Dharamsala, March 9: An Italian delegation will join Tibetans in a candle light vigil on Tuesday evening to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Tibetan uprising Day and of being in exile.
The delegation, headed by Mr Cologna Gunther, former president and the board member of Association of Italia Tibet, will take part in a peaceful procession in McLeod Ganj to pay homage to “all those Tibetans who have sacrificed their lives for the just cause of Tibet” after the March unrest in Tibet last year.
The procession will culminate at the Main Tibetan Temple here and the participants will observe a one-minute silence to mourn over the Tibetan victims.
Tibetan Government-in-exile says more than 200 Tibetans were killed and more than a thousands were injured in the subsequent Chinese crackdown. It says more than 5000 people are still under house arrest and more than a 1000 remain missing.
Meanwhile, a group of pro-democracy Chinese activists will also join Tibetan exiles in India to mark the March 10 anniversary of the failed uprising in Tibet against Beijing’s rule.
The Chinese campaigners have travelled to the northern India hill town of Dharamsala, where the Tibetan exile community is based, for ceremonies on Tuesday commemorating the events that forced the Dalai Lama into exile.
“At least 30 members of the Federation for a Democratic China will join our peaceful programmes,” AFP reported Sonam Dagpo, International Relations Secretary of the Tibetan government-in-exile, as saying.
The campaign group, which is based outside China and operates as a political opposition body, would be represented by Chinese members from across the world including Japan, New Zealand and the United States, he said.
“We welcome such solidarity with our peaceful means to resolve the Tibetan issue with China,” Dagpo reportedly said.
“China should understand that we are not seeking independence and also that we are not against the people of China,” he said, repeating the Dalai Lama’s policy to seek only “meaningful autonomy” for Tibet.
Series of peaceful protests and rallies are being planned to mark Tuesday’s anniversary.
