Chinese President Welcomed to India with Peaceful Protests

By Jamie Adams / October 21, 2016;

Tibetan activists shouting slogans “Free Tibet” and “Stop Demolition of Larung Gar”
Photo:TPI

The arrival of Chinese President Xi Jinping in Goa for the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit on Saturday, October 15 sparked peaceful protests led by various Tibetan political groups and activists.

A day prior to President Xi’s arrival, Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) circulated a video showing activists throughout Goa defacing posters advertising Xi’s visit. Upon his arrival at the Dabolim airport, an SFT protester parasailed hundreds of feet above ground with a banner reading “Free Tibet.”

Outside the summit venue in Margao, the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) organised over one hundred protesters, including some with signs reading “China out of Tibet now” and “Stop the demolition of Larung Gar.” TYC wished to protest against boththe Chinese occupation of Tibet, led byXi Jinping,as well as the recent displacement of thousands of monks and nuns from Larung Gar Buddhist Academy in Tibet. Among these protesters about sixty were arrested. These sixty include the President of TYC, Tenzin Jigme, as well as executive member Penpa Tsering. Those detained were released the next day.

Also arrested was Tenzin Tsundue, a well-known Tibetan activist and writer who protested after the conclusion of the BRICS summit. His protest and arrest took place outside of the Taj Exotica Hotel, where President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met for bilateral talks following the summit. In comments about his protest, Tsundue cited the Chinese exploitation of Tibetan natural resources as his inspiration to protest against President Jinping’s visit. “I protest because this is not right. China has been plundering Tibet in its sixty years of military occupation and now it is selling it everywhere, calling it global trade,” he said in his explanation. Tsundue has been released without charge.

BRICS is an association of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. They are all leading developing or newly-industrialised countries with large, sometimes fast-growing economies and a significant influence on regional affairs