By Phurbu Thinley
Dharamsala, August 5: In a media statement released by Australia Tibet Council (ATC) Tuesday, more than 2000 people have reportedly signed an open letter to US President George W. Bush and Prime Minister John Howard, asking them to jointly raise the issue of Tibet with Chinese President Hu Jintao when they come together for the APEC Leaders Meeting in Sydney this weekend.
According to the statement, the letter, organized by the Tibet Council, “stresses the need for President Hu to reinvigorate talks between Chinese officials and representatives of the Dalai lama in order to achieve substantial progress before the 2008 Beijing Olympics in August next year”.
“We believe it is time for China to enter into serious and focused negotiations, so that by the time of the Beijing Olympics it can point to examples of agreed greater autonomy for the Tibetan people in fields such as religious freedom, education, language and culture”, the statement says.
“Many people in both Australia and the US are deeply concerned about the Tibetan situation, and support the Dalai Lama’s Middle Way policy aimed at achieving greater autonomy for the Tibetans within the People’s Republic of China,” the statement quoted ATC Chairman, George Farley, as saying on Tuesday.
“If there’s no tangible progress on human rights, including Tibet, before the Beijing Olympics, it will tarnish the event in the eyes of many Americans and Australians. President Bush and Prime Minister Howard know this, and the coming weekend offers them a unique opportunity to convey this message clearly and directly to President Hu,” the media release stated.
For further information, contact Paul Bourke: 0419 420 526 /tibetcouncil@atc.org.au
