LETTER: We need to visit Tibet
Business Day/December 04 2012
THIS is an open letter to the ambassador Tian Xuejun at the embassy of the People’s Republic of China in South Africa.
I am writing this letter prompted by an article appearing in the December 1 edition of China Daily, which reported that Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei criticised South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeals’ ruling that declared that our government acted unlawfully in failing to give the Dalai Lama an entry visa last year.
The article also quoted Yang Lihua, a researcher on African studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, stating that “the core of the problem is that some civil organisations and people in South Africa have not known enough about the unprecedented development that has taken place in the Tibet. If they had been to Tibet, I believe their stance toward the Dalai Lama would have totally changed.”
Yang Lihua’s statement reflects statements made by your government and your embassy, at times even by means of phone calls directly to several parliamentary colleagues of mine and myself, to dissuade us from partaking in initiatives involving the Dalai Lama or in support of human rights protection in Tibet.
Many members of parliaments from all over the democratic world have repeatedly requested the opportunity of visiting Tibet for a fact-finding mission. To this end it would be essential that we be able to move around Tibet with the same freedom we may move around any democratic country in the world.
We would like to see and understand for ourselves why about 50 people have burned themselves alive to protest and highlight internationally the human rights violations that are reported to take place there in a systematic way.
We would also like to visit the jails that are reported to host and torture people on account of their race, religion and opinion.
On the strength of the aforesaid reported statement of Yang Lihua and various statements of your government and embassy, I am writing to request the opportunity of a trip to Tibet for me and my 10 colleagues from the International Parliamentarians’ Action Group on Tibet, together with five members of our staff.
We require the possibility of moving freely in that region, with our own vehicle, guides and translators, and to be escorted by two members of staff from Amnesty International, as we would do when visiting any democratic country in the world.
Please remain assured of the highest sense of my esteem.
Mario GR Oriani-Ambrosini, MP
Member of the International Parliamentarians’ Action Group on Tibet and Inkatha Freedom Party spokesman on Tibet