Friends of Tibet Condemn the Arrest of Tenzin Tsundue.

Tenzin Tsundue speaking at “What Does the Tibet Leverage Mean for India Today?” discussion organised by the Tibetan Women’s Association at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi minutes before his arrest by the Indian Police. Tempa Tsering, Special Representative of HH the Dalai Lama in New Delhi; Mohan Guruswamy, Chairman and Founder of Centre for Policy Alternatives and Maj General (Retd) Vinod Saighal next to him.

Friends of Tibet strongly condemn the Arrest of Tenzin Tsundue, noted Tibetan writer-activist who was whisked away by the Indian authorities ahead of Chinese President Hu Jintao’s scheduled arrival in New Delhi for Brics 2012.

In an unfortunate incident this evening, the writer-activist was whisked away by the police officials from New Delhi’s India Habitat Centre where he was speaking at an Academic Dialogue titled “What Does the Tibet Leverage Mean for India Today?” organised by the Tibetan Women’s Association. The authorities gave no reason for it, except for clarifying later that Tenzin Tsundue was under ‘preventive detention’ till March 31, 2012. Tenzin Tsundue was forcibly removed by half a dozen cops in plain clothes and bundled away in an unmarked white Santro car.

Chhaya Sharma, DCP South, Delhi Police, who was herself present at the India Habitat Centre along with a posse of police people refused to reveal any detail of the detention. The action comes on a day dozens of other

Tibetans were arrested or detained across Delhi a day before Chinese leader Hu Jintao arrives at the Indian capital to attend a high-profile BRICS summit. No reason or paperwork was shown by the authorities in any of the cases. The arrest of Tenzin Tsundue and other Tibetan activists comes one day after a 27-year-old Jamphel Yeshi, attempted self-immolation attempt at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. Two other Tibetan activists were also arrested from the Press Club of India in New Delhi while demanding the Chinese President Hu Jintao to improve human right situation in occupied Tibet in light of over 30 self immolations by Tibetan monks and nuns.

Pressure Groups and organisations like Tibetan Youth Congress, Core Group for Tibet Cause, Swarajpeeth, Tibetan Women’s Association, Global Gandhian Movement for Swaraj and Friends of Tibet condemned today’s arrest of young Tibet activists. In a statement, Vijay Kranti, journalist and long-term Tibet supporter “urged the Government of India to immediately release Tibetan exile leaders to express themselves freely.” He also demanded that the visiting President Hu Jintao should be tried in the international court of law for his personal involvement in mass murder of hundreds of Tibetan demonstrators in Tibet in 1989 and 2008. “Government of India has brought shame to democratic image of India by arresting Tibetans,” he added.

Friends of Tibet, PO Box 16674, Bombay 400050, India.