By Kristy Tridhavee
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Asia

NEW DELHI, India – More than 100 Tibetan exiles were arrested in India before embarking on a 6-month march to Tibet. Atul Fulzele, the police superintendent for the Kangra district of Hamachal Pradesh, which is where Dharamasala is located, told reporters that about 100 persons were arrested under criminal codes that allow preventative arrests.

Days earlier the police had issued a restraining order to prevent the marchers from leaving Kangra. Atul Fulzele said, “Today they were planning to move outside the Kangra district. That would have been a crime.” He also added that the marchers did not resist arrest, and there was “no law and order problem.” A government official speaking anonymously commented that “India has other obligations as a country,” which include its commitment to participate in the Beijing Olympics, which prevents India from supporting the march.

Indian police are asking protesters to sign statements that say they will not participate in more protests against China or other political activities. Most are refusing to sign and plan on going on a hunger strike until they are released.

The group intended to begin their march from Dharamasala, the seat of the Tibetan government in exile, to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. The march was intended to begin on the anniversary of the failed uprising of Tibet in 1959 and end in Lhasa as the Summer Olympics Games opened.

A group of 50 Tibetan exiles in New Delhi were also arrested after they attempted to storm the Chinese embassy. They ran through a security cordon and tried to scale the high walls, but were prevented by security forces. The protesters, who were also mostly nuns and monks, were put in waiting vans and driven to a police station.

Human rights activists are concerned that India’s stance against the protests signals an escalating attitude of repression. Arresting peaceful marchers who were carrying photos of Mahatma Gandhi “signifies a toughness that does not seem legitimate,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch.

For more information, please see:

International Herald Tribune – 100 Tibetan Exiles Arrested in India – 13 March 2008

International Herald Tribune – Tibetans Defy India in March to Homeland – 11 March 2008

The Inquirer – Tibetans Held in India after Fresh Chinese Embassy Assault – 15 March 2008