Tibetan activists demonstrate outside Chinese consulate in Delhi

The activists of the Tibetan Youth Congress and other organisations of the refugee community assembled near the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Delhi

Tibetan activists on Friday burned the national flag of China near the embassy of the communist country in New Delhi, even as the Winter Olympics 2022 commenced in Beijing amid a diplomatic boycott by India as well as several Western nations led by the United States.

The activists of the Tibetan Youth Congress and other organisations of the refugee community assembled near the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in New Delhi and protested against the Chinese government’s occupation of Tibet and the human rights violation. They burnt the national flag of China and sought to march towards the embassy of the communist country when the personnel of the Delhi Police intercepted them and detained some of them.

The US and its allies sent their athletes to the Winter Olympics being hosted by the Chinese government but did not send any diplomat or dignitary to attend the opening and the closing ceremonies, in view of the human rights violation by the Communist Party of China, including in Tibet, Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

Also read: China continues to illegally occupy 38,000 sq km of Indian territory, says government

Despite initially staying away from the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 led by the US, India too called China’s move to politicise the games “regrettable” and decided against sending its acting envoy to the communist country to attend its opening and closing ceremonies. The Doordarshan’s sports channel, DD Sports, also decided not to telecast the opening and closing ceremonies of the games.

New Delhi decided to join the diplomatic boycott of the games after China made one of its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) commanders, who had been injured in the clash with the Indian Army soldiers at Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on June 15, 2020, participate in the ceremonial torch-relay ahead of the Winter Olympics 2022.

India’s alpine skier Arif Khan is the lone athlete from the country to participate in the sporting event. He took part in the march-past during the opening ceremony on Friday. But no official representative of the Government of India attended the event.

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