BRUSSELS: Mr Ngodup Dorjee, the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the EU with concurrent accreditation to West Europe and the Maghreb, was invited to address the 94th meeting of the all party Tibet Intergroup (TIG) in the European Parliament on Tuesday (26 February). The meeting was chaired by MEP Thomas Mann, President of the TIG and was attended by MEPs, Representatives of NGOs and Parliamentary assistants.
In his address, Mr Ngodup Dorjee expressed his gratitude to the TIG members and the European Parliament at large for their consistent support to the non-violent struggle of the Tibetan people over the years. He said their efforts had led to the adoption of an impressive number of resolutions on Tibet, expressing deep concern about the deplorable human rights situation in Tibet and displaying support and solidarity with the people of Tibet. This, he said, will no doubt go a long way to reassure the Tibetans in Tibet that the leaders of the free and democratic world have not forgotten them.
Mr Dorjee told the MEPs that situation in Tibet continues to remain grim, with over 107 Tibetans having set themselves on fire in protest against the Chinese government’s repressive rule. He also apprised them about how the Chinese authorities respond to the crisis in Tibet through meting out death and harsh prison sentences to Tibetans arrested on false charges of inciting self-immolation protest.
“The gravity of the situation calls for immediate attention and intervention of the EU”, said Mr Dorjee and called on the TIG members to take the lead in initiating more concerted and coordinated actions to deal with the tragic situation in Tibet.
He also urged the EU Special Representative for Human Rights to visit Tibet to investigate the real causes behind the self-immolations and other human rights violations.
The TIG in the European Parliament was founded in 1987 by the then MEP Michel Hervé with the intention of disseminating information on Tibet and discussing the situation of Tibet with the MEPs for a way forward.