Dharamsala, June 6, 2006: The Tibetan Writers German Chancellor Angela Merkel with one the exile Tibetan delegates, Mr. Kunthar. 
Abroad PEN Centre participated again this year in the 72nd International PEN Congress in Berlin last week. Amidst 450 writers and thinkers from around the world, the voices of Tibetans were heard loud and strong.
During the Congress, the PEN Tibet delegates— Kunthar, Dolma Kyap and Guru Dorjee— attended a reception hosted by the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. Kunthar, the vice-president of the Tibetan Writers Abroad PEN Centre, met with the Chancellor and offered her a white scarf, Khata, in greeting. He said, the Chancellor, who is keen on human rights issues, listened patiently to what he had to say and told them that she knew the Dalai Lama well and had returned that very morning from China.
On his return to Dharamsala, Kunthar told other PEN members and the local press that the Congress delegates had unanimously called upon several countries, including China, to stop victimising writers and to do away with unfair defamation laws used to persecute or silence writers.
Sharing his experiences at the Congress, he said: “We are in the 21st century and more people know how to use the pen than ever before. The role of the pen is not just to scribble random thoughts, but to fight against injustice. In Berlin, we told other writers about our continuing struggle and about the lack of freedom of expression in Chinese-occupied Tibet. Perhaps our dialogues have inspired them to help us in our struggle through their writings.”
The Tibetan delegates also hosted a panel discussion on Tibet issues with the Chinese writers from Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai and abroad. Interestingly, the Chinese writers living in China also responded sympathetically to the Tibetan cause, Kunthar added. “I was surprised by their concern and by their openness in sharing it. One writer from Beijing, Yu Jie, actually declared that he would like to see the Tibetan conflict solved in favour of the Tibetan people,” he revealed.
Several Nobel Laureates such as Günter Grass, Toni Morrison and J.M. Coetzee were among the PEN delegates. Each of them was passionate in discussing the theme of the Congress, ‘Writing in a World without Peace’.
According to PEN President Jiří Gruša, “International PEN’s work in establishing inter-cultural dialogues, especially in areas of conflict, is more important than ever.”
