Tibetan scribes in India appeal to China to release Tibetan journalists

DHARAMSHALA - Tibetan journalists in-exile in Dharamshala have urged China to release all journalists jailed in Tibet and allow the international media to visit the region.

“We want to appeal to the Chinese government to release all the journalists jailed in Tibet and last year we also made a public statement that we want to go to Tibet and so far there are no sight of any acceptance towards that statement but still we want to say that we are ready to go to Tibet if the Chinese government allows and we also want to request the Chinese authority to allow all the Indian and international journalists to visit Tibet,” said Tashi Wangchuk, President of ATJ.

The journalists said visits by international media were important since there is no media freedom in Tibet.

“Our idea is that since there is lack of media freedom inside Tibet so, we thought it’s a day to celebrate press freedom and at the same time tell the Chinese government to allow free access for international media or Tibetan journalists to see what is happening inside Tibet,” said Dorje, a journalist.

In 1950, Chinese troops marched into Tibet and occupied it. An estimated 134,000 Tibetans live in exile, a majority of them in India and Nepal.

Dharamshala is also the headquarters of the Tibetan government-in-exile when Tibetans along with the Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule. (ANI)