Brussels, Belgium: As a part of his three-nation Europe visit, the President of Central Tibetan Administration Dr Lobsang Sangay met with Jan Peter Peumans, the speaker of the Flemish Parliament and Belgian parliamentarian Sabina De Bethune yesterday.
At the meetings Dr Sangay briefed the purpose of his visit to meet and interact with Tibetan communities in Europe and to meet with parliamentarians and senators to raise awareness about the Middle Way Approach, which is the official policy of CTA , aiming to seek genuine autonomy within the framework of the constitution of People’s Republic of China. As enunciated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Dr Sangay added that his visit also aimed at keeping old friend of Tibet while forging new friendships.
Dr Sangay raised concern over the present critical Human Rights situation in Tibet and also of the deteriorating environment health of Tibet and the Tibetan plateaus, which poses a great threat not just Tibet but also to Asia and the rest of the world as the Water Tower of Asia and as the Third Pole of the world for being the largest repository of the ice fields outside of the Arctic and Antarctic.
Touching upon Xi Jinping’s call for ushering a new era of “Socialism with Chinese Characteristics”, which essentially means “ no liberal democracy, no human rights, no freedom of speech and no environmental right,” he said. In dealing with China, Dr Sangay iterated that the choice the liberal democracies would have is to either accept and become more like China or to stand their ground and make China become like them.
Dr Sangay during the meeting thanked the recent adoption of an urgency resolution on China which called for an immediate and unconditional release of Tashi Wangchuk and Tibetan monk Choekyi.
During the meeting, Parliamentarian Sabina De Bethune expressed her support for Human Rights and her commitment to raise Tibet issue.
– Report filed by Communication Officer Tenzin Lhakmon