British Prime Minister Urged to Raise Tibet Issue with Chinese Premier
 
Friday, January 30, 2009

Tibet.net
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File Photo:His Holiness the Dalai Lama (L) meets with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown at Lambeth Palace on 23 May 2008 in London, United Kingdom/GETTY IMAGES

LONDON: Following announcement in the official Chinese media of Premier Wen Jiabao’s coming visit to the UK to hold talk 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 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 yesterday 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 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 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.