Dharamsala, Feb. 25 – As Tibetans and supporters go on a worldwide movement against celebrations of the Tibetan New Year beginning today, an atmosphere of mourning and silence prevails in Tibet.

Media reports indicate Chinese authorities have responded by deploying thousands of armed forces in Tibet, banning foreigners, cutting phone and internet connections and vowing to “crush” any signs of loyalty to the exile Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama.

“The Chinese government is flooding Tibet with troops and attempting to force Tibetans to celebrate the New Year against their will but, in spite of incredible risks to themselves, Tibetans remain defiant,” said Lhadon Tethong, Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet, which initiated several protests during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Meanwhile, the London based Free Tibet Campaign has acquired pictures showing strong military presence in Labrang, a major hub for protests last year against Chinese rule.

A source in the region has informed Free Tibet Campaign of a huge influx of troops into Labrang in early February ahead of the annual Monlam Chenmo festival which traditionally draws large numbers of pilgrims to the monastery town. The source was not able to give an exact number for troops stationed in Labrang but reported that the number had not declined after the Monlam festival, according to the Free Tibet Campaign.

A Lhasa resident told the Radio Free Asia on January 20 that Lhasa was deserted compared to previous years, and instead of pilgrims, armed soldiers and police lined the front of the Jokhang and Ramoche temples, the flashpoints of protests last March. “It is impossible to walk down the street without being afraid,” he said on the phone.

“China has its finger on the trigger in Tibet, with thousands of troops and armed police ready to launch a bloody suppression against even the slightest sign of dissent,” said Tenzin Dorjee, Deputy Director of Students for a Free Tibet.

SFT said solidarity vigils are being held in several cities around the world today and tomorrow, including San Francisco, Santa Fe, Toronto, Boston, New York, London, Lisbon, New Delhi, Dharamsala and Sydney.

Local authorities in Labrang recently announced through local television and radio broadcasts, as well as in local newspapers, that the authorities would not be held responsible for killings or arrests resulting from protests.

The FTC also said police have been searching hotels and guest houses in the town, and also prevented monks from Labrang monastery to access the local internet cafes since February 2. Security officials turned Pilgrims away from the Labrang monastery, it said.

“These pictures prove beyond doubt that China is assembling the apparatus for a lethal crackdown on a huge scale in Tibet. China is pointing a loaded gun at Tibet, but Gordon Brown and Hilary Clinton on her recent trip to Beijing continue to look the other way and refuse to break their public silence on China’s worsening clampdown in Tibet. World leaders must intervene at once to demand that China removes its armed troops from Tibetan towns immediately and opens up the whole region to the unfettered scrutiny of the international media so that the persistent reports of widespread abuses can be investigated,” Director of Free Tibet, Stephanie Brigden, said.