Below is the memorandum submitted by a delegation of India-Tibet Friendship Society on 11th April(Morning).
To
Dr. Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister of India
New Delhi 11/4/2005
Dear Dr. Manmohan Singh ji,
On behalf of India-Tibet Friendship Society, We welcome the arrival of Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao to India. We also congratulate you for your best effort to improve the relationship between India and China. But at the same time we would like to draw your attention towards the problems of Tibet and India.
This is the fact that His Holiness The Dalai Lama has been living in India since 1959 with more than one lakh Tibetan brothers and sisters. There is age-old cultural relation between India and Tibet. We Indians have gratefully remembered the unique contributions of Tibetan saints and philosophers who have contributed their mite to develop the composite Indian culture since time immemorial.
How can we forget the historic speech that was delivered by no less a person than Mahatma Gandhi at the historic Asian Relations conference at New Delhi in 1946. The Conference was attended by the representatives of His Holiness The Dalai Lama as the sole representative of Tibet where as there were other representatives from the mainland (Kuomintang) China. Our revered National leaders like Dr Rajendra Prasad, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, Jaya Prakash Narayan, Dr Ambedkar, Rajgopalachari, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, Acharya Kriplani, Madhulimye and other leaders have asserted voicing their resentment against Chinese incursion into Tibet.
It is also the fact that the Chinese Government is guilty of systematic annihilation of age old Tibetan culture and its unique religion. The our sacred pilgrimage Kailash -Mansarovar is still under the Chinese control. It become the source of income for Chinese authority. Nowhere in the world has to pay pilgrimage taxes except Kailash Mansarovar.
China has already occupied 38 thousand square kilometer Indian territory in Ladakh region since 1962 (After India- China war in 1962)and continuously making claim on 90 kilometer Indian territory in Arunachal Padesh. We have unanimous resolution in Parliament on 14th November, 1962 for getting back Indian territory at any cost from the Chinese occupation.
It is necessary to mention here that India-Tibet Friendship Society has the unique distinction to create public awareness on the urgent issues like Tibet into a Zone of Ahimsa and thereby ensuring Human Rights to Tibetan people. To push our demand forcefully we have already submitted 10 lakh petition in 1995 and 50 lakh petition in 2000 signed by Indian People to the Government of India. (Speaker of Lok Sabha in 1995 and Prime Minister in 2000).
Therefore, we would like to request you raise these issues in front of Chinese Prime Minister.Without solving the problems of Tibet China will never become trusted and good friend for Indians.
To sum up, the following are the issues which needs urgent attention while you talking with Chinese Prime Minister.
1 Immediate get back the Indian territory occupied by Chinese Government since 1962.
2 Remove the Chinese occupation from the holy place Kailash Mansarovar and make its pilgrimage free of cost like other pilgrimage center of world.
3 Pressurise the Chinese Government to take cognizance of the problem of Tibet and negotiate with the envoys of H.H.The Dalai Lama in all earnestness. Government of India should facilitate such dialogue.
We hope that the UPA Government will take positive steps in these context while negotiating with Chinese Prime Minister. Thank you.
With Warm Regards,
Rabi Ray
President & Former Speaker Lok Sabha
Lama Chosphel Zotpa
(Treasurer)
Anand Kumar
(Gen. Secy)
Dr.Manoj Kumar
Organising Secretary
Chandrabhan Yadav
National Convenor All India Students Forum For Tibet
Mohan Singh,M.P
Convenor All Party Indian Parliamentary Forum For Tibet
