Dalai Lama leads mass prayers for those killed in Tibet monastery

Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama led a mass prayer service at Dharamsala on Tuesday for those killed in China.

Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama led a mass prayer service at Dharamsala on Tuesday for those killed in Chinas ongoing violent crackdown on the monks at Kirti Monastery and the locals in northeastern Tibet.

The Tibetans have been protesting against the siege on the monastery and the Dalai Lama,who had earlier asked the world community to persuade China to lift the siege,himself held the mass prayers on Tuesday. The prayer was attended by hundreds of Tibetans in exile,including monks and nuns,and non-Tibetan sympathisers.

Senior leaders of the Tibets government in exile,including the outgoing Prime Minister,Samdhong Rinpoche,speaker and deputy speaker,and representatives of NGOs and institutions were also part of the gathering. Arrests and severe clampdowns are still continuing. The action by the Chinese government is aimed to annihilate the very existence of Kirti Monastery,which will be a great loss not only to the monks of the monastery,but to all Tibetans and the Buddhist community worldwide, said a statement released by the Kirti Jeypa Monastery based here in Dharamsala.

The situation around Kirti Monastery has been tense following the death of monk Phuntsok,who set himself ablaze on March 16 to protest against Chinese rule. Following this,China stepped up security in the region and its security forces cordoned off the monastery,putting nearly 2,500 monks living in the monastery at the risk of starvation.

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