Mr Karma Yeshi, member of Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, (left) getting support from former Army General V K Singh during the flame of truth relay in Jodhpur, India, on 4 October 2012
JODHPUR: The south India leg of flame of truth relay has reached the western India city of Jodhpur, where former Army Chief of India Gen V K Singh expressed his solidarity with the cause of Tibet by holding the torch and signing a petition to be submitted to the United Nations on 10 December.
The truth relay, led by Mr Karma Yeshi, a member of Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, was welcomed with a rousing reception by the Advocates Association of Jodhpur city on 4 October. Assuring their support to the Tibetan freedom struggle, Mr Ranjeet Joshi, president of the Association, and many other lawyers signed the Tibet petition.
Besides former army general V K Singh, Retired Maj. General N B Singh also signed the petition and expressed his solidarity with the Tibetan people.
Members of Rajasthan High Court Advocates Association expressing support to the Tibetan flame of truth relay in Jodhpur on 4 October 2012
Mr Karma Yeshi and Ms Resham Bala, President of Bharat Tibbat Maitri Sangh (Mahila Wing), Jodhpur, addressed a press conference at Kisan Bhavan this morning. Mr Karma Yeshi briefed the media about the worsening human rights situation in Tibet in light of increasing self-immolation by Tibetans in protest against the continued occupation and repression by the Chinese government.
He stressed that the issue of Tibet is concerned not only with the well-being of six million Tibetans. A lasting solution to the Tibet is vital to peace and stability in world at large and Asia in particular, he said, adding that billions of people across Asia survive on water from rivers originating from the Tibetan plateau.
Later this evening, a candle light vigil will be organised at the railway station.
The south Indian leg of the flame of truth relay had travelled through different cities including Goa, Karwar, Hubli, Dharwad, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, and Nashik.
Meanwhile, the north and north-east India leg of the relay are underway in Panipat city in Haryana and Ranchi city in Jharkhand respectively.
The relay, which started from three locations in India on 6 July this year, so far travelled to 100 regions in 25 Indian states.
An online signature campaign is being organised along with the relay to urge international community and people of the world to support the issue of Tibet. The result of the campaign will be submitted to UN headquarters in New York, UN Human Rights Council in Geneva and UN Information Centre in New Delhi on 10 December. The campaign demands the United Nations to discuss the issue of Tibet based on the resolutions it has passed in 1959, 1961 and 1965, send an independent international fact-finding delegations to investigate the ongoing crisis in Tibet and to ensure that the basic aspirations of the Tibetans inside Tibet are fulfilled.
