Tokyo – A pro-Tibet rally has been held in Tokyo to mark the first anniversary of massive anti-government protests across Tibetan areas.
About 200 Tibetans and their Japanese supporters gathered in a park in Tokyo on Saturday. A Japanese civic group organized the rally.
A representative of the Dalai Lama’s Japan office, Lhakpa Tshoko, told participants that the Chinese government says only about 20 people were killed during last year’s riots, but that his officials have confirmed more than 260 deaths.
He said the Chinese government is still making life difficult for the Tibetan people.
The rally lasted for more than half an hour. The participants called for freedom for Tibet and demanded an improvement in the human rights situation.
Next Tuesday marks the 50th anniversary of a 1959 uprising, in which Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, fled into exile in India.
A series of rallies are expected in more than 10 countries to protest against the Chinese government.
Chinese officials have been reiterating on state-run media that China has a right to rule the Tibet Autonomous Region, and that it is keeping an eye on rallies in the area.
