Prague, March 10 – As many as 271 local, municipal and regional councils in the Czech Republic are flying the Tibetan flag on 10 March, joining the Flag for Tibet campaign. The support for the campaign, which was first joined by the country in 1996, is steadily growing every year. Just four towns joined in the first year, while in 2004 it was 237. This is in spite of the fact as unofficial information suggests that Chinese Embassy officials have made a tour of major Czech towns in a bid to convince the mayors not to fly the Tibetan flags.
In addition to the official places, the flag will be hoisted by numerous schools, libraries, clubs and households throughout the country. The event is even joined by a church in Prelouc and an astronomical observatory in Vlasim. A huge Tibetan flag is going to be painted on the pavement at a central square in the town of Ostrava.
A wide range of events marks the 46th anniversary of the Tibetan Peoples Uprising. They include discussions, concerts, xhibitions, parties, talks, film screenings, thugpa tastings etc. The ever-growing variety of events in support of Tibet is also reflected by the media which increase the coverage year by year.
Events in support of Tibet on and around 10 March are now a strong tradition in the Czech Republic. In 1990 Czech president Vaclav Havel was the first head of state to officially invite His Holiness the Dalai Lama and in 2003 the countrys capital hosted an international TSG conference.
