http://www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/region/asiapacific/090310-Tibet-Netherlands-mcFifty years ago today, the Dalai Lama fled Tibet to escape the wrath of the Chinese occupiers. After last year's high-profile protests by Tibetan monks, China has tightened its grip on Tibet and no one is being allowed in or out for the next few days. Many Dutch people sympathise strongly with Tibet's struggle for freedom.
Some 60,000 Dutch people donate money to the International Campaign for Tibet in the Netherlands. It's an impressive figure, especially when you compare it to the 75,000 donors in the United States, where the Campaign has its headquarters.
Where does this widespread Dutch support for Tibet come from? Michael Walt van Praag, the former director of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation (UNPO), and legal advisor to the Dalai Lama, said:
"I think that in the Netherlands, people have a strong general sense of justice and injustice. Stronger than in many other countries. Just look at the Dutch support for the battle against apartheid in South Africa. It's a similar feeling of 'something needs to be done; we cannot allow this to continue'."