Tibetan exiles hold peace march in New Delhi

The protests in Hong Kong started months ago, initially over proposed extradition legislation that would have allowed suspects to be sent to mainland China to face trial.

New Delhi:Dozens of exiled Tibetans took to the streets of New Delhi on Friday in support of Hong Kong's pro-democracy street protests against China.

Carrying umbrellas scribbled with anti-China messages, they marched while chanting slogans like "Shame on China" and "Free Hong Kong".

The protests in Hong Kong started months ago, initially over proposed extradition legislation that would have allowed suspects to be sent to mainland China to face trial.

It later expanded to include general concern that China is chipping away at the rights of Hong Kong residents.

Tenzin Palkey, 20, a Tibetan student in New Delhi believes the situation in Hong Kong is similar to what happened in Tibet.

"The situation in Hong Kong is getting worse every day and it will turn quite similar to what happened in Tibet," she said.

China claims Tibet has always been Chinese territory, but most Tibetans say the Himalayan region was independent for centuries until Chinese troops invaded in the 1950s.