DHARAMSHALA: Parliamentarians across the world have been urged to observe “Parliamentary Solidarity Day for Tibet” on 20 June to highlight the deepening crisis in Tibet, days after the Chinese government sealed-off the region by stepping up military build-up to crackdown on Tibetans, the organisers said.

The clarion call was made by International Network of Parliamentarians on Tibet (INPaT) Working Group Members, including Thomas Mann (European Parliament), Matteo Mecacci (Italian Parliament), Birgitta Jonsdottir (Icelandic Parliament), Santosh Kalyan (Parliament of South Africa), Mario Oriani-Ambrosini (Parliament of South Africa), Son Chhay (Cambodian Parliament), Senator Consiglio Di Nino (Senate of Canada), Michael Danby (Australian Parliament) and Thomas Sangma (Indian Parliament). INPaT Working Group Members were mandated by the Sixth World Parliamentarians’ Convention on Tibet (WPCT) which was held from 27-29 April 2012 in Ottawa, Canada. (Read full text of Ottawa Declaration on Tibet)

INPat calls on the parliamentarians to urge their governments to encourage the Chinese leadership to hold substantive dialogue with the Central Tibetan Administration to resolve the issue of Tibet based on Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People.

The parliamentarians have been urged to ask their respective governments to include human rights protection as an agenda item in all their bilateral and multilateral engagements with China.

INPaT calls on parliamentarians to urge the Chinese authorities to receive the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to conduct a fact-finding mission to Tibet, including in Tibetan areas where many of the self-immolations have taken place.

It also urges parliamentarians to call upon their governments to raise their concern over the chronic human rights violations in Tibet at the 20th session of UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 18 June.

It urges governments to ask China to end massive deployment of troops in the Tibetan areas and to comply with Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to carry out a comprehensive review of the human rights situation. It also calls for the release Tibetan political prisoners, including Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the Eleventh Panchen Lama of Tibet.