Truemors
Dr Sonali JoshiMcLeod Ganj - 14th March 2008
As the
support marchers returned back to McLeod Ganj today, full details of the
arrests and the yesterday's events at Dehra have been coming through. The
number of support marchers is said to be around 20 to 30. The marchers set off
at round 5.30am and were met by the police soon after. Reports say an estimated
100 police came on the scene to arrest all 101 core marchers. As the police
moved in, the marchers sat down and formed a human chain. The police forcibly
arrested the core marchers as those from behind desperately clung on to those
at the front as the police took away ten marchers at a time. The marchers were
asked to show their RC - residence certificate issued to all Tibetan refugees
living in exile. They said they would present their RCs at the border of Kangra.
However, all marchers were arrested at Dehra, a distance of 22 kilometres from
the Kangra district border. In an interview with the Superintendent of Police
conducted by an Indian journalist, he was asked whether the restraining order
premitted the marchers to continue to protest freely within Kangra, to which
the answer was affirmative. Yet, the arrests wer made well within the
boundaries of Kangra district, contradicting this statement.
Together
with the 101 core marchers, Tenzin Choeying , National Director of Student for
a Free Tibet (India), Lobsang Yeshi*** and eight foreign supporters were also
arrested. However, since their names were not taken nor were their passports
inspected, they were deemed not to have been officially arrested by the
authorities. Out of the eight foreigners arrested, three were placed in cells. Four
were from the USA, one was from Poland, one was from Germany, one was from
Canada and one from Scotland. The arrests took place at around 6.45am and the
marchers were held at Jawalamukhi until 6.00pm when they were taken to the
Magistrate. They were charged with disturbing the peace under article 107*** and
were sentenced to 14 days. All core marchers except two who were reported to be
sick have now declared an indefinite hunger strike. One of those reported sick
is said to be currently at the Delek Hospital in Lower Dharamsala, although
this has not been confirmed. Those arrested are being held in a guesthouse
under house arrest.
The
support marchers who returned to Dharamsala said today that following the
arrests, the conduct of the police was very good and they were even entertained
by the music and singing led by the support marchers.
The
marchers are said to have a legal representative from Human Rights Law Network
who had also addressed the core marchers at a workshop organised prior to
commencement of the march.
The
Dharamsala area has now in effect been blocked off with the purpose of
preventing local Tibetans leaving the area.
As these
events were unfolding news of serious clashes has come through from Tibet. Further
to the arrests of around 60-70 monks from Drepung Monastery and Sera Monastery
near Lhasa, it has been reported that many more incidents have been taking
place in Tibet and it is believed that large scale protests have been taking
place all over Tibet. One report has come through of a protest in Labrang, Amdo
of around 5,000 people where it has been reported that a girl aged 16 years old
has been shot dead. Numerous monks and nuns in Lhasa have also started a hunger
strike while all monaasteries and nunneries have been sealed off, in effect
placing all monks and nuns under house arrest.
At 6.00pm
today, another candle lit vigil was held in McLeod Ganj and a statement issued
by the Dalai Lama was read out in which he expressed his deep concern for the
grave events currently taking place inside Tibet. A number of speeches were
given which fulled the collective spirit of the thousands present in the the
crowd. Following these speeches, video footage was screened of various recent
events including the storming of the Chinese Embassy in Delhi by female members
of TYC, Bjork's performance in Shanghai where she called for a free Tibet, the
two youths who scaled the building of the Chinese consulate to raise the
Tibetan flag in place of the Chinese flag and the march from Dharamsala. When
footage of various clashes between protesters and polics was shown, I saw an
old Tibetan women standing close to me, inconsolable as she wept out loud.
For all
of us present in Dharamsala monitoring events as they are happening, this has
been an incredibly emotionally charged week and one that will remain in our
minds, while everyone is deeply saddened by the reactions of the Indian
authorities towards the epic march back to Tibet as well as the incidents
currently taking place in Tibet. Nevertheless, there is an immense collective
spirit throughout Dharamsala amongst the Tibetan exile community as well as
their supporters and there is certainly a feeling that this is only just the
beginning of something of a much greater magnitude that will put China's human
rights situation under the spotlight at this crucial time in the lead up to the
Beijing Olympics.
Dr Sonali Joshi
154d St Paul's Rd I London I N1 2LL I UK
5 Vesterfælledvej 3.tv. I 1750 Copenhagen V I Denmark
+44 78 76 79 67 35 I sonali@day-for-night.org
www.day-for-night.org
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