Dharamsala, Jan. 30: Following the announcement in the official Chinese media of Premier Wen Jiabao’s coming visit to the UK to hold talks with Prime Minister Gordon Brown about “enhancing bilateral financial cooperation”, the Office of Tibet in London has written to the British Prime Minister to also take the opportunity to discuss “the humane rights issue of Tibet”.
The Chinese Premier is reportedly visiting the UK from 31 January to 2 February.
In a letter faxed to the Prime Minister on 27 January, Mr. Tsering Tashi, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama for Northern Europe, Poland and the Baltic Countries, urged Britain to “take the high moral ground by giving due priority to human lives and rights in Tibet and China over temporary economic gains”. Expressing deep concern for the situation in Tibet, Mr. Tashi among other things, urged the Prime Minister to “effectively persuade the Chinese Premier to end the brutal treatment of the Tibetans inside Tibet” and to encourage resumption of the Sino-Tibetan dialogue to resolve the Tibet issue”.
The London Office of Tibet has also written Wednesday to the Conservative Party leader Mr. David Cameron and the Liberal Democrat leader Mr. Nick Clegg to add their voice in urging the Prime Minister to raise the Tibet issue bearing in mind Britain’s moral and historical responsibility to do so. Besides Prime Minister Brown, both these leaders also met His Holiness the Dalai Lama last May and expressed their support for the Tibetan leader’s Middle-Way Approach to resolve the Tibet issue.
In his letter to the Prime Minister, the Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet, Mr. Harry Cohen, said, “There has been evident failure to make progress in the spasmodic talks between the Chinese authorities and representatives of the Dalai Lama. This is the fault of the Chinese. They have taken a hard line against any form of autonomy, which as you know is the UK Government’s policy for resolution of the dispute. Premier Wen should be urged to give serious impetus to the Sino-Tibetan dialogue to bring about a just agreement”.
The London Office of Tibet has followed its letter to the British leadership by sending to them and others in the region the statement of appeal issued yesterday by the Kashag (Tibetan cabinet) on the re-launch of Chinese government’s “strike hard” campaign in Tibet that is purportedly aimed to silence any Tibetan dissent. The appeal urged the Chinese authorities to immediately call-off the “strike hard” campaign and put an end to their hard-line policies in Tibet and called upon parliaments, governments and individuals around the world to actively speak up for Tibet.
Director of Free Tibet Campaign, Stephanie Brigden, said: “It is like a pressure-cooker inside Tibet right now with soldiers massed in many towns, snipers on rooftops, show trials and inflammatory Chinese propaganda against the Tibetan people, all of which creates a terrifying picture of Tibet’s future. Much of the attention on Premier Wen’s visit has focused on the Chinese economy, but as Gordon Brown himself has acknowledged in correspondence with Free Tibet, economic growth in China – and therefore global recovery – is contingent upon China’s respect for human rights and the rule of law. It is imperative that the Prime Minister heeds his own advice and puts human rights in Tibet at the top of his agenda when meeting Wen Jiabao.”
Free Tibet Campaign called on Gordon Brown to scrutinise the purpose of well-documented military build-ups in Tibetan towns and areas such as Lhasa, Nagaba county and Kandze and to ascertain whether such forces have been built as a show of strength to prevent future dissent, or whether such force is actually intended for the already planned use of force against restive Tibetan regions.
It also said Prime Minister Brown should also call on China to hand over to the investigating agency a full list of names of all Tibetans still in detention on charges relating to last year’s protests. That list should also disclose where each Tibetan is being detained.
“We call on the Chinese government to allow cases in all Tibetan areas to be conducted in open court and that consular staff and journalists be allowed to attend such court proceedings.”
