Tendin Lodoe, 29, stops for lunch on his way to a rally against China's Tibet policy. Lodoe left Tibet and moved to New York City in the mid-1990s. (Elisa Santana / Medill News Service)
WASHINGTON — Dozens of Tibetans marched and yelled “Hu Jintao: Failed Leader” and “Hu Jintao’s a liar” at Lafayette Square Park in front of the White House Tuesday afternoon.
Students For a Free Tibet has launched a three-day campaign to protest the Chinese President’s visit to Washington and Chicago.
The students, Tibetans, and other supporters met at the Chinese Embassy and walked to the White House where they plan to rally into the night.
While on his way to the rally, Tendin Lodoe, 29 stopped by a sandwich shop to grab a meal and a coke. He wore the Tibetan and American flag on his back. “We (Tibet) are not a part of China,” Lodoe said. “We have a different language and nationality.”
Lodoe moved to New York City in 1996 after leaving Tibet and staying in India for a year. “They (China) have money and power,” Lodoe said. “We need to free Tibet because we have no freedom and no human rights”.
In front of the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue where the protesters march Chinese flags fly at the same level for every two American flags. This may be Hu’s last visit to Washington before his term in office ends in 2013.
The full schedule of the campaign can be found here.
