Students for a Free Tibet-India Urge the MPs to Talk Tibet at the Parliament Session/ENG

2012. március 25./ITN/TibetPress

Delhi, January 25: With the session currently ongoing in the Indian Parliament, Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) - India initiated a lobby campaign since early March urging the Indian Parliamentarians to Stand Up for Tibet by highlighting the ongoing crises in Tibet at the Parliament and ask the Foreign Minister Mr. S M Krishna to make a public statement condemning China’s crackdown in Tibet.

The lobbying comes at a time when the President of China, Hu Jintao, will be attending the fourth BRICS summit in Delhi on 28th March, where many presume it will be his last visit to India before he steps down as the party head this October/November 2012.

Since February 2009, Tibet has now witnessed 30 cases of self-immolation with Sonam Dhargye, a 43 year old Tibetan farmer, from Rebkong (Chinese: Tongren) County of Malho (Chinese: Huangnan) Prefecture, Qinghai, being the latest Tibetan to set himself on fire on 17 March, 2012.  

“At a time when Tibetans inside Tibet are brutally oppressed and making ultimate sacrifices, it is highly crucial that world leaders intervene and pressure China to bring an immediate end to the crackdown in Tibet before more Tibetan lives are lost ” said Tenzin Jigdal, Program Director of Students for a Free Tibet-India. “Everyone we have met in the Indian Government expressed their concern on the tragedy unfolding in Tibet and assured to highlight the issue before the Parliament and to the Government.”

With members from both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, SFT-India met six Members of the Indian Parliament:
Shri  C.M. Chang: IAS (Rtd.)
Nagaland People’s Front
Hon’ Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha.
Shri Prem Das Rai:
Sikkim Democratic Front
Hon’ Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
Shri Tathagata Satpathy:
Orissa
Biju Janata Dal
Hon’ Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari
Uttarakhand
Bharatiya Janata Party
Hon’ Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
Shri Sharad Yadav
Bihar
Janata Dal (United)
Hon’ Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
Shri Maheshwar Hazari
Bihar
Janata Dal (United)
Hon’ Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) works in solidarity with the Tibetan people in their struggle for freedom and independence. We are a chapter-based network of young people and activists around the world. Through education, grassroots organizing, and non-violent direct action, we campaign for Tibetans’ fundamental right to political freedom. Our role is to empower and train youth as leaders in the worldwide movement for social justice.