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China's President to be greeted by Tibetan and Chinese protests |
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Tibetans in exile and pro-democracy Chinese unite in condemnation of Hu Jintao’s policies in Tibet and China
From Tibetan Community in Britain, Tibetan Youth UK, Tibet Society, Students for a Free Tibet
[London 31 March 2009] To mark China’s President Hu Jintao’s short stay in London to attend the G20 London Summit on 1 and 2 April, Tibetans and pro-democracy Chinese nationals are staging protests, a 24-hour hunger strike and candle-light vigil1 in solidarity with Tibetans and Chinese people suffering under the brutal human rights policies of the Chinese government.
Phurbu Rinzin, Campaign Manager for Tibetan Community in Britain said, “We are taking these actions to remind Hu Jintao of the ongoing suffering in Tibet and urge him to put human lives before trade. Hu’s so-called ‘harmonious society’ cannot be achieved just through trade and economic development; the regime must relinquish the continued use of brute force when implementing its policies on ethnic minorities particularly the Tibetan people.”
Tibet is now a global issue; environmentally, culturally and politically. The Tibetan plateau is the primary water source for around one sixth of the world’s population; China’s indiscriminate exploitation of Tibet’s natural resources and its environmental pollution not only severely strains Tibet’s fragile ecological balance, but could affect billions of people. Culturally, its unique history and profound spiritual heritage could play an important role in the stability of Asia and aid peace and security in the world at large, but the continuing cynical influx of Chinese immigrants to Tibet puts its unique culture, language and traditions at risk of extinction.
“Hu Jintao has blood on his hands,” said Karma Chura-Tsang, Director of Tibetan Youth UK and added, “He was the Party Secretary of Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) from 1988 to 1992 and last year gave a chilling reminder of his hard-line policies when armed police and soldiers used lethal force to crackdown on peaceful protesters in Tibet. This brutal and instant response cost over 200 Tibetans their lives, thousands are in detention and over a thousand remain missing.”
Key demands:
1. China’s illegal occupation of Tibet must end now. The past 50 years of Chinese rule has seen the destruction of over 6,000 Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and important learning centres; this has put the Tibetan national heritage and traditions at severe risk. China’s illegal invasion of Tibet in 1950 has resulted in the loss of over one million Tibetan lives. China must let Tibetan people govern their own homeland.
2. Allow independent investigation and media access in Tibet. If China has nothing to hide, it must allow independent delegations to visit and give the media access across the Tibetan region to assess the current situation. Inviting only state-sponsored media tours to visit Tibet is neither open nor transparent and does not engender trust or confidence in the Chinese regime.
3. Human Rights before Trade. China’s government must stop harassing the Tibetan people and respect their basic human rights as enshrined in the UN Charter, especially the freedoms of expression and religion. Tibetans must be able to show their loyalty to their spiritual and temporal leader, the Dalai Lama without fear of reprisals and ‘patriotic re-education’. It cannot expect to be respected or contribute significantly towards economic growth globally unless it acts responsibly and adheres to basic human and civil rights.
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