By Tenzin Choephel
Phayul Correspondent
Kathmandu, March 26: Over 500 Tibetans took part in a candle light vigil led by Nepal Tibet Solidarity Committee (NTSC), which was formed on 22 March, in Kathmandu’s Boudha compound on Wednesday.
Tibetan Government-in-Exile recently constituted a Tibetan Solidarity Committee to enforce Tibetan exiles and supporters to organize and carry out solidarity movement under the newly constituted centralized committee. Official representatives have been dispatched to coordinate regional activities in different parts of the world according to the guidelines laid out by the committee.
The head of the Tibetan Youth Congress, Mr Tsewang Rigzin, however, on Tuesday announced that his organisation would not 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.
The Organisation central office, based in Dharamsala, also said it had temporarily withdrawn from the “Return March to Tibet” saying it had been taken over by the centralised committee. The organisation also pledged to demonstrate against the Olympics torch from going through Tibet and called for Beijing Olympic boycott “until Tibet is free”, a stand not approved by the Solidarity Committee.
In Nepal, Wednesday’s candle light vigil is the committee’s first coordinated campaign to highlight the “urgent and crisis” situation inside Tibet following Chinas brutal crackdown on Tibetan demonstrators since March 10.
The unusually silent candle-lit vigil also comes after more than two weeks of continuous protests by Tibetans on the streets of Kathmandu mainly led by the regional chapters of Tibetan Youth Congress and Tibetan Women’s Association.
A public ‘sangsol’ (incense offering) was organized at the community centre and the prayer session was held till late in the afternoon today.
Around 4:00PM, all the Tibetans led by monks and nuns walked towards Bouda in lines by praying and displaying placards calling on the Chinese Government to negotiate with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
The procession called on Chinese government to stop repression in Tibet and to allow independent fact finding delegation into Tibet.
The participants lighted up their candles and walked around the Boudhanath Stupa once and then returned back to the community center that did not last more than one and half hour.
A participant later confided to Phayul that NTSC was given permission only to restrict the procession within the Boudha compound and not to walk on the main street.
In a new development, no one shouted any slogan and the vigil protest went on without any major obstacle from the Nepal Police. Interestingly, not a single placard mentioned slogans calling for ‘Free Tibet’ or made references to Olympic Games in Beijing. Not even a Tibetan National Flag was displayed during the procession.
A young Tibetan participant said, “This is nice, but this form of protest might not garner any media coverage.” “So far all attention was due to active demonstration by individual Tibetans” the participants said, adding “regulating protest and accepting repression might not boost our cause”.
Others are of the opinion that such a shift in approach will lead to some major ideological and approach difference amongst Tibetans living in Nepal.
Some 71 Tibetans were arrested at around 10.30 AM and detained for protesting in front of the Chinese Consulate yesterday, and were released late night at around 10:00PM. They were rearrested within half an hour and taken to police custody, and were questioned, photographed and forced to accept bond not to take part in any future demonstration.
A Tibetan lady Nima Dolkar, who has been participating in protest since 10th March, arrested 5 times, says she was particularly interrogated by the Police. She said she was threatened with legal action that would end up in deportation to Tibet.
Another woman Tsering Bhuti said she was interrogated alone by a police officer after she refused to stop from participating in protests against China.
She said: “The officer interrogated me and he started closing the window curtains. I was so scared of his intentions and I cried and tried to open the door; that time he rang the bell and another officer opened the door from outside and I was able to join my friends.”
