‘Free Tibet’: Protests in Dharamshala Mark 60 Years of Uprising

March 10 was the 60th anniversary of the Tibet uprising, which forced the Dalai Lama into exile.

hYouth organisations of Tibetan exiles held marches in Dharamshala, New Delhi and other places in India.

(Photo: Reuters)

Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam

Thousands of Tibetans gathered in Himachal Pradesh’s Dharamshala on Sunday, 10 March, to commemorate 60 years of the Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule that drove the Dalai Lama into exile.

Supporters of the spiritual leader gathered in Dalai Lama’s temple in mountainous Dharamshala, where the government-in-exile was established after fleeing the deadly Chinese crackdown in Tibet in 1959.

‘Free Tibet’

Protestors, some of whom had painted their faces with “Free Tibet”, waved the colourful ‘snow lion’ flag, which China has outlawed as a symbol of separatism. They shouted slogans such as "Leave Tibet" and "What we want? We want freedom.”

“We are commemorating the 60th National Uprising Day today at Dharamsala. The message is that Tibetan people have suffered for the last 60 years. But we continue to fight for the freedom of Tibet. Despite oppression by the Chinese, they continue to struggle peacefully.”

Sonam Dagpo, Secretary, International Relations, Central Tibetan Administration

"Tibet belongs to Tibetans," Prime Minister-in-Exile Lobsang Sangay said in a fiery speech to the gathering.

"Sixty years of the occupation of Tibet and the repression of Tibetans is too long," he was quoted as saying by The Economic Times.

60th Anniversary of Tibetan Uprising

Performers dressed in traditional attire danced and recited Tibetan songs at the Dalai Lama Temple in Dharamsala.

Tibetan activists also took out a march in Delhi. They put up posters and hoisted the Tibetan flag hoisted in the national capital to mark the 60th anniversary of the uprising

Nearly five decades after the abortive uprising, in 2008, anger exploded in a series of protests in and around Tibetan capital Lhasa, which culminated in attacks on Chinese individuals and businesses.

(With inputs from The Economic Times, AP)