Taipei: - Eight students used eye-catching fancy dress to draw attention to the Tibetan cause during a Taiwanese marathon.
The Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) Taiwan members won first prize for their elaborate costumes and face-painting following the annual fancy dress Taipei-Taroko Gorge marathon on Saturday, November 3.
Some of the runners painted their faces with yaks, snow lions and Tibetan flags, and others carried yak mascots whilst one brave pair, Lin and Yu, donned full yak and snow lion costumes.
An SFT Taiwan spokesperson said that the students aimed to: "illustrate the importance of Tibet as the third pole of the Earth."
The group also gathered signatures during the event for a petition to Taiwanese president, Ma Ying-jeou, urging him to openly express concerns over the ongoing spate of self-immolations by Tibetans protesting Chinese rule in their country, and examine the current human rights situation inside Tibet.
