A news outlet in Bangladesh reports that police blocked the gates of a gallery in an attempt to prevent the opening of a photo exhibition organized by Tibetan exiles.
BDNews24.com reported Monday that photos of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama went on display outside the gallery in an attempt to circumvent the police blockade.
The Drik gallery in the capital, Dhaka, had planned to open an exhibit titled "Into Exile: Tibet 1949-2009" depicting the plight Tibetans faced after Chinese military forces seized control of the region more than 50 years ago.Drik, a well-known photo agency and commercial production firm in south Asia, was co-sponsoring the exhibit in Dhaka with a local branch of the group Students for a Free Tibet. BDNews24.com reports that police appeared an hour before the exhibit was to open on Sunday, shut the gates and prevented the public from entering.
Drik managing director Shahidul Alam is quoted as saying that representatives from the Chinese embassy, the Ministry of Culture, and a number of Bangl;adesh lawmakers requested cancellation of the exhibit.
The Drik gallery said its exhibit will continue on the street outside the gallery through next Saturday, as scheduled.