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Tibetan Refugees in Kashmir Protest Against China

By Fayaz Wani

Srinagar, March 26: The Tibetan refugees settled in Kashmir and staged protests against Chinese government's crackdown on Tibetans in Lhasa. They called on United Nations to intervene and pressed China to grant independence to Tibet.

About 70 young Tibetan refugees dressed in yellow carrying placards and banners surfaced in the summer capital Srinagar and protested against the Chinese government for launch crackdown on Tibetan in Lhasa. They demanded release of all the Tibetans detained by the Chinese military. "All the detained persons should be released," they said.

They alleged that since March 10 about 135 Tibetans were killed and 1300 arrested and tortured by the Chinese military.

They alleged that there are martial law like situations in Tibet as thousands of Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) personnel have been deployed to thwart peaceful protests.

"The atmosphere there is very tense. Many new protests are taking place daily and the Chinese army is using brutal force to disperse them," said the protestors.

The protesting Tibetan refugees demanded that United Nations should intervene and dispatch independent fact finding delegations to Tibet. "The UN should press China to step brutal killings in Tibet and release all arrested Tibetans", they said.

They also appealed UN to press China to grant independence to Tibet.

Tibetan refugees have settled in Kashmir are selling warm clothes and shoes.

Fayaz Wani reports on life in Srinagar, Kashmir.