By Choekyi Lhamo
DHARAMSHALA, March 25: Seven Tibetan protestors were detained for shouting slogans outside the Hyderabad House in New Delhi during the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s official meet with Indian minister of External Affairs Dr. S Jaishankar on Friday. Hours later, all activists who were held at Mandir Marg Police station were released around 6pm as soon as the Chinese minister Wang Yi left the Indian capital.
“There was no contact with them since their arrest three hours ago. However, both the activists from SFT and others from Tibetan Youth Congress have now been released,” activist Tenzin Phakdon from SFT-India told Phayul. The Chinese foreign minister and state councillor landed in New Delhi on Thursday, marking the first high ranking Chinese leader to visit India since the standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), and the clash between the two sides at the Galwan Valley in June 2020.
The activists had previously demonstrated at the airport with placards reading “Wang Yi, you are not welcome!”. Tenzin Lekdhen from SFT wrote, “Wang Yi has no right to talk on the Indo-Tibet border; Tibet’s independence is India’s security.” Tibetan parliamentarian Choedak Gyatso told ANI, “It’s important that the Tibetan issue is raised by both sides. Such a visit by the Chinese foreign minister is a good sign. It’s essential for the two giant Asian countries to maintain positive ties.”
Despite the protest and the subsequent arrests, diplomats from both sides seems to have brushed aside the Tibetan issue. The news reports today suggested that during the meeting with Chinese foreign minister, national security adviser Ajit Doval stressed the need for “complete disengagement” on Line of Actual Control (LAC) to allow the bilateral relationship to take its natural course, according to sources.
