huge, apparently invisible, protest against China's violence against Tibet
A friend of mine who is currently in India emailed the following report:
On August 8th, a protest in Delhi commenced with an
attendance of nearly 25,000 people, organized by the
Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC). It was in protest of
the 2008 Olympics in China, asking for recognition of
the crimes against human rights that the Chinese are
inflicting, an inquiry into the Chinese inflicted
human rights violations by the International Olympic
Committee (IOC), and asking to work toward the freedom
of a people under genocide. The protest was
monumental, unlike anything I've ever seen in my life.
However, I believe that it was done largely in vain.
Many of you are probably thinking "I'm surprised I
didn't read about this in the news." Well, the reason
for that is that there was positively no
international, or regional press outside of the
Tibetan community. I checked the internet, and others
checked the Indian newspapers and television. The
only mention of it was in Tibetan news. The rest of
the world ignored us. The Indians suppressed us. All
our struggle and work gained no recognition, we were
assisted no help. Thus I feel it is my duty to report
to you the events that occurred as I saw them in the
hope that you will all pass them along to others so
that even a few may hear our story, that our efforts
may not be completely in vain.
A little background info is needed, as this was not a
simple event, people didn't just congregate on a
single day. It has been in the works for a long time.
The Tibetans were outraged at the announcement that
the 2008 Olympics will be held in Beijing, China. To
them, this was a blatant disregard for their struggle,
and the innumerable human rights offenses that China
inflicts upon them every day. The Principles of the
International Olympics Committee stated: "Respect for
universal fundamental ethical principles to contribute
to building a peaceful and better world through sport.
Encouraging a peaceful society with the preservation
of human dignity." So far there is absoultely no
indication that the human rights of Tibetans will be
improved by bringing the Olympics to China. In fact,
so far, it has almost made them worse. To the Tibetan
community, they see that by bringing the olympics to
China, the international community is excusing the
Chinese government of its offenses and ignoring the
atrocities that they are committing.
The demands of the protest were simple, and clearly
stated by all of the people who attended. There were
5 main demands: Information about the well being of
the 11th Panchen Lama (who has been missing since
1995, considered one of the the youngest political
prisoners in the world). Freedom (or proof of fair
trial) for those Tibetans imprisoned unjustly, without
fair trials for their simple acts of protest against
the Chinese (such as Tulku Tenzin Delek - sentenced to
life imprisonment). They demanded that PRC
(People's Republic of China) give concrete evidence
that Tibetans in Tibet are enjoying human rights.
They want evidence for the claim that the railway
going to Lhasa (which has caused a massive migration
of Chinese into Tibet, considerably hurt the
environment, exploited natural resources, etc) has
improved the lives of the Tibetans as they were
previously assured it would. Finally, with the
assurance that the IOC wishes to improve the human
rights situation in Tibet through the Beijing
Olympics, the Tibetans demanded that they produce
evidence that this will be upheld and that the human
rights situation inside Tibet is indeed acceptable.
This protest has been organized for a long time, and
various events have been happening in preparation of
it. Many small protests have happened here, as well
as latter writing, and constant pleading to the
International community and the IOC to recognize their
struggle, and try to stop the Olympics in China.
There were also various sports events held as the
Tibetans wish to be a part of the Olympics as their
own independent country, so they held their own
sporting events in protest of being left out of the
Olympics. Probably the most amazing of these events
was the commencement of an indefinite hunger strike
(as the Tibetans practice non-violent protest, using
Mahatma Gandhi as a model) by 14 people. These
people all stated that as long as the Chinese were
playing the Olympics in China, they would not eat,
even if it meant death. The people were men and
women, monks and lay people, old and young, from
various backgrounds. Their strength was beyond
anything I'd ever seen. In Mcleod Ganj they showed
photos of the protesters at different points in their
strike. By the time the protest started (day 32 of
the hunger strike), most of them resembled skeletons.
It was incredible.
People from all over India and also Nepal came for
this event. The monasteries in South India
practically emptied, and the monasteries provided
money to the monks if they did not have enough for the
journey. The Tibetan Youth Congress also helped by
providing busses and other transportation for most
people. For some of them it was a 4 day journey on
uncomfortable busses and trains, but they still came.
For about a week before the actual protest happened,
people were flooding into Majnu Ka Tilla (the Tibetan
colony in Delhi) until it was bursting at the seams.
Various places were found such as schools for all the
extra people to sleep in at night. Not only was every
room and hotel occupied in Majnu Ka Tilla and the
surrounding area, but even every private room in the
area was packed past capacity as many people had
stayed with friends, and ended up covering every bed
and all the space on the floor.
It was a difficult decision for all those who
participated to actually decide to come to the
protest. They were not worried about their immediate
safety as they figured that the worst that the Indian
police would do was put them in prison for 2 or 3 days
(and all of my friends have told me that they didn't
care about that at all, the Indian prisons are a cake
walk compared to the Chinese ones that most of them
were in). The problem is that many people still have
the dream to one day return to Tibet, and that becomes
more difficult and dangerous the more you protest.
Especially in a really sensitive protest like this,
there were sure to be many Chinese spies taking
pictures and recording who was there, so those people
would surely have a harder time going back if they
decided to. For this reason, many people covered
their faces, especially when there were cameras
around. But it was intensely hot and humid there, so
keeping a cloth over your mouth and nose was more
difficult than it seemed. Even I was warned to be
careful before I left as apparently westerners who
participate to much in these have been known to be
deported, or refused later visas. Perhaps because of
this, or perhaps because they were just uninformed, I
was among about a dozen westerners that I saw in the
protest. One of only 4 or 5 who I actually saw
participating.
Now we come to the actual protest. I can only give my
own account of what my experience was, but I will try
to display the facts of the protest as well as I can.
I arrived with a group of Tibetan friends in Delhi the
morning of the protest on the the 8th. We were some
of the last to arrive there as people had been
flooding in for days. We were given a place to store
our bags, and we found an outside spigot to wash our
faces and teeth, then we were off. Many people took
the subway or taxis, but we were also given busses to
takes us to the protest at the Chinese Embassy. When
we got there, thousands had already gathered. They
were chanting slogans against the Olympics and the
Chinese. The hunger strikers were also there, they
had been stationed there for the duration of the
strike. Everyone was dressed up in shirts with
anti-Chinese or pro-Tibetan freedom slogans, they wore
Tibetan flags around their necks or as bandanas, and
often had a Tibetan flag painted on their face. Some
had more elaborate costumes depicting torture victims,
etc. Tibetan flags waved overhead in all directions,
and nobody was empty handed, those who had not brought
their own were given flags, banners or signs to carry
and display. About 2/3 of the people there were
monks, and it looked like a massive sea of red robes
and colorful Tibetan flags. It was a beautiful sight.
The heat was oppressive that day, and despite being in
the middle of the the long rainy and dark monsoon
season the day ended up being a beautiful clear day of
full sun. People were desperately searching out
bottled water, and the Indian merchants made a fortune
bringing them through the crowd as we bought them by
the box at high prices. The painted faces smeared and
ran from the sweat rolling off them. The shady spots
under the few trees filled with people desperate to
escape. The dirt from the roads clung to our sticky
legs and hands until we were all a darker color,
except the parts of us which were red from sunburn.
But this didn't stop people at all. These people were
on a mission, a mission for the freedom they had
longed for their entire lives.
The Tibetans mainly believe in non-violent protests,
and this one kept that tradition alive. For hours
people were walking up and down the streets chanting
slogans for freedom (mostly in Tibetan), condemning
the actions of the Chinese government and pleading for
help. In the afternoon several speeches were given by
prominent Tibetan and Indian politicians and
activists. In one of the speeches, they announced
that the protest would last all night until 9am the
next morning, and that they were all participating in
the hunger strike until morning. As my friends and I
had no other place to stay since we had arrived late
and every hotel that we knew of and the rooms and
floors of our friends homes were already filled past
capacity, we decided that we would also stay there
that night, even though we had nothing with us but the
flags that we carried in our hands and the clothes on
our backs.
Near the end of the speeches, I saw a sudden burst of
smoke and flame rise up above the heads of the people
in the crowd. The crowd immediately stood up, and
being a fairly short person myself I could not see
above them. I asked a tall friend next to me what was
happening and he replied that he also couldn't quite
see, but he thought someone had set a Chinese flag on
fire. I took the answer, but didn't quite believe it
as this was to big of a commotion for such a small
act. Then a minute later, I understood what happened.
I saw many people from the TYC rush to the scene, and
a second later an ambulance car arrived to quickly
load someone in, and rush off. Once I saw the
ambulance I knew that a person had set himself on
fire. The non-violence in our protest had now ended,
as people were now harming themselves. Many years
ago, one person did this in Delhi, and it ended in his
death. The Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Community were
all moved by this action, but still condemned it as to
inflict harm that severe on oneself is very bad in the
Buddhist religion. It also has negative effects on
the protesting movement. For many years it was not
repeated, but when the Chinese President visited India
less than a year ago, another person did this. We
were afraid this was going to start a trend, and
unfortunately, it did. At this point, the Tibetan
people are getting so desperate for help, and for
attention from the international community to
recognize their struggle, that they are resorting to
actions this severe. They are sacrificing their own
lives by inflicting their own deaths in the vague hope
that it could help to free their people.
At that point, I felt a change in the protest. In
some ways, people had strengthened. Not only from a
rest while they got to sit down and listen to
speeches, but also they were moved by the action of
the self combustion. But this also caused worry and
fear for the Indian police we knew would not tolerate
these severe actions. They had already allowed the
hunger strike to go on for over a month, and sat by
and watched while nearly 25,000 people gathered next
to the embassies of countries much more powerful than
them. We all wondered what would happen next, and I
grew less and less comfortable about our safety and
ability to finish this protest as planned.
After the speeches, they again began marching and
protesting but alternated that with prayers and
chanting done by the monks, which allowed the people a
little time to rest and recover while keeping their
spirits up with the prayers. After a little more
protesting, many left, retreating to their homes for
food and rest. Some returned later, but thousands
stayed on without a break, continuing their protest
with a force of energy as if they'd just woken from a
thousand years sleep. I was amazed how any of these
people could still be on their feet, I was so
exhausted that I didn't want to do anything but sit.
I kept thinking about this, wondering how they could
keep going on, how they looked like they had nothing
but energy when I felt like all my energy had gone. I
realized the reason is that though I love Tibet with
all my heart and support their cause very strongly, I
still do not have the same connection and force that
they do. I myself am a free person. Born in a rich,
free country with a passport that can get me access to
almost any place I wish. I can come and go from my
family and friends as I please, and never worry for
their safety or comfort. For the Tibetans, they are
fighting for the lives of their families and friends
still in Tibet, the freedom and preservation of the
religion that they live every day of their lives by,
as well as their own ability to return to their homes
and be reunited with their families. I believe that
to be the fuel of their undying energy and devotion.
It is a devotion that I have seen in them over and
over again and truly envy, never having felt something
that powerful myself.
As night rolled on, we continued our protest. But
around 8PM I felt another change. People were
starting to get tired and it was winding down as fast
as the sun was descending. A candlelight vigil was
planned, and I had resolved myself to sleeping on the
bare dirty street of Delhi, worrying about the
mosquitos and cold night air from which I had nothing
but Tibetan flags to protect me, but mostly worrying
about the police who were seeming more and more tense.
On my way back from a break for food in the afternoon
I had seen the busses with bars over the windows
reading "Riot Control" and the many police cars
congregating. Though they certainly did not surprise
me for a crowd this size, they still left an unsettled
feeling in my stomach. Someone got up and was giving
a speech again, and from the little Tibetan that I
understand, I gathered that some of the monks were
leaving which really surprised me as they were the
main supporters for staying overnight. I asked my
friends and they said they I was correct, and that
apparently the police said that there were to many
people here, so they were taking the monks from one
monastery back to Majnu Ka Tilla. I knew this sounded
odd, and I got that familiar feeling that I knew part
of the story but that something else was going on
which for me was lost in translation. The monks filed
past in long lines and were loaded onto busses. They
all stuck their heads and flags out the windows as
they left, giving a final cry of protest as they were
carried down the road and out of sight. The busses
kept coming, and more monks kept leaving. I was
beginning to wonder what was happening as it seemed
that people were suddenly being taken out in a hurry,
and the protesting seemed to have completely stopped.
A slight panic was going through the crowd as nobody
was sure what was happning. A friend came by who told
me that I should not stay there, that the police were
going to break it up in the night as more people were
planning on setting themselves on fire. My friends
and I discussed it and decided that we should in fact
leave, but the question remained of where we would go.
We were in effect homeless. All the places we knew
were bursting at the seams, and likely we would have
to go back to Majnu Ka Tilla and sleep in the streets.
There wasn't really any other option at that point,
and we were sure we would be far from alone there.
Finally, after a while of wondering, we heard that
they were gathering all the people from Dharamshala
together, and we were told they were bussing us all
out. We learned that several more people had in fact
set themselves on fire, and the police had finally
said that we all had to get out, they would not allow
this to continue. We saw that people were being
shipped out in any way that they could, including the
riot control busses and other police vehicles filling
and sending them, as far as we knew, to Majnu Ka
Tilla. Relieved from the news that we were getting
out, as the tension was growing higher, we sorted
through the crowd, and finally found our fellow people
from Dharamshala in a huge group on the outside of the
protest, all sitting in the road, waiting. We sat
down and waited with them, and a few of my friends
went and gathered all the posters and cardboard signs
that they could find, then we set them out on the
ground as beds so we could lay down while we waited.
We chatted and joked with each other, talked about the
various events of the day, and winded down from the
adrenaline that had kept us going.
After about 2 hours, we really started to wonder if we
were in fact going to be bussed out. I was very
concerned about staying any longer, but there was
little I could do. We got up and walked around, away
from the protest, partially because the ground was
still to hot to lay down on for long, even with layers
of cardboard under us, but also because we had hopes
of finding a hotel to stay in. We didn't walk far
down the road when we noticed that part of it had been
blocked by police blockades. We tried to pass through
them, but the police around them scolded us and
informed us that we could not pass through there.
Puzzled at why we could not walk down the street when
Indian cars were passing freely through, we gave up
and went back to claim our beds again before they were
stolen by other exhausted protesters. Again we waited
for perhaps an hour, and at that point, we decided
that we were probably going to be left for the night,
and the only thing we could do was sleep. So we laid
down on our cardboard beds, and used our Tibetan flags
as blankets over our bare arms. It didn't take long
to fall asleep, the exhaustion had finally overcome
us. But we did not sleep for long. After about 15
minutes, I woke up, and noticed all the people around
me in a commotion, everyone was suddenly very tense,
and in a hurry. I was half awake and dazed, and
nobody know what was going on but we decided that we
should follow everyone, and we got up in a hurry to
move toward the crowd. As we walked in, I looked
around and realized that not only we were the last of
about 400 people there, but we were also completely
surrounded by maybe a hundred police officers in full
riot gear who were pushing us into a tighter circle.
At that point, I got a bit scared. It was incredibly
tense, everyone was getting scared, and I knew that if
just one person had gotten angry and thrown a punch at
a police officer, we would have all been arrested and
likely beaten (as the Indian police often have no
reserves about beating people in the process of
arrest) in no time. We looked around and were
relieved to see busses filling up with people. But
they were all full, and then they were all leaving.
We were left. There were still about 300 people and
we didn't know if more busses were coming. So what
should we do? The police were pushing us into a
tighter circle, sweeping us together to make sure that
none of us slipped through and ran. I prayed for more
busses to arrive. I started to wonder where the
busses were going. Mostly at that point I didn't
care. As long as they weren't taking us to the police
station, which at that point I was not sure of.
Finally a bus arrived. They let the remaining nuns on
and filled it, but still, we were left. A few more
busses came, and they filled up with other people, but
they told the Dharamshala people to not get on those
busses. I didn't understand why they were keeping us
together, and it was worrying me, I was afraid that we
would be left with no way to get out and we might be
arrested. Now there were maybe only 100 people left.
Finally, a bus came for the remaining Dharamshala
people. It was a mad rush to get onto it, people were
so scared that it was getting to be like a mob, people
practically stepping over each other just to get on.
My friends pushed me to the front to get me on first
as they were afraid that the consequences for me were
likely a bit more severe than for them. But we all
tried to stay together. Almost all of us made it onto
the same bus packed so tightly we were sitting in each
others laps and standing on each others toes. Our
other friends got onto the bus that arrived just
before we left. We displayed our flags and yelled in
triumph as we were driven away from the protest site.
A wave of relief went through us all. But the
question remained in my mind, "where were they taking
us?" After a while of driving we stopped at some
unknown place, and all I could see was the high wall
that surrounded some building that people were being
herded into. As I got off I noticed the police cars
that were waiting for us there and again I wondered,
"where is this place?!" We went inside, and much to
my confusion, I saw that it was an old Indian school.
Then I remembered something. Someone had told me
previously that they had rented a school for the
people from Dharamshala to sleep in as they knew that
sleeping space was going to be non-existent in other
places. We rushed in with the rest of the crowd and
started to look for a place to sleep. It was packed
with people, the empty classrooms were full, and
people were starting to lay down outside and in the
halls. We managed to find a blanket to lay on, and
decided to go find a spot outside to sleep. We laid
down and were relieved to find that there were no
mosquitos in this part of town, and in very little
time, we were all asleep, exhausted from the day. We
only had a few flags that we shared as blankets, but
still, even through the exhaustion none of us slept to
well as the cold night air chilled us. We woke up
early, and left soon after to get food and then went
off to Majnu Ka Tilla in the hopes of finding a place
to stay, and to get our bags which we had left there
the day before.
Upon our arrival in the morning, we found the place
packed so full that you could barely walk through the
street. We went to friends houses for showers and a
chance to change our filthy clothes. After a while,
we heard that there was a meeting about the protest,
and most of my friends went though I stayed with
someone in their home to take a nap as I wouldn't be
able to understand the meeting anyway. At the
meeting, many people said that they wanted to go back
to the protests, but others strongly warned against it
saying that this time the police would really not
allow it, and it would be very dangerous. Only around
9 people ended up going back, and went straight to the
Chinese embassy, apparently very angry, perhaps
threatening some people. I don't know exactly what
happened as rumors fly around here a lot, but it seems
that all of them are in prison to this day. The rest
of the people who did not go back to the embassy
seemed to stay just outside Majnu Ka Tilla on the main
road with their flags, still protesting, hoping that
the passers by might see them. I think they did not
stay for long before they went back to their homes.
News came in that the hunger strike had been stopped.
I was first told that the police had broken it up, but
later I learned that in fact it was the TYC that broke
it up. Apparently they received many pleas from H.H.
the Dalai Lama and also from high police chiefs asking
them to end it to save the lives of the people
involved. The night of the protest, all of the hunger
strikers were taken to the hospital. I think everyone
understood that despite the lives of 14 people being
at stake, the Chinese were never going to give into
any demands, thus the people would all die without
attaining their goal.
Thus it had all ended. It took many days after that
for people to disband and go back to their respective
homes. Now, everyone is looking at the aftermath and
the effects that it had. My fear is that it made the
Indian police more angry at us, and by their actions
of breaking up the protest, it has brewed more
resentment among the Tibetan population against the
police. We did not get any national or international
press or recognition for this event. The Chinese have
not showed any signs of giving into our demands. But
among the Tibetan population, I believe that spirits
grew as they were shown just what they were capable of
and how strongly they can stand together. In a
culture under this much duress, any gain of spirit or
confidence is priceless.
Photos here.
On August 8th, a protest in Delhi commenced with an
attendance of nearly 25,000 people, organized by the
Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC). It was in protest of
the 2008 Olympics in China, asking for recognition of
the crimes against human rights that the Chinese are
inflicting, an inquiry into the Chinese inflicted
human rights violations by the International Olympic
Committee (IOC), and asking to work toward the freedom
of a people under genocide. The protest was
monumental, unlike anything I've ever seen in my life.
However, I believe that it was done largely in vain.
Many of you are probably thinking "I'm surprised I
didn't read about this in the news." Well, the reason
for that is that there was positively no
international, or regional press outside of the
Tibetan community. I checked the internet, and others
checked the Indian newspapers and television. The
only mention of it was in Tibetan news. The rest of
the world ignored us. The Indians suppressed us. All
our struggle and work gained no recognition, we were
assisted no help. Thus I feel it is my duty to report
to you the events that occurred as I saw them in the
hope that you will all pass them along to others so
that even a few may hear our story, that our efforts
may not be completely in vain.
A little background info is needed, as this was not a
simple event, people didn't just congregate on a
single day. It has been in the works for a long time.
The Tibetans were outraged at the announcement that
the 2008 Olympics will be held in Beijing, China. To
them, this was a blatant disregard for their struggle,
and the innumerable human rights offenses that China
inflicts upon them every day. The Principles of the
International Olympics Committee stated: "Respect for
universal fundamental ethical principles to contribute
to building a peaceful and better world through sport.
Encouraging a peaceful society with the preservation
of human dignity." So far there is absoultely no
indication that the human rights of Tibetans will be
improved by bringing the Olympics to China. In fact,
so far, it has almost made them worse. To the Tibetan
community, they see that by bringing the olympics to
China, the international community is excusing the
Chinese government of its offenses and ignoring the
atrocities that they are committing.
The demands of the protest were simple, and clearly
stated by all of the people who attended. There were
5 main demands: Information about the well being of
the 11th Panchen Lama (who has been missing since
1995, considered one of the the youngest political
prisoners in the world). Freedom (or proof of fair
trial) for those Tibetans imprisoned unjustly, without
fair trials for their simple acts of protest against
the Chinese (such as Tulku Tenzin Delek - sentenced to
life imprisonment). They demanded that PRC
(People's Republic of China) give concrete evidence
that Tibetans in Tibet are enjoying human rights.
They want evidence for the claim that the railway
going to Lhasa (which has caused a massive migration
of Chinese into Tibet, considerably hurt the
environment, exploited natural resources, etc) has
improved the lives of the Tibetans as they were
previously assured it would. Finally, with the
assurance that the IOC wishes to improve the human
rights situation in Tibet through the Beijing
Olympics, the Tibetans demanded that they produce
evidence that this will be upheld and that the human
rights situation inside Tibet is indeed acceptable.
This protest has been organized for a long time, and
various events have been happening in preparation of
it. Many small protests have happened here, as well
as latter writing, and constant pleading to the
International community and the IOC to recognize their
struggle, and try to stop the Olympics in China.
There were also various sports events held as the
Tibetans wish to be a part of the Olympics as their
own independent country, so they held their own
sporting events in protest of being left out of the
Olympics. Probably the most amazing of these events
was the commencement of an indefinite hunger strike
(as the Tibetans practice non-violent protest, using
Mahatma Gandhi as a model) by 14 people. These
people all stated that as long as the Chinese were
playing the Olympics in China, they would not eat,
even if it meant death. The people were men and
women, monks and lay people, old and young, from
various backgrounds. Their strength was beyond
anything I'd ever seen. In Mcleod Ganj they showed
photos of the protesters at different points in their
strike. By the time the protest started (day 32 of
the hunger strike), most of them resembled skeletons.
It was incredible.
People from all over India and also Nepal came for
this event. The monasteries in South India
practically emptied, and the monasteries provided
money to the monks if they did not have enough for the
journey. The Tibetan Youth Congress also helped by
providing busses and other transportation for most
people. For some of them it was a 4 day journey on
uncomfortable busses and trains, but they still came.
For about a week before the actual protest happened,
people were flooding into Majnu Ka Tilla (the Tibetan
colony in Delhi) until it was bursting at the seams.
Various places were found such as schools for all the
extra people to sleep in at night. Not only was every
room and hotel occupied in Majnu Ka Tilla and the
surrounding area, but even every private room in the
area was packed past capacity as many people had
stayed with friends, and ended up covering every bed
and all the space on the floor.
It was a difficult decision for all those who
participated to actually decide to come to the
protest. They were not worried about their immediate
safety as they figured that the worst that the Indian
police would do was put them in prison for 2 or 3 days
(and all of my friends have told me that they didn't
care about that at all, the Indian prisons are a cake
walk compared to the Chinese ones that most of them
were in). The problem is that many people still have
the dream to one day return to Tibet, and that becomes
more difficult and dangerous the more you protest.
Especially in a really sensitive protest like this,
there were sure to be many Chinese spies taking
pictures and recording who was there, so those people
would surely have a harder time going back if they
decided to. For this reason, many people covered
their faces, especially when there were cameras
around. But it was intensely hot and humid there, so
keeping a cloth over your mouth and nose was more
difficult than it seemed. Even I was warned to be
careful before I left as apparently westerners who
participate to much in these have been known to be
deported, or refused later visas. Perhaps because of
this, or perhaps because they were just uninformed, I
was among about a dozen westerners that I saw in the
protest. One of only 4 or 5 who I actually saw
participating.
Now we come to the actual protest. I can only give my
own account of what my experience was, but I will try
to display the facts of the protest as well as I can.
I arrived with a group of Tibetan friends in Delhi the
morning of the protest on the the 8th. We were some
of the last to arrive there as people had been
flooding in for days. We were given a place to store
our bags, and we found an outside spigot to wash our
faces and teeth, then we were off. Many people took
the subway or taxis, but we were also given busses to
takes us to the protest at the Chinese Embassy. When
we got there, thousands had already gathered. They
were chanting slogans against the Olympics and the
Chinese. The hunger strikers were also there, they
had been stationed there for the duration of the
strike. Everyone was dressed up in shirts with
anti-Chinese or pro-Tibetan freedom slogans, they wore
Tibetan flags around their necks or as bandanas, and
often had a Tibetan flag painted on their face. Some
had more elaborate costumes depicting torture victims,
etc. Tibetan flags waved overhead in all directions,
and nobody was empty handed, those who had not brought
their own were given flags, banners or signs to carry
and display. About 2/3 of the people there were
monks, and it looked like a massive sea of red robes
and colorful Tibetan flags. It was a beautiful sight.
The heat was oppressive that day, and despite being in
the middle of the the long rainy and dark monsoon
season the day ended up being a beautiful clear day of
full sun. People were desperately searching out
bottled water, and the Indian merchants made a fortune
bringing them through the crowd as we bought them by
the box at high prices. The painted faces smeared and
ran from the sweat rolling off them. The shady spots
under the few trees filled with people desperate to
escape. The dirt from the roads clung to our sticky
legs and hands until we were all a darker color,
except the parts of us which were red from sunburn.
But this didn't stop people at all. These people were
on a mission, a mission for the freedom they had
longed for their entire lives.
The Tibetans mainly believe in non-violent protests,
and this one kept that tradition alive. For hours
people were walking up and down the streets chanting
slogans for freedom (mostly in Tibetan), condemning
the actions of the Chinese government and pleading for
help. In the afternoon several speeches were given by
prominent Tibetan and Indian politicians and
activists. In one of the speeches, they announced
that the protest would last all night until 9am the
next morning, and that they were all participating in
the hunger strike until morning. As my friends and I
had no other place to stay since we had arrived late
and every hotel that we knew of and the rooms and
floors of our friends homes were already filled past
capacity, we decided that we would also stay there
that night, even though we had nothing with us but the
flags that we carried in our hands and the clothes on
our backs.
Near the end of the speeches, I saw a sudden burst of
smoke and flame rise up above the heads of the people
in the crowd. The crowd immediately stood up, and
being a fairly short person myself I could not see
above them. I asked a tall friend next to me what was
happening and he replied that he also couldn't quite
see, but he thought someone had set a Chinese flag on
fire. I took the answer, but didn't quite believe it
as this was to big of a commotion for such a small
act. Then a minute later, I understood what happened.
I saw many people from the TYC rush to the scene, and
a second later an ambulance car arrived to quickly
load someone in, and rush off. Once I saw the
ambulance I knew that a person had set himself on
fire. The non-violence in our protest had now ended,
as people were now harming themselves. Many years
ago, one person did this in Delhi, and it ended in his
death. The Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Community were
all moved by this action, but still condemned it as to
inflict harm that severe on oneself is very bad in the
Buddhist religion. It also has negative effects on
the protesting movement. For many years it was not
repeated, but when the Chinese President visited India
less than a year ago, another person did this. We
were afraid this was going to start a trend, and
unfortunately, it did. At this point, the Tibetan
people are getting so desperate for help, and for
attention from the international community to
recognize their struggle, that they are resorting to
actions this severe. They are sacrificing their own
lives by inflicting their own deaths in the vague hope
that it could help to free their people.
At that point, I felt a change in the protest. In
some ways, people had strengthened. Not only from a
rest while they got to sit down and listen to
speeches, but also they were moved by the action of
the self combustion. But this also caused worry and
fear for the Indian police we knew would not tolerate
these severe actions. They had already allowed the
hunger strike to go on for over a month, and sat by
and watched while nearly 25,000 people gathered next
to the embassies of countries much more powerful than
them. We all wondered what would happen next, and I
grew less and less comfortable about our safety and
ability to finish this protest as planned.
After the speeches, they again began marching and
protesting but alternated that with prayers and
chanting done by the monks, which allowed the people a
little time to rest and recover while keeping their
spirits up with the prayers. After a little more
protesting, many left, retreating to their homes for
food and rest. Some returned later, but thousands
stayed on without a break, continuing their protest
with a force of energy as if they'd just woken from a
thousand years sleep. I was amazed how any of these
people could still be on their feet, I was so
exhausted that I didn't want to do anything but sit.
I kept thinking about this, wondering how they could
keep going on, how they looked like they had nothing
but energy when I felt like all my energy had gone. I
realized the reason is that though I love Tibet with
all my heart and support their cause very strongly, I
still do not have the same connection and force that
they do. I myself am a free person. Born in a rich,
free country with a passport that can get me access to
almost any place I wish. I can come and go from my
family and friends as I please, and never worry for
their safety or comfort. For the Tibetans, they are
fighting for the lives of their families and friends
still in Tibet, the freedom and preservation of the
religion that they live every day of their lives by,
as well as their own ability to return to their homes
and be reunited with their families. I believe that
to be the fuel of their undying energy and devotion.
It is a devotion that I have seen in them over and
over again and truly envy, never having felt something
that powerful myself.
As night rolled on, we continued our protest. But
around 8PM I felt another change. People were
starting to get tired and it was winding down as fast
as the sun was descending. A candlelight vigil was
planned, and I had resolved myself to sleeping on the
bare dirty street of Delhi, worrying about the
mosquitos and cold night air from which I had nothing
but Tibetan flags to protect me, but mostly worrying
about the police who were seeming more and more tense.
On my way back from a break for food in the afternoon
I had seen the busses with bars over the windows
reading "Riot Control" and the many police cars
congregating. Though they certainly did not surprise
me for a crowd this size, they still left an unsettled
feeling in my stomach. Someone got up and was giving
a speech again, and from the little Tibetan that I
understand, I gathered that some of the monks were
leaving which really surprised me as they were the
main supporters for staying overnight. I asked my
friends and they said they I was correct, and that
apparently the police said that there were to many
people here, so they were taking the monks from one
monastery back to Majnu Ka Tilla. I knew this sounded
odd, and I got that familiar feeling that I knew part
of the story but that something else was going on
which for me was lost in translation. The monks filed
past in long lines and were loaded onto busses. They
all stuck their heads and flags out the windows as
they left, giving a final cry of protest as they were
carried down the road and out of sight. The busses
kept coming, and more monks kept leaving. I was
beginning to wonder what was happening as it seemed
that people were suddenly being taken out in a hurry,
and the protesting seemed to have completely stopped.
A slight panic was going through the crowd as nobody
was sure what was happning. A friend came by who told
me that I should not stay there, that the police were
going to break it up in the night as more people were
planning on setting themselves on fire. My friends
and I discussed it and decided that we should in fact
leave, but the question remained of where we would go.
We were in effect homeless. All the places we knew
were bursting at the seams, and likely we would have
to go back to Majnu Ka Tilla and sleep in the streets.
There wasn't really any other option at that point,
and we were sure we would be far from alone there.
Finally, after a while of wondering, we heard that
they were gathering all the people from Dharamshala
together, and we were told they were bussing us all
out. We learned that several more people had in fact
set themselves on fire, and the police had finally
said that we all had to get out, they would not allow
this to continue. We saw that people were being
shipped out in any way that they could, including the
riot control busses and other police vehicles filling
and sending them, as far as we knew, to Majnu Ka
Tilla. Relieved from the news that we were getting
out, as the tension was growing higher, we sorted
through the crowd, and finally found our fellow people
from Dharamshala in a huge group on the outside of the
protest, all sitting in the road, waiting. We sat
down and waited with them, and a few of my friends
went and gathered all the posters and cardboard signs
that they could find, then we set them out on the
ground as beds so we could lay down while we waited.
We chatted and joked with each other, talked about the
various events of the day, and winded down from the
adrenaline that had kept us going.
After about 2 hours, we really started to wonder if we
were in fact going to be bussed out. I was very
concerned about staying any longer, but there was
little I could do. We got up and walked around, away
from the protest, partially because the ground was
still to hot to lay down on for long, even with layers
of cardboard under us, but also because we had hopes
of finding a hotel to stay in. We didn't walk far
down the road when we noticed that part of it had been
blocked by police blockades. We tried to pass through
them, but the police around them scolded us and
informed us that we could not pass through there.
Puzzled at why we could not walk down the street when
Indian cars were passing freely through, we gave up
and went back to claim our beds again before they were
stolen by other exhausted protesters. Again we waited
for perhaps an hour, and at that point, we decided
that we were probably going to be left for the night,
and the only thing we could do was sleep. So we laid
down on our cardboard beds, and used our Tibetan flags
as blankets over our bare arms. It didn't take long
to fall asleep, the exhaustion had finally overcome
us. But we did not sleep for long. After about 15
minutes, I woke up, and noticed all the people around
me in a commotion, everyone was suddenly very tense,
and in a hurry. I was half awake and dazed, and
nobody know what was going on but we decided that we
should follow everyone, and we got up in a hurry to
move toward the crowd. As we walked in, I looked
around and realized that not only we were the last of
about 400 people there, but we were also completely
surrounded by maybe a hundred police officers in full
riot gear who were pushing us into a tighter circle.
At that point, I got a bit scared. It was incredibly
tense, everyone was getting scared, and I knew that if
just one person had gotten angry and thrown a punch at
a police officer, we would have all been arrested and
likely beaten (as the Indian police often have no
reserves about beating people in the process of
arrest) in no time. We looked around and were
relieved to see busses filling up with people. But
they were all full, and then they were all leaving.
We were left. There were still about 300 people and
we didn't know if more busses were coming. So what
should we do? The police were pushing us into a
tighter circle, sweeping us together to make sure that
none of us slipped through and ran. I prayed for more
busses to arrive. I started to wonder where the
busses were going. Mostly at that point I didn't
care. As long as they weren't taking us to the police
station, which at that point I was not sure of.
Finally a bus arrived. They let the remaining nuns on
and filled it, but still, we were left. A few more
busses came, and they filled up with other people, but
they told the Dharamshala people to not get on those
busses. I didn't understand why they were keeping us
together, and it was worrying me, I was afraid that we
would be left with no way to get out and we might be
arrested. Now there were maybe only 100 people left.
Finally, a bus came for the remaining Dharamshala
people. It was a mad rush to get onto it, people were
so scared that it was getting to be like a mob, people
practically stepping over each other just to get on.
My friends pushed me to the front to get me on first
as they were afraid that the consequences for me were
likely a bit more severe than for them. But we all
tried to stay together. Almost all of us made it onto
the same bus packed so tightly we were sitting in each
others laps and standing on each others toes. Our
other friends got onto the bus that arrived just
before we left. We displayed our flags and yelled in
triumph as we were driven away from the protest site.
A wave of relief went through us all. But the
question remained in my mind, "where were they taking
us?" After a while of driving we stopped at some
unknown place, and all I could see was the high wall
that surrounded some building that people were being
herded into. As I got off I noticed the police cars
that were waiting for us there and again I wondered,
"where is this place?!" We went inside, and much to
my confusion, I saw that it was an old Indian school.
Then I remembered something. Someone had told me
previously that they had rented a school for the
people from Dharamshala to sleep in as they knew that
sleeping space was going to be non-existent in other
places. We rushed in with the rest of the crowd and
started to look for a place to sleep. It was packed
with people, the empty classrooms were full, and
people were starting to lay down outside and in the
halls. We managed to find a blanket to lay on, and
decided to go find a spot outside to sleep. We laid
down and were relieved to find that there were no
mosquitos in this part of town, and in very little
time, we were all asleep, exhausted from the day. We
only had a few flags that we shared as blankets, but
still, even through the exhaustion none of us slept to
well as the cold night air chilled us. We woke up
early, and left soon after to get food and then went
off to Majnu Ka Tilla in the hopes of finding a place
to stay, and to get our bags which we had left there
the day before.
Upon our arrival in the morning, we found the place
packed so full that you could barely walk through the
street. We went to friends houses for showers and a
chance to change our filthy clothes. After a while,
we heard that there was a meeting about the protest,
and most of my friends went though I stayed with
someone in their home to take a nap as I wouldn't be
able to understand the meeting anyway. At the
meeting, many people said that they wanted to go back
to the protests, but others strongly warned against it
saying that this time the police would really not
allow it, and it would be very dangerous. Only around
9 people ended up going back, and went straight to the
Chinese embassy, apparently very angry, perhaps
threatening some people. I don't know exactly what
happened as rumors fly around here a lot, but it seems
that all of them are in prison to this day. The rest
of the people who did not go back to the embassy
seemed to stay just outside Majnu Ka Tilla on the main
road with their flags, still protesting, hoping that
the passers by might see them. I think they did not
stay for long before they went back to their homes.
News came in that the hunger strike had been stopped.
I was first told that the police had broken it up, but
later I learned that in fact it was the TYC that broke
it up. Apparently they received many pleas from H.H.
the Dalai Lama and also from high police chiefs asking
them to end it to save the lives of the people
involved. The night of the protest, all of the hunger
strikers were taken to the hospital. I think everyone
understood that despite the lives of 14 people being
at stake, the Chinese were never going to give into
any demands, thus the people would all die without
attaining their goal.
Thus it had all ended. It took many days after that
for people to disband and go back to their respective
homes. Now, everyone is looking at the aftermath and
the effects that it had. My fear is that it made the
Indian police more angry at us, and by their actions
of breaking up the protest, it has brewed more
resentment among the Tibetan population against the
police. We did not get any national or international
press or recognition for this event. The Chinese have
not showed any signs of giving into our demands. But
among the Tibetan population, I believe that spirits
grew as they were shown just what they were capable of
and how strongly they can stand together. In a
culture under this much duress, any gain of spirit or
confidence is priceless.
Photos here.