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And the Tibetan strike goes on...

Eighteen hours after police forcibly broke a fast unto death by six Tibetans in New Delhi, a batch of five hunger strikers replaced them, despite a police warning of strong action.

Meanwhile, 60-year-old Thupten Ngodup, who attempted self immolation in protest against the ''police high handedness'' on Monday, and the youngest of the first batch of six hunger strikers, Karma Sichoe (25), are still in critical condition at the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital.

Thupten Ngodup, who suffered 90 per cent burns, was to join the second batch of strikers.

C Wangchuk, a spokesman of the Tibetan Youth Congress which is spearheading the strike, said a posse of policemen had warned they would use force if the Tibetans persisted with their protest.

Wangchuk said home ministry officials had tried to convince them to call off their protest. However, he made it clear they would continue till their demands are met.

He said Ngodup's self immolation attempt was a desperate act provoked by ''police high handedness.'' ''Many more such acts will follow if we are forced,'' he warned.

The five new hunger strikers are Jampa Kalsang (23), Phuntsok Semsang (25), Tsering Dorjee (37), Kalden Norbu (47) and Tsering Gonkyab (55).

Tibetans from various parts of the country continued to throng Jantar Mantar, the venue of the fast.

Rinchen Norzon, with a bandaged hand, said the police beat her up. ''They pulled me by hair and beat me with lathis,'' she said.

Norzon and 16 others had formed a cordon around the hunger strikers to prevent the police from taking them away. TYC vice-president Karma Yeshi said the police did not even spare a 14-year-old-girl, Dolma. Many other women with bruises were also critical of the police action, which they termed ''brutality.''

TYC president Tseten Norbu, who expressed deep anguish over the development, said they were disappointed with the Indian government's handling of the situation.

Five of TYC's 10 executive committee members are in the capital to monitor the developments and set future agenda, sources said.

UNI

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