Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Oct. 1: Around 30 youth activists from the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) staged a protest outside the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi on Thursday, coinciding with the 77th founding anniversary of the People’s Republic of China.
The protesters attempted to approach the Chinese Embassy while raising slogans and displaying placards highlighting the Tibetan struggle for freedom and condemning China’s policies in Tibet. The demonstration was organised to draw attention to what the TYC described as the denial of fundamental rights and the suppression of Tibetan identity and culture under China’s colonial rule.
In a statement issued following the protest, TYC President Tsering Choephel “unequivocally condemned” what the organisation described as China’s “continued assertion of sovereignty and political control” over Tibet, East Turkistan, Southern Mongolia, and Manchuria.
The TYC reiterated that “Tibet is never part of China and will never be,” rejecting what it described as the forced invasion and subsequent incorporation of the erstwhile independent state of Tibet. It similarly described the incorporation of East Turkistan, Southern Mongolia and Manchuria as assaults on freedom and accused China of pursuing what it characterised as colonial and imperialist policies through territorial expansion and border incursions.
The TYC further asserted that no Chinese laws or policies, including what it described as colonial laws, would succeed in erasing Tibetans’ “distinct national historical claims, identity and will to determine their own political future.”
Following the protest, the activists were detained by Delhi Police and taken to Mandir Marg Police Station, where they were held for several hours. The organisation said the protesters were subsequently released later that evening.
While China’s National Day celebrations unfolded across China, including a flag-raising ceremony at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square and an official reception attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, independent reporting from Tibet on how the anniversary was observed remains limited amid restrictions on access and information. Previous reporting has documented heightened security and restrictions around National Day events in Lhasa and other Tibetan areas.
The 70th anniversary in 2019 saw official celebrations in Lhasa taking place under heavy security, with restrictions affecting residents’ daily lives.
