Students For A Free Tibet , Kolkata

China think-tank attacks India, calls it ‘arrogant’

2008-04-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

Drimi Chaudhuri, Hindustan Times
Email Author
Kolkata, April 13, 2008
First Published: 23:58 IST(13/4/2008)
Last Updated: 03:15 IST(14/4/2008)

The Chinese military establishment has gone on an overdrive with its anti-Indian rhetoric, calling it “arrogant” and warning it to stay away from a “path of confrontation”.
According to a Chinese defence think-tank, recent military exercises and re-positioning of troops in north Bengal was a kick-start reaction by “an arrogant” India.
Tibet on the Tube Tibet crisis: Pics 'Lethal force used': video
Recent postings on the website of the China Institute of International Strategic Studies had an article titled ‘A Warning to the Indian Government: Don’t Be Evil!’ According to the article on www.chinaiiss.org, the present situation was just like in 1962, when India “misjudged the situation” and initiated a war “with the support of two superpowers”. India is on the “same old path of confrontation with China” at present, the article posted at the end of last month saidThe article further said that with an accelerated military position over the past few decades, India was looking beyond Pakistan “to realise its ambition of becoming a regional and global power”. Further, India considered China its biggest obstacle.
The portal further said that to deal with the “imaginary enemy”, India was stationing its troops along its borders, particularly the Siliguri Corridor and borders it shares with Nepal and Bhutan.
According to Indian officials, although in Mandarin, these commentaries are all published in journals endorsed by the PLA and reflect an alarming image of official Chinese thinking on strategic affairs pertaining to India.
"While the Beijing-based institute is usually headed by a party nominee, several senior members from the Chinese Communist Party are known to write under aliases on its website," said an official at the army headquarters in Delhi. "This particular article, reprinted by many other Chinese websites, is written by one Zhan Lue, who we suspect is a senior and noted party member under a pseudonym."
Indian defence officials also informed that Chinese military journals lifted the rhetoric ever since the Tibetan crisis precipitated and for the first time singled out India, instead of the US, for such severe criticism.
Group Captain R.K. Das, defence ministry spokesman in Kolkata, denied any military build-up or any forward posturing by India. He also found the rhetoric to be misguided. "We both are trying to improve relations for the past 40 years with various confidence-building measures. There is no chance of a probable confrontation with China," he said.

Tibetan protest spreads to eastern India

2008-04-13T03:40:00.000-07:00

April 11, 2008
Updated 21:06:22 (Mla time)
Photo Courtesy:Epoch Times
Agence France-Presse

KOLKATA, India -- Protests by

Tibetans in India spread Friday into eastern Kolkata city, home to thousands of ethnic Chinese, but the demonstrations went off peacefully, reporters and witnesses said.

Nearly 800 Tibetan exiles held a noisy rally against what they called Chinese "atrocities" in their Himalayan homeland and slammed Beijing's crackdown on riots which erupted after protests in Lhasa last month.

The demonstration was the first by Tibetan refugees in Kolkata, home to 8,000 people of Chinese origin who have embraced Indian nationality over the decades.

The Tibetan exiles waved banners and shouted slogans as police in riot-gear kept watch outside a Buddhist temple, witnesses said.

"Release all imprisoned Tibetans," "Stop the killings in Tibet," screamed the protesters who included scores of crimson-robed Buddhist monks.

"We want an end to the bloodshed in Tibet and we want freedom for Tibet," said Dhondup Dorji, a protest leader.

"Our rally is to demonstrate support and solidarity to our brothers and sisters in Tibet who are going through extensive atrocities by the Chinese authorities," he said.

Dorji said Tibetans will also hold candlelight vigils and rallies over the weekend in Kolkata, capital of West Bengal state.

A pro-Chinese Marxist-led leftwing coalition governs the state and has been prodding New Delhi to try to stem the wave of Tibetan protests that have swamped India since last month.

The exiles say more than 150 Tibetans have been killed in China's crackdown on the protests against its rule of the Himalayan region. Beijing says Tibetan rioters have killed 20 people.

India is home to Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who fled after a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule, and at least 100,000 of his supporters.

CPM govt bans Tibet rally in Kolkata, China envoy says absolutely right move

2008-04-13T03:05:00.000-07:00

Posted online: Friday, April 11, 2008 at 0139 hrs

Sabyasachi Bandopadhyay & Mouparna Bandyopadhyay

Kolkata, April 10: Trust the comrades in this city to champion dissent and then clamp down on it — to please Beijing.

Two weeks after it allowed Tibetan activists to hold a candlelight vigil, the CPM-led West Bengal Government has denied them permission to hold a three-day anti-China public rally scheduled to begin today forcing them to go indoors.

Ironically, there were as many as 11 rallies in the city during the day. These included a rally by the Trinamool in Park Circus to protest against the state government’s failure to check prices and a similar one by CPM supporters in Tollygunge to protest against inflation.

“We are shocked and depressed by the government’s decision. It is a democratic country and there is no bar on holding peaceful, democratic protests and rallies,” said D Dorjee, spokesperson for the Tibetan solidarity sub-committee for Kolkata, an outfit of Tibetan students and businessmen in the city.

Praise came from Chinese Consul General in Kolkata Mao Siwei. “This is a correct decision because the Government of India made a commitment to the Government of China that no anti-China rallies will be allowed to take place anywhere in the country,” Mao claimed when contacted by The Indian Express.

When he was told that several such rallies had taken place across India, he said: “I don’t know of other places but I can say that what the Kolkata police have done is absolutely right.”

Members of the Tibetan group had a written permission from the Kolkata Police allowing them to hold the rally and prayer meeting across Metro Cinema in Esplanade. But last night, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Headquarters) Vineet Goyal called them up to say the government had denied them permission. Hundreds of Tibetans from Dharamshala, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Sikkim had already arrived in the city to participate in the rally.

“Deputy Commissioner Goyal called us and said that because of pressure from above they were withdrawing their permission,” said Dorjee.

When contacted, Goyal said: “I am a police official and I have no other option than to abide by the Government’s decision. I have just followed the Government’s orders.”

Said Home Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborty: “Permission cannot be given to all rallies considering the situation and the threat they pose. Without seeing intelligence reports, I cannot tell you why permission to the Tibetan rally was denied.”

Said Kshiti Gowami, West Bengal PWD Minister from RSP: “I think both the Centre and the state are confused about what to do with Tibetans. I believe it is because of the trouble in Darjeeling where many Tibetans live that the government denied permission to them.”

editor@expressindia.com

Don’t trust the Chinese, say Tibetan students

2008-04-09T04:09:00.000-07:00

Kajari Bhattacharya
KOLKATA, April 8: The Indian and Chinese governments may be treading cautiously to cement friendly ties at the cost of the Tibetan cause, but Tibetan students in Kolkata don't think the Chinese can be trusted. “When Tibet was free, India and Tibet had no border issues. With the Chinese ruling in Tibet, first the Chinese invaded India in 1962. Now, they want to lay siege to Arunachal Pradesh. This would never have happened if Tibet were free,” said a 25-year-old Tibetan student in the city.
Dhondup Gyarong, a Tibetan student of BA (General) in Scottish Church College, does not think the Indian government is being wise in choosing to change foreign policy and support China instead of Tibet. “China is a powerful nation and India does not want to have bad relations with their neighbour. But Indians should be aware that one cannot trust the Communist Party in China,” said the member of the 50-member strong Students for Free Tibet (SFT).
Tibetan students said they believe China has good reason to keep Tibet to themselves. “Tibet is geographically located in such a way that China can target each and every country in Asia easily from there. The implications are plain to see,” said Dhondup.
Right from Jammu & Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, several Indian states share the Indo-Tibet border. Of course, many of these regions are not recognised by the Chinese government as Tibet at all.
Members of SFT hail from North Bengal and the North-East, as well as Kolkata. Another member of SFT said the UPA government seemed to be inclined to support China because of their alliance with the Left Front at the Centre. “The BJP, however, still supports the Tibetan cause,” he said. The Dalai Lama doesn't want the people of Tibet to do anything that might disrupt the forthcoming Beijing Olympics. But Tibetan students in Kolkata and North Bengal say “a country where there is neither human rights nor unity does not deserve to host the Olympic Games”. They attribute the difference in opinion to a “generation gap, like the one Indian youths would have with the tenets of Mahatma Gandhi”.
Likening the recent killings in Tibet to the alleged atrocities of the CPI-M in Nandigram, Dhondup said: “When the Chinese government implemented their crackdown on Tibetans this March, no Press was allowed inside. The same happened in Nandigram when the CPI-M brutally 're-captured' the villages.”
While the Dalai Lama is only pushing for autonomy in Tibet, SFT members want a free Tibet. Tibetan students say that it is difficult to trust the Communist Party in China, as they might grant autonomy one day and crackdown the next. SFT will organise a peaceful demonstration at Mayo Road near Mahatma Gandhi's statue on 10 and 11 April, and a hunger strike at Metro Channel on 12 April.

Bhaichung pulls out of Torch relay

2008-04-01T01:38:00.000-07:00

Hindustan Times[Tuesday, April 01, 2008 06:19]
Free Tibet Kick

Dhiman Sarkar
Kolkata March 31 - When the Olympic Torch’s worldwide relay reaches New Delhi next month, Bhaichung Bhutia will not be there. That’s because the India football captain is teaming with those who think China’s isn’t handling the Tibet issue right.

Bhutia didn’t tell the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) as much. Replying to a faxed invitation sent by president Suresh Kalmadi ‘in the first week of March’, Bhutia told the IOA on Monday that he is pulling out of the run from Red Fort to India Gate due to “personal reasons.

”But when HT asked him to elaborate, Bhutia did. “Being invited by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) is an honour but at the moment I sympathise with the Tibetan cause,” he said.

In a career spanning 15 years, football’s latest Padma Shri, like most Indian sports stars, has avoided going public on world politics. But then, Bhutia is from Sikkim and at the moment the hills in his part of the country are abuzz with the sound of protest following widespread violence in Lhasa on March 10.

‘Free Tibet’ posters are a frequent sight on the roads that climb into the Himalayan foothills and having spent time at home recently, Bhutia couldn’t have been immune to that. He is also known to have many Tibetan friends.

Last week, French president Nicolas Sarkozy said he could boycott the Games’s opening ceremony over the violence in Tibet. Foreign ministers of the European Union too have expressed concern. Last month, film director Steven Spielberg resigned from his post as artistic consultant to the Games blaming China for failing to resolve the crisis in Sudan’s Darfur region.

Tibetans Hold Candlelight March, City students, Activists Take Part

2008-03-25T09:32:00.000-07:00

Express news service Posted online: Tuesday , March 25, 2008 at 02:05:04
Updated: Tuesday , March 25, 2008 at 02:27:44

Kolkata, March 24 "Hamara yehi nara hai, Tibet desh hamara hai" was the slogan that echoed on Chowringee Road, as members of Students for a Free Tibet, organised a candlelight march in the city on Monday.

The march was a part of a series of protests held in New Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata against the recent turmoil in Tibet.

The day was carefully chosen to coincide with the lighting of the Beijing Olympic lamp in Greece.

Students of Tibetan origin gathered at Esplanade at 1 pm with anti-china posters and pictures of Dalai Lama.

At 6 pm, they walked down the Metro Channel with candles in their hands, raising anti-China slogans.

The protesters went to Mayo Road and then returned to Esplanade.

Activists from different associations like Matangini Mahila Samiti, Mazdoor Mukhti Samiti and Chatra Chatri Sanghuti Manch also joined the march. Students from Presidency College, Loreto College, Jadavpur University and St Xavier's College also joined them in their protest.

"Our leader (Dalai Lama) believes in non-violent methods of protest, and thus all our demonstrations will be peaceful. I want to free my motherland from the shackles of China," said Goma, a housewife.

"The whole city should come out to protest against the human rights violation in Tibet," said 80-year-old Debu Ghosh Chowdhury, who tried his best to keep pace with the youngsters.

The organisers admitted that it was difficult to gather people, as they are very few Tibetans in Kolkata.

"Most Tibetan families helped us with donations and many of them have even joined us in the march today. We have all the support of the locals," said Pemba Bhutia, a member of Students for a Free Tibet.

Photo courtesy:Reuters and SFT,Kolkata

March 24th , National Day of Action for Tibet,India

2008-03-20T05:34:00.000-07:00

Kolkata Event Details-

Kolkata- Sit in Dharna in Esplanade Junction(Opposite Metro Cinema) and Candle Light March to Park Street circling Mayo Road.
Venue - Esplanade Junction
Time - 12pm
Date -24th March.2008
Event Contacts - Pemba Bhutia-Ph. +919932883275 , email sftkolkata@gmail.com
www.studentsforafreetibetkolkata.blogspot.com
For details of events in other cities visit www.studentsforafreetibetdelhi.blogspot.com

Tibetan Exiles Stage Candlelight Protest on National Uprising Day

2008-03-11T06:37:00.000-07:00

Kolkata | March 11, 2008 1:11:30 PM IST(ANI)

Tibetan exiles participated in a candlelight demonstration here last evening to mark their National Uprising Day.

"We want freedom for Tibet. China should not violate human rights in Tibet. China has promised to International Olympic Committee, that human rights conditions would be better in Tibet before Beijing Olympics. But the promise has not been fulfilled yet, so we want improvement in human rights conditions and Independence of Tibet," said Timud Diye, a Tibetan student.

Members Students for a Free Tibet,India held aloft banners and posters, and also raised slogans decrying what they saw as China's illegal occupation of their homeland.

Earlier this year, Tibetans living in India had urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to raise the Tibetan issue with China.

The Dalai Lama has been campaigning for greater autonomy for Tibet.

The Dalai Lama set up his seat of power in Dharamsala after he and his followers had fled to India in 1959, following a failed uprising against the Chinese occupation of Tibet.

Beijing established direct contacts with the Dalai Lama in 1979, but the dialogue was suspended in 1993.

An estimated 13,40,00 Tibetans live in exile, a majority of them in India and Nepal. (ANI)

M10: Live Updates from the Field

2008-03-10T01:07:00.000-07:00

March to Tibet Launched from Dharamsala;Tibetan Freedom Torch Lit in Olympia

Click here to watch live video footage, hear audio reports and view photos from March 10th protests worldwide.

Over 100 core-marchers left Dharamsala, India this morning on route to Tibet, launching a historic return march to their homeland in the lead up to the Beijing Olympics.

Tibetan Freedom Torch: Tibetans launched the Tibetan Freedom Torch Relay in Olympia today under intense scrutiny and harassment from Greek police and Chinese government officials.

City of Joy Expresses Solidarity with Ronggye A'drak

2008-02-09T04:59:00.000-08:00

Kolkata: A candle-light vigil was organised by Students For A Free Tibet, Kolkata to express support and solidarity with Ronggye A'drak, the Tibetan Nomad who was arrested in Lithang, Chinese-occupied Tibet on August 1, 2007 for publicly calling for Tibet's Independence and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The solidarity meet took place in front of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Mayo Road,Kolkata on November 24, 2007 at 5.30pm and was joined by Tibet activists and supporters from various parts of the city of Kolkata - popularly known as the City of Joy.
Adressing the participants, Naran Haldar, a veteran human rights activist recalled his youth days when there were mass protests in India against the Chinese invasion of Tibet led by Jai Prakash Narain. He also said he was overwhelmed to see so many Indian youngsters still taking interest in issues such as Tibet and raising their voice against Chinese policies in Tibet. The candle light vigil attracted onlookers from the busy junction at Mayo Road and several passers-by joined in to show their support to the Tibetan independence movement. Dhundup Gyarorong from SFT,Kolkata spoke about the human rights situation inside Tibet and urged everyone to participate in the "Beijing Olympics 2008" campaign to unmask China's crimes against humanity. The event was concluded with the singing of the Tibetan and Indian National Anthems and was covered by both news and electronic media such as AFP, AP, Indian Express, Times of India and even the Xinhua News Agency - the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party.