March 10th 2009 was the first mass lobby for Tibet in the UK parliament, with over 250 supporters taking part. This gave great encouragement to the Tibetan community here in Britain, who continues to urge those who could not make it to communicate their concern about the situation in Tibet to their MP.
Tibet Society believes it is vital to keep the pressure on the British government by writing or sending a fax or, even better, to meet your MP by going to a local surgery or Westminster and asking about their party's policy on Tibet.
The Tibetan people deserve our support. Despite a half-century of persecution, they have steadfastly refused to adopt terrorist tactics to fight their cause. If we choose not to support Tibet we are simply showing the world that there is no alternative to violence.
What is an Early Day Motion (EDM)? An EDM is a motion tabled by an MP for debate on as early a day as possible. Although EDMs are rarely debated, they are printed in the House of Commons paper, along with signatories and thus serve an important campaign function. Asking your MP to sign an EDM is one of the best ways you can lobby your MP. EDMs are used by MPs to show the government what issues are of concern to them and their constituents; they keep a momentum going for ongoing problems and draw other MPs' attention to that issue. In particular they:
• enable MPs to express their support for an issue
• attract publicity to the cause
• draw the government's attention to it
When visiting/faxing/e-mailing your MP, asking them to sign an EDM about Tibet is an easy and practical way of making them aware of the current plight of the Tibetan people. It also gives your MP an opportunity to respond constructively. If you would like to find out if your MP has previously signed EDMs on Tibet in the last two years, then call us on 020 7272 1414 or search on the EDM website by clicking here. If you would like any further information on EDMs then please click [here]
What should I say to my MP? Please call our office on 0207 272 1414 or email
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to request a copy of our guide How to effectively lobby your MP that has advice and tips on making the first contact with your MP, what to say in a meeting and so on.
If you prefer to write to your MP you can use the "10 Facts about Tibet" below other information from our website or other sources to write your own letter. All MPs take a letter from a constituent seriously. They will act on any requests and write to the relevant Minister to seek a formal government response. Civil servants prepare the Minister’s response to MPs’ letters very carefully. By writing personally to your MP, your letter will have far more impact than simply signing a pre-written postcard; it shows the depth of your support for this issue. You can send a letter to your MP instantly by using the website www.writetothem.com.
1. The invasion of Tibet began in 1949. China’s occupation has resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of Tibetans, the destruction of over 6,000 monasteries, nunneries and temples, and the imprisonment and torture of thousands of Tibetans.
2. The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s political and spiritual leader, escaped from Tibet in 1959 to Dharamsala, India, followed by over 100,000 Tibetans and established the Tibetan government in exile. In 1989 the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for a steadfast dedication to non-violence and in 2007 he received the highest US civilian honour, the Congressional Gold Medal.
3. Tibet, before occupation, was a nation with an established sovereign government, currency, postal system, language, legal system, and culture. Prior to 1950, the Tibetan government signed treaties with foreign nations. The Chinese government claims that Tibet has always been part of China, yet its invasion of Tibet resembles imperialist aggression that China accuses other powers of exhibiting.
4. China refers to Tibet as the ‘Tibet Autonomous Region’ (TAR). However, the TAR only comprises of a small part of traditional Tibet: U-Tsang and the western area of the Kham region. The region of Amdo and the rest of Kham were incorporated into the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan. Traditional Tibet has an area roughly equal to that of western Europe.
5. Fundamental human rights such as freedom of expression, assembly and religion, all internationally accepted within the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, are routinely violated and Tibetans are frequently arrested on an arbitrary basis. There are currently hundreds of political prisoners in Tibet, many of whom are subject to barbaric methods of torture.
6. The Chinese government increasingly encourages Han Chinese to migrate to Tibet by offering high wages and other inducements. This policy is threatening the survival of the Tibetan people. Tibetans are becoming a minority in the TAR. Annually, thousands of Tibetans still choose to flee from Tibet, making the hazardous journey over the Himalayas into exile.
7. Tibet is the source of five of Asia’s largest rivers, which provide water for two billion people, one sixth’s of the world’s population. Tibet’s fragile environment is endangered by Chinese strip-mining, nuclear waste dumping, and extensive deforestation.
8. The Chinese government claims to have “developed” Tibet. However these developments mainly benefit the new majority Chinese, with little or no regard for Tibetans. Millions of Chinese Yuan have been spent building infrastructure; many roads, buildings, and power plants that directly support heavy militarisation, allowing China to maintain Tibet as a police state.
9. The traditional Tibetan nomadic way of life is being dangerously threatened by the Chinese government’s aggressive policy of re-settling nomads in inappropriate and unfeasible new roadside estates, stripping them of any means of livelihood. This further marginalises Tibetans and engenders hopelessness and despair. Little is spent on education, healthcare or retraining the thousands of Tibetans whose livelihoods have been lost.
10. The United Nations and international community have done little to address the core issue of China’s illegal occupation of Tibet. China represents an enormous market and cheap labour force, and its associated businesses have such a strong lobby that officials are reluctant to take substantive measures. Since western countries adopted policies of so-called “constructive engagement” with China in the 1990s, the human rights situation in Tibet has only deteriorated. EDMs tabled in the 2008/09 parliamentary session
EDM 1172 SOUTH AFRICA AND THE DALAI LAMA 24.03.2009
Tabled by Tim Loughton Click HERE for current signatories
That this House deeply regrets the decision by South Africa to refuse a visa to the Dalai Lama to attend a peace conference in Johannesburg this week; questions the priorities of the South African government in taking such a course of action so as not to upset relations with China; and calls on the South African government to reverse its decision in the interests of promoting free speech and pursuing a peaceful solution to settling the longstanding dispute over the autonomy and human rights of the people of Tibet. Sign the Petition to President Motlanthe
EDM 1034 POLITICAL SITUATION IN TIBET10.03.2009
Tabled by Norman Baker Click HERE for current signatories That this House condemns the state of de facto martial law that Tibet has been subjected to by the Chinese government on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising and the flight of the Dalai Lama; recognises the severe impact on basic human rights and freedoms the present Chinese approach is having on the Tibetan people; notes that Tibetans continue to be tortured and killed and that thousands are subject to arbitrary and heavy-handed restrictions of movement; and calls on the Chinese government to end the de facto martial law and to lift the official ban on access to Tibet for journalists and aid organisations.
EDM 998 VENERABLE PALDEN GYATSO AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN TIBET05.03.2009
Tabled by Harry Cohen Click HERE for current signatories That this House welcomes the arrival to Britain, at the invitation of the Tibet Society, of the former political prisoner, the Venerable Palden Gyatso, to speak of his experiences; notes with deep regret the suffering and torture he endured during 33 years of imprisonment following detainment in 1959 for peaceful protest; commends his commitment to peacefully calling for the rights and freedom of his people; further notes with sadness that 50 years on the human rights situation in Palden's homeland of Tibet remains critical, with continuing oppressive measures being imposed upon the Tibetan people by Chinese government policies, such as patriotic re-education, arbitrary arrests and torture in detention and the use of brutal force against Tibetans who publicly demonstrate; and offers its support for a just and fair solution for the Tibetan people.
EDM 978 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE TIBETAN NATIONAL UPRISING04.03.2009 Tabled by Norman Baker Click HEREfor current signatories That this House notes the 50th anniversary on 10 March 2009 of the Tibetan National Uprising; draws attention to the unique historical position of Great Britain and Tibet whereby Great Britain had direct diplomatic and trade links with Tibet and maintained a permanent diplomatic mission in Tibet between 1933 to 1947; further notes that the Written Ministerial Statement of 29 October 2008, which changed the British Government's long-held position on the status of Tibet, was made without receiving any assurance from the Chinese government that it will make genuine progress on the issue of Tibet; in view of the Government's strong concerns on human rights issues inside Tibet, also expressed in the Ministerial Statement, including the situation of those remaining in detention, the increased constraints on religious activity and the limitations on free access to the Tibet Autonomous Region by diplomats and journalists, urgently calls on the Government to act on these concerns and give effect to its stated commitment to seek a solution for Tibet; and further calls on the Government to draft a list of practical actions that address these issues, with a clear framework to monitor progress, that the Chinese government can adopt in order to work to bring about genuine justice to the Tibetan people.