India Social Forum
November 9, 2006 India Social Forum is the third event organized by the World Social Forum India, after the Asian Social Forum in Hyderabad in 2003 and the World Social Forum in Mumbai in 2004. The India Social Forum held at Delhi was five days long: November 9 to 13, 2006. Fifty thousand people gathered for the event. More than 350 panels, conferences, seminars and workshops on a range of social, political and cultural issues were featured at the forum.
Tibetan Women's Association attended the conference and initiated a signature campaign for Panchen Lama's immediate release. A 30-meter white cloth marked with handprints of different colors with the caption, "Joining Hands to Release the 11th Panchen Lama, Gedun Choekyi Nyima" was laid out for people to sign in each handprint. We experienced many enthusiastic questions and interactions with the participants of India Social Forum.
With the Regional TWA members' assistance, we managed to gather the signatures quickly and mailed them immediately to the United Nations' Committee on Rights of Child. Our main emphasis on India Social Forum was to raise awareness about the Chinese government's brutal and oppressive rule in Tibet, and their blatant abduction of the 11th Panchen Lama. In the past eleven years since his disappearance in 1995, Tibetans and child rights activists around the world have been working hard to secure his freedom. TWA will stand against China's might, and with your help, we will continue campaign for truth and for Panchen Lama's freedom.