'Free Tibet' protesters picket Chinese Embassy

MANILA, Philippines - Dozens of protesters on Friday picketed the Chinese Embassy in Makati City they called on China to free Tibet and end the crackdown in that country. The group, composed of women, students and some Tibetans, was spearheaded by the Coalition Against Trafficking of Women, the Alliance of Progressive Labor and Kaisa Ka. In a report aired over QTV's Balitanghali, reporter Ruth Cabral said that the group also protested the Chinese crackdown on Tibet that has claimed the lives about 140 Tibetans and the jailing of more than a thousand protesters. Tibetans in other parts of the world like India, Nepal, Greece, Australia, US and inside Tibet have earlier held protests against the 50-year Chinese occupation of the country. They also displayed a mock Olympic torch. "Habang ang simbolo talaga ng Olympics ay pagkakaisa ng mga nayon, gusto naming bigyan ng pansin at liwanag sa buong mundo ang karaingan ng kababaihan at mga tao sa Tibet,"Jean Enriquez of the Coalition Against Trafficking of Women said. A Tibetan student apparently studying in the Philippines said in the QTV report that many Tibetans believe that their country is not part of China. He also said that the Dalai Lama, who has been tagged by Chinese authorities as the leader of the protest, does not really want to "separate" the country. The student was apparently referring to the Dalai Lama who was quoting saying that he wants 'real autonomy," not independence for Tibet. The demonstrators, during the one-hour protest, carried Tibetan flags and placards reading "Free Tibet now" as they marched before the embassy. China has been trying to contain violence ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games in August. Thousands of Chinese policemen and soldiers have been sent to Tibet to hunt down protest leaders and shut down monasteries. Buddhist monks have led protests that began peacefully on March 10. Reports said that Chinese officials have put the death toll at 22. But Tibetan exiles say nearly 140 people were killed. - GMANews.TV