26 May 2008
Foreign participants in March to Tibet ordered to leave India
(Phayul; TOI) Indian authorities have ordered five foreign nationals to leave the country. The five, who participated in the March to Tibet, organised by the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), were ordered to leave India within seven days. March Co-ordinator Lobsang Yeshi and 18 others were arrested during the march and taken in custody. The foreign marchers that are due to be deported come from Norway, the UK and the US. They had been with the march since it began on 10 March 2008 in Dharamsala. The Indian government justified the deportation, with Ashim Khurana, Joint Secretary (Foreigners) in the Ministry of Home Affairs saying: "On [a] tourist visa, you cannot take part in a religious activity. If we allow that, you will have people coming here to propagate their religion. It's only for travelling and sightseeing, etc. So, they have violated the visa rule by participation in the march".