Tibetan exiles hold vigil in New Delhi over self-immolations by compatriots

New Delhi, Feb 9 (ANI): Exiled Tibetans residing in India held a silent vigil on Thursday in New Delhi over the rising self-immolation cases by their compatriots against Chinese excesses carried out on Tibetan activists and monks.

This comes after a Tibetan set himself on fire in southwestern China in protest against Chinese rule on Wednesday, the latest in a series of self-immolations over the past year.

A group of Tibetan and Buddhist monks demonstrated in the national capital as part of the Global Peace Vigil for Tibet.

Speaking to mediapersons, a protestor Dava Tenzing urged the United Nations to address the matter.

"The atrocities of police are still going on. They are arresting a lot of people and several others are killed. We want the Chinese government to stop this and the United Nations should immediately intervene," he said.

As a peaceful and non-violent protest to demand freedom and basic human dignity, over the last year 19 Tibetans have resorted to self-immolation, out of which 11 succumbed to their burns.

The whereabout of the others are unknown.

Last week, three Tibetans chose to die through self-immolation rather than live a life under Chinese rule.

Social activist Javed Raza who has been supporting the cause from the start showed solidarity with the Tibetians.

"The Tibetans had entered into a 24 hours huger strike starting from yesterday. We have been called here for the conclusion as we have been connected to the cause from the last 50-60 years. It is our moral duty that we are with the Tibetans in all of their protests," he said.

China has increased security in what it calls the Tibet Autonomous Region and other Tibetan parts of the country, following a series of self-immolations and sporadic protests against Chinese rule, mostly in Sichuan and Gansu provinces.

Tibetan advocacy groups say as many as seven Tibetans were shot dead and dozens wounded during protests last month in the Tibetan part of Sichuan province. Police and security forces quelled the protests.

The Chinese government has repeatedly blamed exiled Tibetans for stoking the protests, including spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising.

It rejects criticism that it is eroding Tibetan culture and faith, saying its rule has ended serfdom and brought development to a backward region. (ANI)