Paris: Dr Michael van Walt Praag kicked off his three-day visit to Paris from Monday, 4 October.
During the visit, Dr Michael van Walt Praag will give interviews to three media houses and hold meetings with Madam EUSTACHE-BRINIO Jacqueline at the French Senate, and M.P madam Élisabeth Toutut-Picard at the French National Assembly. He will also meet with diplomats, members of Tibet Support Group and members of the Tibetan Community.
Dr Michael van Walt met representatives of the Tibet Support Group this morning on 4 October. In the afternoon, he gave an interview to TV5 international which was telecast live, and in the evening he met members of the Tibetan Community.
In the interview, Dr. Michael van Walt said Tibet was never a part of China even though there were times in history where Tibet was under influence of other powers. “Tibet never looked for diplomatic relations or recognition from other countries except for other Buddhist nations and her immediate neighbours,” he said.
“The question of Tibet is geopolitically very important especially with regard to the current situation vis-a-vis China. Just like the promise of maintaining autonomy in Hong Kong after the handover was reneged by China, the world is starting to realise that this is what China did to Tibet too – the gross violation of human rights. Today the autonomy that China claims Tibet enjoys is only but in name and without any substance. We can also deduce what is happening in East Turkistan right now is what Tibet went through in the past,” he added.
Responding to the question of whether the US or any European countries will support a UN resolution to establish an independent Tibet, Dr Michael van Walt replied:
“Most European democracies and the US support the resolution of the Sino-Tibetan conflict through dialogue. Yet when one of these governments declare that Tibet is a part of China willingly then it becomes counter-productive. This takes out the need for China to negotiate with the Tibetans to legitimize their control of Tibet by this presupposition about the legal status of Tibet,” he explained.
Watch the interview here.
Report filed by Bureau du Tibet, Paris