Published by: World Tibet Network News, Sunday, Jun 2, 1996

Lhasa (May 31) XINHUA - Ten thousand children gathered in front of Potala Palace in Lhasa today to urge all children of various ethnic groups in the Tibet Autonomous Region to take part in the "Hand-In-Hand" program.

More than 30,000 pupils of the autonomous region have already taken part in the "Hand-In-Hand Program," which aims to enhance the friendship of Tibetan children with other ethnic groups, especially the Han nationality.

The program was welcome by primary school students of other parts of the country. About 90 per cent children in coastal Zhejiang Province participated in a donation project to help Tibet build more primary schools.

Pupils of a school in Beijing also joined in a primary school project to commemorate late party secretary, Kong Fansen, of Ngari Prefecture of Tibet.

In return the Tibetan children wrote more than 100,000 letters and mailed gifts to their friends of other ethnic groups.