Dharamshala,14 September, 2012. Despite the heavy rain that drenched every corner of Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) campsite, the Indefinite Hunger Strike continued at the infamous protest area of Jantar Mantar in Delhi, India.
Perhaps the highlight of the day was the meeting between TYC representatives and India's 13th Prime Minister, Mr. Manmohan Singh.
During the campaigns on the previous days, TYC members visited the United Nation and European Union offices stationed in Delhi and spoke with their representatives. Memorandums were forward to the officials on both days. Likewise, today they are destined for the India's Prime Minister Office, hoping to directly speak with the PM himself.
Upon reaching the Prime Minister building in Rashtrapati Bhavan, TYC's Joint Secretary, Tenzing Norsang and RTYC Sameyling's President, Tenzin Wangchuk were escorted by police officials to meet the Prime Minister. Thereafter they briefed Mr. Manmohan on the worsening conditions in Tibet and the increase of human rights violations by Chinese government. In addition, they handed him the memorandums which list the demands and petitions of TYC Indefinite Hunger Strike. They hope to appeal to the Indian government in standing for the Tibetan cause.
The late monsoon shower leaked through the tents of the TYC demonstrators, causing the staff to patch up the area to prevent their belongings from being ruin. One of the upside of the monsoon is a cooler temperature in the heated Delhi. The pouring rain and the gloomy weather did not diminish the enthusiasm of the event today as many visited the hunger strikers.
One of the visitors, National Convener of the Core Group for Tibetan Cause, Dr. N.K. Trikha expressed his thoughts that the Tibetan cause is the cause of India as well as the entire humanity. He is a firm believer and even stated that he will stand by the cause as long he lives.
Another visitor is a patriot and former TYC executive, Lhakpa Tsering, who offered his moral support to the strikers. A few years ago Lhakpa committed partial self-immolation in protesting Chinese oppressive authority in Tibet.
With each passing day of the campaign, the hunger strikers are noticeably losing body weight and gradually becoming weaker. However, the supports and encouragements from the visitors make the pain bearable at this critical moment.
