Holding placards with messages like ‘Stop cultural genocide in Tibet’ and ‘Free Tibet’, the monks began their three-day strike which will be observed at Azad Maidan from 10 am to 6.30 pm. The monks belong to the Tibetan Rights and Freedom Restoration Committee from Drepung Loseling University from Mundgod, Karnataka.

Lobsang Dhondup, one of the monks said, “We had planned to gather thousands of monks but it was difficult to get permission. We chose Mumbai for this peaceful protest because we thought it was important to spread awareness about what is happening in Tibet. In Mumbai, on the first day itself, we came across a lot of people who asked us about the problems in Tibet.”

The monks demand that China should stop ‘brutal suppression’ of Tibetan people’s expression for freedom and self-rule in Tibet. They also demanded immediate medical aid for those injured and demanded immediate unconditional release of Tibetans arrested by the Chinese authorities. Through the protest they are also appealing to the United Nations to appoint an international fact-finding committee to determine the cause of the unrest in Tibet, to the Chinese government to participate in negotiating talks with the exile Tibetan government and to the world to boycott Beijing Olympics 2008 if the ‘human rights violations’ continued in Tibet.

“There are some over here who have lost some of their family members and friends. We are not afraid to respond to China’s oppressive actions but we do not like bloodshed and violence,” Dhondup said as the monks rose for their national anthem towards the end of their protest on the first day. A considerable number of children have also participated in the hunger strike. “We did not want them to participate but they insisted,” he added.