to resolve the issue so that the marchers will be allowed once again to hit the road that leads to their homeland. “Through our contacts so far, we are very optimistic that the matters will be resolved soon,” said Dr. B. Tsering, one of the Presidents of the organizing NGOs of the March to Tibet.

The March to Tibet started on March 10 from Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, and reached Seraghat after traversing through many states over the course of 68 days. On the fourth day of the March, the first group of 100 Core Marchers were arrested and put under judicial custody for 14 days. However, a second group of 48 Tibetan exiles resumed the March two days after the arrest and were joined by the first group soon after their release.

Tibetans living in exile in India launched the March to Tibet as part of the Tibetan People’s Uprising Movement. This historic movement aims to revive the spirit of the Tibetan National Uprising of 1959, and by engaging in non-violent direct action to bring about an end to China’s illegal occupation of Tibet.

Contact:
Tsewang Rigzin: 9805 297 259 (President, Tibetan Youth Congress)
B.Tsering: 9418 792 810 (President, Tibetan Women’s Association)
Ngawang Woebar: 9418 102 483 (President, GuChuSum)
Chime Youngdung: 9418 069 179 (President, National Democratic Party of Tibet)
Tenzin Choeying: 9816 368 335 (National Director, Students for a Free Tibet, India)