19 February, 2010

International Campaign for Tibet

02 February, 2010

International Campaign for Tibet

The International Campaign for Tibet welcomes the strong and detailed statement [1] issued today by Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari, the Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and chief interlocutor with Chinese officials during nine rounds of dialogue since 2002. Lodi Gyari and envoy Kelsang Gyaltsen briefed the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India this morning before issuing the statement which concluded that “we do not see any reason why we cannot find common ground on these issues.” The statement included a proposal for “a common effort to study the actual reality on the ground, in the spirit of seeking truth from facts [to] help both the sides to move beyond each others’ contentions” and an appeal to Beijing to stop mislabeling the Dalai Lama as a “separatist.”

29 January, 2010

International Campaign for Tibet

The Dalai Lama’s envoys traveled to China for talks this week just days after the conclusion of a high-level meeting attended by President Hu Jintao, setting out Tibet policy for the coming years. 

The Fifth Tibet Work Forum, held on January 18-20, is the most recent in a series of rare strategy meetings on Tibet that have now been held just five times since the Chinese took over Tibet in 1949-50. The meeting last week was attended by more than 300 of China’s most senior Party, government and military leaders. Notably, the Fifth Tibet Work Forum concluded days before envoys of the Dalai Lama, led by Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari, arrived in China for the ninth round of Sino-Tibetan dialogue, some 15 months since the previous round. Speculation on the timing of the ninth round of dialogue so soon after the Fifth Tibet Work Forum has raised expectation that this could be a pivotal moment for Tibet.

26 January, 2010

International Campaign for Tibet

Dialogue between Tibet and China

In connection with the resumption of negotiations between representatives of the Dalai Lama and China, the Foreign Minister states:

"I am very satisfied that the negotiations between representatives of the Dalai Lama and China have now been resumed after a 15 months break. I therefore again call on both parties to engage constructively in the negotiations and hope that the dialogue will be carried through to a result which ensures that Tibetans attain genuine self-rule, with cultural and religious freedom and respect for human rights within the framework of the Chinese constitution. Dialogue is the only way forward to a peaceful solution to the question of Tibet."

25 January, 2010

International Campaign for Tibet

The Dalai Lama's envoys, led by Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari, are to visit China for talks with Chinese officials, the Tibetan government in exile announced today (http://dalailama.com/news/post/484-press-statement).

Results from eight previous rounds since 2002 have failed to meet the expectations of the international community.

Mary Beth Markey, Vice President for Advocacy of the International Campaign for Tibet, said today: "We welcome Dharamsala's announcement as a sign that both sides see some value in continuing their dialogue. But given the context of the continuing repression in Tibet, and an overall backsliding from the Chinese government on human rights, we hope that this time there will be an indication that the Chinese side is interested in engaging in a results-based dialogue."

06 January, 2010

International Campaign for Tibet

Dhondup Wangchen, the Tibetan filmmaker who was arrested by the Chinese government for documenting the current situation in Tibet and Tibetan people's aspiration for return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet, has been sentenced to six years in prison, according to information received by the Central Tibetan Administration.

04 January, 2010

International Campaign for Tibet

The UK-China Human Rights dialogue, which was due to take place on 11 January 2010, has been postponed by China.

It is not known whether the postponement is for logistical or political reasons. There have been tense exchanges between the British and Chinese government in recent weeks following China's execution of a British citizen shortly before the New Year.

17 December, 2009

International Campaign for Tibet

Security has been stepped up in of the Tibetan area of Kham, part of present-day Sichuan province, and dozens of Tibetans have been detained and beaten after peaceful demonstrations in support of the imprisoned Tibetan lama, Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche, a highly respected religious teacher serving a life sentence. Increased numbers of armed police and troops have been stationed in towns and villages where protests occurred - in an area that is already tense since demonstrations against Chinese rule spread across Tibet in March 2008. The movement of people in protest areas is now restricted and in one area soldiers have warned local people that they will shoot to kill if necessary.

07 December, 2009

International Campaign for Tibet

An international group of parliamentarians has written an open letter calling for discussion of the Tibetan environment at the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, also known as COP15.

Tibet, the world's largest and highest plateau, is the 'world's third pole' because it contains the biggest ice fields outside of the Arctic and Antarctic. The Tibetan plateau is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world and the impact of melting glaciers could be catastrophic. No other area in the world is a water repository of such size, serving as a lifeline for much of a continent and for millions of people. The sustainable management of Tibet has become a 
serious security issue in the region.

26 November, 2009

International Campaign for Tibet

The European Parliament has passed a resolution in which it calls for an end to the death penalty in China and expresses concern at the way in which ethnic minorities are treated before the law in China.

The resolution strongly condemned the execution of the two Tibetans, Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak, in September and called for the commutation of all other death sentences related to protests in Tibet during 2008, citing concern over whether the convicted have received a fair trial.

The resolution also called for "the reopening of sincere and results-orientated dialogue between the Chinese Government and the Dalai Lama's representatives, based on the 'Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People' and leading towards a positive, substantial and meaningful change in Tibet consistent with the principles outlined in the Constitution and laws of the People's Republic of China."