Canberra: Tibetan community in Australia, the Australia Tibet Council, and Australia V-TAG members, joined by the Uyghur, Falun Gong, Hong Kong, and Chinese democracy activists, strongly protested against Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s visit to Canberra, the second visit by Chinese leadership following the visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in March 2024.
Hundreds of Tibetans and Tibet supporters protested on 17 June in front of the Parliament House and the Chinese embassy, holding up the Tibetan national flags and shouting slogans. During the peaceful protests, Tibetans were subjected to aggressive and provocative advances and harassment by pro-Chinese government individuals, which represents Chinese transnational repression in the free world.
The speakers at the protest included Shane Rattenbury, the Attorney-General of the ACT and former Speaker of the ACT Legislative Assembly; David Smith, a Member of Australian Parliament; Tenzin Phuntsok Doring, Tibetan Parliament Member for Australasia; Prof Chonyi Feng, President of Australian and New Zealand Alliance of victims of Chinese Communist Regime; Kyizom Dhongdue, Former Tibetan MP and Strategic Campaigns lead-Amnesty International Australia; Dawa Sangmo, Chinese Liaison Officer of Canberra-based Office of Tibet; Ngawa Choezin, President of Australian Tibetan Community; and leaders of various other communities.
While speaking at the protest rally, Tibetan parliamentarian Tenzin Phuntsok Doring said, “The Chinese Premier represents only the Communist Party of China. He doesn’t have the mandate of the whole Chinese, 1.4 billion Chinese people. But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has the mandate of the people in Australia; he came through democratic means. So he should be more bold and more confident to take on issues such as human rights in Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong.” He also demanded that the Australian Government apply Magnitsky sanctions on China.
Former senator and outspoken supporter of Tibet, Bob Brown, through a special video message on the eve of the Chinese Premier’s visit to Canberra, urged the Australian Government to seek outcomes from its discussion with China on human rights in Tibet and not “shelve differences” as wished by the Chinese Premier.
The Tibetan community of Australia and the Australia Tibet Council protested that when in discussions with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, the Australian Government should be:
- Demanding that China re-engage in dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representative to resolve the Sino-Tibet conflict through His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Middle Way Approach.
- Demanding that China end oppressive policies targeting Tibetan children and end policies that separate an estimated 1 million Tibetan Children from their families in violation of their cultural, religious and linguistic rights.
- Demand that China immediately halt non-voluntary “labour transfer” and “vocational training” programs that amount to Forced Labour in Tibet and cease ‘political re-education’ in these forced labour programs.
- Demand that China cease interference in the selection and installation of Tibetan Buddhist leaders, including any future Dalai Lama. The selection of Tibetan Buddhist leaders must be determined without any interference by the Chinese Government.
- Demand that China repeal or amend provisions of the Criminal Procedure Law that violate the rights of detainees to a fair trial and are routinely used to arrest Tibetans for peacefully exercising their human rights under the guise of ‘separatism’ and State Security crimes.
-Report filed by Office of Tibet, Canberra