Australian PM Urged to Discuss Human Rights Violation in Tibet with Chinese leaders[Thursday, 5 May 2011, 10:39 a.m.]
Prime
Minister Julia Gillard urged to raise the issue of Chinese government
repression on Kirti Monastery in Tibet during her visit to China from
25 – 27 April 2011.
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| Michael Danby of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet with His Holiness the Dalai Lama/File photo |
DHARAMSHALA:
In a letter to prime minister Gillard on 20 April, the All Party
Parliamentary Group for Tibet of the Australian Parliament briefed her
about the events that led to the military blockade of Kirti Monastery
in Ngaba in northeastern Tibet. The members of the
parliamentary group, Michael Danby, Peter Slipper, Warren Entsch, Scott
Ludlam and Melissa Parke expressed hope that prime minister would raise
the crackdown on Kirti Monastery and other the human rights abuses with
the Chinese government. The Chinese government has sealed off
Kirti Monastery by deploying armed security forces to crackdown on
Tibetans following the death of Phuntsog, 21-year-old monk of the
monastery who set himself on fire on 16 March this year to remember
those who participated in the wide-spread and peaceful protests that
shook Tibet in 2008. Instead of putting out the flames, the police
beat the monk which was one of the causes of his tragic death. The
peaceful protests by the Tibetans over the Chinese government
heavy-handed approach resulted in this massive blockade of Kirti
Monastery. In the subsequent crackdown, many Tibetans were severely
beaten and arrested. Moreover, patriotic education campaign
was forced on monks with indefinite ban on normal religious activities
at the monastery since 20 March. As the Chinese security
forces lay siege on Kirti monastery, a large group of Tibetans stood
guard at the Kirti monastery to prevent the Chinese police from taking
away monks for detention. The Tibetans gathered at the monastery, who
were mostly elders, were severely beaten by the police as they
attempted to resist the police from taking away around 300 monks in
around 10 military trucks on the night of 21 April. The crowd was
dispersed by the police who indulged in indiscriminate beating. Two
elderly Tibetans, Dongko, aged 60, and Sherkyi, 65, died due to severe
beating. Some 300 monks have been removed from the monastery and are
detained at unknown locations.
