Disturbances have been reported at the Tibet Film Festival which took place in Hong Kong from September 26. A group of around twenty people are said to have disrupted the three-day festival which screened films and micro movies related to Tibet, including “Old Dog”, “Bringing Tibet Home” and “Tibet in Song”. The Hong Kong Tibet Film Festival Council said that they selected films “to help people to comprehend Tibetans’ sight of life, identity, reflections and affection.”
Such hopes for harmony were, however, undercut by the violent disruption. Reports say that one of the organisers was “slapped” when trying to protect Mr Tashi, the President of the Taiwan Tibetan Welfare Association. “These people are simply local goons on the payroll of Chinese government,” said Tashi. He added, “the goons left only after threatening to come back again.” Order was restored to the festival when the police were called.
The festival programme includes a special recorded message from His Holiness the Dalai Lama and a series of discussion sessions on the topics “Tibetan culture and economic crisis,” “Why Tibetans in exile?” and “The importance of the Sino-Tibetan dialogue.” The festival also features an exhibition on self-immolation protests in Tibet.