Marchers back Tibetan independence
Tibetans living in Australia and their supporters on March 10 completed an 11-day march from Sydney to Canberra, conducted to publicise demands on the Chinese government to recognise Tibet's right to independence and to release Tibetan political prisoners.
The march was timed to arrive in Canberra on the anniversary of a 1959 uprising in Tibet which was suppressed by Chinese troops.
Once arrived in Canberra, the 15-20 marchers were joined by other supporters, and about 100 people rallied outside the Chinese embassy, where speakers included Greens Senator Bob Brown, Zatul Rinpoche, president of the Tibetan Community Association of NSW and Alex Butler, president of the Australia Tibet Council.
The group then marched to the Parliament House forecourt, where they were addressed by Democrats Senator Vicki Bourne, who chairs the Parliamentary Friends of Tibet. She was presented with an open letter to the parliament which calls on the Australian government to recognise Tibet's right to independence and to bring pressure on the Chinese government to respect human rights and to release Tibetan prisoners of conscience.