Geneva-based Tibet Bureau Participates in Human Rights Meet in ItalyFriday, 12 December 2008, 2:47 p.m.

Mr Tenzin Samphel KAYTA (2nd R) addresses to a gathering of  human rights activists in Italy on 10 December 2008.

The
meeting was a joint initiative of Amnesty International and the region
of Pietmonte, Italy, to share their peoples’ suffering. The
speakers spoke on issues relating to killing of women in Mexico,
torture in Chile, Child soldier in Uganda and cultural genocide in
Tibet. In his address to the gathering, Tenzin Samphel KAYTA
from Tibet Bureau, Geneva, recounted the killing of over 1.2 million
Tibetans and destruction of more than 6,000 monasteries since the
Communist China took control of Tibet in 1959.Although Chinese
constitution guarantees religious freedom, freedom of expression etc,
Tibetan people have been deprived of these rights, Mr KAYTA said.He
condemned the Chinese government to force Tibetans to undergo patriotic
education, compelling monks, nuns and lay people to vilify His Holiness
the Dalai Lama and possessing photo of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
being labelled as illegal. He said every year thousands of
children risked their lives in crossing treacherous mountains to India
to get proper education, which they are not provided in Tibet.Mr
KAYTA also briefed the gathering on the peaceful demonstrations by the
Tibetan people in Tibet in March this year against the Chinese
government’s 5 decades of misrule and discriminatory policies in Tibet.The
peaceful protesters were ruthlessly shot by Chinese armed police
leaving over 219 Tibetans dead, 1294 wounded and more than 1000 still
missing, he added.At present, Tibet including Sichuan, Yunnan,
Gansu and Qinghai remain under de facto martial law. Huge military
personnel have been stationed in and around monasteries as well as in
Lhasa and impose strict restrictions on people’s free movement, he said.The
Chinese government have put in place heavy surveillance on phone
conversation and Internet.  No independent tourist or journalists are
allowed into Tibet, Mr KAYTA added.He appealed to the
international community to consider the deplorable situation inside
Tibet and asked for their help to protect the lives of Tibetans. He
thanked the local government, Amnesty International, Association Italy-
Tibet and Tibetan sympathizers for their wholehearted support for just
Tibetan cause. The documentary film “Leaving Fear Behind” was also screened after the conference. Over 200 people including president of Regional Council, town officials were present during the conference.