By IANS
Agra : The prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile, Samdhong Rinpoche, said Saturday that protests against the Olympic torch relay was justified as the Tibetans were not allowed to live a free life under the present Chinese government.
“The demonstrations against the Olympic torch are not aimed against sportspersons but against the repressive measures of the Chinese in Tibet,” Rinpoche told a gathering of Gandhian organisations.
Rinpoche welcomed India’s stand on not imposing any restrictions or ban protest movements by Tibetans. “A democratic government cannot be expected to impose restrictions on expression of dissent through Gandhian methods,” he said.
Talking to IANS, an official of the Tibetan government-in-exile made it clear that they were not opposed to China.
“We are not for disintegration of China. We do not even want Tibet to be a separate country. All we want is autonomy within the Chinese framework with democratic rights and our identity ensured.”