Photos from Banspatan

On May 27, an estimated force of 1000 police blocked the entrance to the marchers’ current camp at Banspatan. Police ordered the marchers to turn back or risk being arrested. In response, the marchers immediately crossed a dry riverbed, and staged a Gandhian style sit-in – chanting prayers and singing the Tibetan national anthem. The stalemate lasted for an hour before the police retreated and eventually left the campsite. The same scenario occurred again on May 28.

India arrests “Return March” Tibetan leaders

AsiaNews

Mumbai - The presidents of the five NGOs leading the Tibetan exiles’ “Return March to Tibet” were arrested yesterday morning in Berinath, in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. Tsewang Rigzin (Tibetan Youth Congress), B Tsering (Tibetan Women’s Association), Ngawang Woebar (GuChuSum or former Tibetan political prisoners’ movement), Chime Youngdrung (National Democratic Party of Tibet,) and Tenzin Choeying (Students for a Free Tibet) were still detained by Indian police as of yesterday afternoon.

The five leaders were supposed to meet the District Magistrate of Pithoragarh (Uttarakhand) to appeal for a permit to continue the march. (more…)

Press Release: Presidents of NGOs Arrested

For Immediate Release
May 27, 2008

PRESIDENTS OF TIBETAN NGOs ARRESTED
March to Tibet trucks seized from campsite

The presidents of the 5 NGOs leading the March to Tibet, Tsewang Rigzin, B Tsering, Ngawang Woebar, Chime Youngdrung, and Tenzin Choeying, as well as March coordinator Lobsang Yeshi, were arrested this morning around 9:30am. (more…)

More arrests among participants in return march to Tibet

by Nirmala Carvalho

Nainital (AsiaNews) - Authorities in the northern Indian state of Uttaranchal detained 19 Tibetans last Thursday for taking part in the ‘Return march to Tibet’ and jailed them without any formal charge. The remaining marchers declared that they were determined to continue the march in solidarity with Tibet and against Chinese repression in the region.

“We are marching in solidarity and support for our Tibetan brothers and sisters inside Tibet who are living under a state of siege by Chinese authorities. We must continue to remind the world that Tibetans continue to face killings, beatings, arbitrary detentions and disappearances, an oppressive military presence, and a terrible climate of fear under Chinese occupation,” Tsewang Rigzin, president of the Tibetan Youth Congress, told AsiaNews.

“On Thursday around 50 police came and arrested the marchers, they have not yet been released. The police told us that they had been directed by the central government to stop the return march. We appeal for the immediate release of all those detained and expect that the matter will be resolved peacefully,” said B. Tsering, president of the Tibetan Women’s Association.

For China the march is a great provocation for the marchers intend to reach Tibet on foot in time for the start of the Beijing Olympics.

The governments of India and Nepal have expressed their disappointment vis-à-vis the Tibetans living on their territory, warning them that “anti-Chinese acts will not be tolerated.”

Quit India notice to 5 foreign Tibet marchers

Times of India

NEW DELHI - In a strange move, at a time when the government is promoting “Come to India - Walk with the Buddha” to attract foreign tourists to Buddhist circuit in the country, five foreigners have been given Quit India notice to leave the country within seven days “for participating in a religious activity”.

James Petersen, Lex Pelger and David Huang from US, Maryla Cross from UK and Paul Christians Buntz from Norway were given the notices for “violating the visa rules” by Pithoragarh SP Puran Singh Rawat on Friday as they reached Banspatan in Uttarkhand’s border district with the Tibetan marchers who have been walking towards Tibet since March 10.

While 19 Tibetans were jailed on Friday, the foreigners were detained for a while, given the notice and asked to leave the area immediately. (more…)