By Phurbu Thinley
Dharamsala, March 25: Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), the largest Tibetan non-governmental organisation based in Dharamsala, India, today launched a worldwide “Tibet Independence Torch Relay” that is eventually planned to reach Tibet on 8 August, when the summer Olympics actually opens in Beijing.
From Dharamsala the torch will go around the world through five continents covering major cities in India, USA, Canada, Belgium, England, France, Australia, Taiwan and Japan, before it forces its way into Tibet via Nepal.
The announcement comes a day after Beijing Olympic torch flame was lit up in the village of Ancient Olympia, southern Greece. The flame-lighting ceremony on Monday was disrupted by protests by press freedom and pro-Tibet groups.
TYC on Tuesday pledged to demonstrate against the Olympics torch from going through Tibet and called for Beijing Olympic boycott “until Tibet is free”.
The group said the Tibet Independence torch relay was launched to highlight “the historical fact that Tibet was always an independent nation until the Chinese invasion in 1949 and to protest the 2008 Beijing Olympic torch relay through Tibet”.
“We request responsible citizens and governments worldwide to stand up against China’s appalling human rights record in Tibet and boycott Beijing Olympics until Tibet is free,” said TYC president Mr Tsewang Rigzin.
Mr Tsewang said that the Tibet Independence torch represented “the promise of Tibetan Youth Congress to continue” its struggle to regain Tibetan independence from China.
Mr Tsewang also said the Tibetan torch was to show solidarity to fellow Tibetans inside Tibet, who, he said, were “brutally suppressed and denied basic fundamental rights and echo their call for independence”.
The group also issued a separate protest statement condemning Chinese government’s “most brutal crackdown on peaceful Tibetan protesters” since the protests began in Lhasa on March 10 and demanded China must immediately stop using force against peaceful Tibetan demonstrators.
Meanwhile, the group said it had temporarily withdrawn from the “Return March to Tibet” saying it had now been taken over by the centralised Tibetan Solidarity Committee jointly led by the Tibetan Parliament and Executive Cabinet of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile.
Mr Tsewang said his organisation was not able to be part of the committee because of its commitment to restore Tibet’s lost independence and to carry out its own set of planned action campaigns. He, however, said his organisation respected the urgent appeal made by the Tibetan Government-in-Exile to tackle the “crisis” situation inside Tibet by forming a centralised and unified movement.
The group said it had informed its worldwide regional chapters of its latest decision.
“We must respect the aspirations of Tibetans inside Tibet who continue to seek independence and at the same time demand for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet,” Mr Tsewang said.
The group also said it will hold a major demonstration later in the evening by setting on fire “Made in China” goods to call for boycott of Chinese products.
Tibetans in Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, has been organising successive protest rallies and hunger strike condemning China’s repressive measures on Tibetan demonstrators. Every evening candle light vigils are being held here to pray for the Tibetan victims killed in violent crackdown by Chinese government.
Tibet’s exiled Government said Monday that the death toll from the demonstrations in Tibet had risen to 140 and released the names and details of 44 identified people.
