Exiled Tibetans start 'Uprising March' from Dharamsala to Delhi highlight plight in Tibet

The Tibetan Youth Congress embarked on an 'Uprising March' over the weekend from Dharamsala to New Delhi to mark 55 years of the first uprising in Tibet in 1959 to express solidarity with the self-immolators protesting the repressive Chinese rule in Tibet.

The Tibetan Uprising Day, which is observed on March 10, commemorates the 1959 Tibetan uprising against the presence of the People's Republic of China in Tibet.

The march which is scheduled to cover a distance of about 600 kilometres will be held from February 8 to March 10, as it aims to support the Tibetans suffering from Chinese brutalities in Tibet.

The march from Dharamsala to New Delhi will cover Indian cities, including Chandigarh, Ambala, Kurukshetra and Panipat.

The cultural secretary of Tibetan Youth Congress, Tashi Dhondup, said that they would present a memorandum with a set of five demands to the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi and appeal to the UN and embassies of other countries to support their demands.

"We are marching for the demands. We have five demands that we have put forward. We are going to end our march on March 10 in New Delhi, as it is 'National Uprising Day'. On March 10 we are going to assemble in Delhi and at Jantar Mantar we are going to end(the march). Next day we will make a petition to the UN (United Nations) and to all the consulates and to the Chinese also about our five demands,"said Dhondup.

Violence has flared in Tibet since 1950, when Beijing claims it "peacefully liberated" the region. Many Tibetans say Chinese rule has eroded their culture and religion. They are agitating for the Dalai Lama's return from exile in India, and genuine autonomy for their homeland.

The Chinese government,however, denies trampling Tibetan rights and boasts of having brought development and prosperity to the region.

Since 2009, at least 121 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in China in protest against Beijing's policies in Tibet and nearby regions with large Tibetan populations. Most were calling for the return of the Dalai Lama.

As shocking as the first suicides were, the people who chose to burn themselves did so, Tibetan scholars say, in reaction to specific instances of abuse at particular monasteries. Tibetan Buddhist monasteries are often under surveillance and subject to raids by Chinese security forces.

A Buddhist monk, Tsering said that they participated in the march to express solidarity with the self-immolators.

"Those who self-immolated in Tibet, so, as a moral responsibility (we are marching) and to reveal truth," said Tsering.

Beijing considers the Dalai Lama, who fled China in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule, a violent separatist. The Dalai Lama, who is based in India, says he is merely seeking greater autonomy for his Himalayan homeland.

Tensions have mounted between Tibet and China since 2008, after the riots that broke out in the Tibet Autonomous Region and the Tibetan parts of China which led to a government crackdown.