PARIS: Bouchemaine, a small town along the Maine River in the district of Angers in France became yesterday the 50th municipality to adopt a Tibetan village. The municipality had decided to adopt Jhado-Namtso (Lake Namtso at north west of Lhasa) in Tibet, to symbolize its support for the Tibetan people and preservation of its unique tradition and culture.

A ceremony was held at the Boites a Culture, the public auditorium of the municipality in the presence of the Mayor of Bouchemaine Mrs Anne-Sophie HOCQUET DE LAJARTRE, the Deputy Mayor for Culture Ms Marie-Aimee MERCIER, two elected members of the town municipality, President of France Tibet, Ms Marcelle Roux, local Tibet activists Mrs Simone LE GALLE and members of a Ladakhi tour group along with 50 odd local people.

The Mayor spoke about the decision to support Tibetan people’s fundamental human rights through this initiative of “adoption”, as based on the universal values of democracy and human rights, which the Tibetan people are being denied.

The Secretary, Bureau du Tibet, Paris Mr Tsering Dhondup thanked the Mayor and members of the municipality as well as the people gathered there for the concern and gesture of support shown. He informed the gathering of the current situation in Tibet, which described as “terrible and repressive” with 51 Tibetans having resorted to self-immolation calling for freedom and return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet. He made it a point that Tibetan resistance has been completely peaceful and non-violent, which these self-immolations have amply attested to: by not harming Chinese even at the cost of their own lives.

A plaque symbolizing the “adoption” was unveiled with the monks rendering a “auspicious prayer”.