Dharamsala, April 10: The Tibetan government-in-exile has once again appealed to Tibetan people not to resort to violent protest during the Indian leg of the Olympic torch relay on April 17.
“The Kashag (cabinet of the government-in-exile) would once again like to strongly appeal to all quarters of the Tibetan Diaspora to desist from any kind of violent methods, particularly to respect the law of host country and to ensure that the sentiments of the people of this nation are not hurt by our actions when the Olympic Torch relay passes through India on April 17, 2008,” the government’s statement said.
The statement said: “Since March 10, Tibetans from all provinces of Tibet have been peacefully protesting the repressive policies of the Chinese government at the cost of their lives.
“Similarly, those Tibetans who have initiated peaceful protests outside Tibet in solidarity with their brethren in Tibet should remain non-violent.”
Pro-Tibet demonstrators and rights groups have routinely protested the Olympics torch relay ceremony in Athens, London, Paris and San Francisco.
The Dalai Lama has said he favours China hosting the Olympic Games and has repeatedly called on fellow Tibetans not to resort to violence in their protests against China repressive rule in Tibet.
“The Kashag and the Tibetan Solidarity Committee and particularly His Holiness the Dalai Lama have, since the beginning, appealed to all that whatever campaigns they initiate it should be non-violent and peaceful. We are proud to say that majority of the Tibetan people have responded to this appeal favourably,” the statement said.
The Tibetan government yesterday released another urgent appeal to the international legal bodies and governments to help save the lives and ensure proper legal trials of those arrested Tibetans found involved in the recent demonstrations that rocked Tibet.
The Tibetan government sounded concern over the recent reports of Mr. Zhang Qingli, Party Secretary of Tibet Autonomous Region, announcing that all those involved in the recent “riots” in Tibet would be tried and sentenced with strictest measures by the end of April.
Citing available information, statement said Mr. Zhang Qingli at a meeting attended by distric level and above communist party cadres, including government officials, declared that the authority is to adopt four quick procedures that include quick order, quick arrest and quick trial.
“With these orders in place it is very obvious that the authorities in Tibet intend to exercise quick summary trial without proper legal procedures and carry out executions,” the urgent appeal statement said.
According to Dharamsala based Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD), Chinese authorities have so far arrested over 2,300 Tibetans from various parts of Tibet and are currently detained in detention centres located in Townships, Counties and Prefectures in various administrative regions of Tibet.
The Centre said Chinese authorities were stepping up the offensive arrest drive inside Tibet with renewed vigour and fervour.
The rights group yesterday said out of over a 100 monks from Ramoche monastery, around 70 Tibetan monks were arrested in midnight raid on Monday as part of series of major clampdowns on monastic institutions by Chinese authorities.
