Last night, at 12.10 pm, over 200 police came to Jantar Mantar and forcibly picked up three out of the six Tibetan unto-death hunger strikers. Mr. Dawa Gyalpo, Mr. Dawa Tsering and Mr. Karma Sichoe could offer only the feeblest of resistance as they were bundled off into the waiting ambulance and driven to Dr.Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, where they are being drip-fed with glucose. Three other strikers-Mrs. Palzom, Mr. Yungdrung Tsering and Mr. Kunsang are continuing their fast.

Earlier in the day, a government doctor examined the strikers, following which the police came and told the TYC to call off the strike. The TYC negotiated with the police and secured the assurance that they would not evict the strikers for at least three more days. As it turned out, these words were not to be kept. We are aggrieved by this and the manner in which the police handled our strikers. Dawa Gyalpo vomited as he was thrown into the ambulance.

The Tibetan Youth Congress(TYC) has begun this unto-death fast on March 10 to demand that the United Nations

a) resume its debate on Tibet,

b) appoint a Special Rapporteur to investigate the human rights situation in Tibet, and

c) appoint a Special Envoy to facilitate a peaceful settlement of the question of Tibet and a UN-supervised plebicite to ascertain the wishes of Tibetans.

Our campaign has received tremendous support from ordinary people, parliamentarians, governments, artists and non-governmental organisations from different parts of the world. Letters of concern came from the International Commission of Jurists, UN Secretary General's office, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Government of Norway, the Government of Poland, the European Union, etc.

We express our appreciation to all the individuals and organisations for their support to our movement. We also pay tribute to the three brave Tibetans who were taken by police. Their courage and determination will serve as inspirations to all of us. The TYC would like to assure them that we will continue this movement until our demands are met.

Mr. Dawa Gaylpo (50) was born in Ngari, Western Tibet, and vividly remembers spending his childhood in close proximity with Mount Kailash. He served the Tibetan community in India and Nepal for years. In 1985, he visited Tibet and shocked by the conditions there which fired his determination to work for the freedom of Tibetans.

Mr. Karma Sicho (25) was born in India. He is a thangka painter and long time political activist.

Dr. Dawa Tsering (53) was born in Central Tibet. He escaped to India in 1960 and served his second homeland for many years.

Released by:

Yangchen Dolkar (Mrs)

General Secretary

Tibetan Youth Congress

Central Executive Committee Phone: 91-1892-21554

P.O. Mcleod Ganj-176219 Fax: 91-1892-21849

Dharamsala, H.P., India Email: tyc@del2.vsnl.net.in.

Contact in Delhi: Phone: 09811163081

Tseten Norbu (Mr.) Fax: 91-11-646-1914

President