Dharamshala: - Tibetans in Rebgong in Malho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in northeastern Tibet (incorporated into China's Qinghai Province) have launched a new campaign: "War against junk food".
"Tibetans living in Gomar village in Rebkong say the local government's apathy towards children's health prompted them to wage the movement. The villagers have started burning junk foods," said the Central Tibetan Administration, citing reports coming out of the region.
The campaign will pick momentum as university students have been sending messages through we-chat and planning to take this movement to all the villages.
Rebgong region, where over 12 Tibetans set themselves on fire since 2009, has become one of the focal points of political protest against the Chinese government's repressive policies.
Thousands of students from neighbouring regions studying in Rebgong led a massive peaceful protest in November 2012. They raised slogans demanding equality of nationality, freedom for Tibetans and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet.
Tibetans in Rebgong shunned the New Year (Losar) celebrations in 2012 to mourn and offer prayers for those who have self-immolated for the just cause of Tibet.
In 2010, thousands of students in Rebgong protested against the Chinese government decision to replace Tibetan with Chinese language as the medium of instruction.
The students, who took part in the demonstration, belonged to six different schools in Rebgong – the First Nationalities Middle School of Rebkong Tongren, the Tongren County Yifu Nationalities Middle School, the Tongren District Residential School, the Tongren Modern Medicine College, the Malho National Teacher Training Institute, and the Malho Nationalities Middle School.
The students demanded "Equality and Freedom for Tibetans to use Tibetan language". The monks of Rebgong Rongbo Monastery and many people from the village also joined the procession.
