Washington: The situation in Tibet remains quite tense, the US said on Friday, as the number of deaths in the region due to self-immolation against the oppressive regime has crossed the 100 mark.
Terming it as “horrific figures” on the number of Tibetans who have self-immolated and died against the alleged oppression by the Chinese Government, State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said the US remains deeply concerned by the reports that these immolations are continuing.
“We call on those who are immolating or those who might be considering this to think hard about whether it’s the best way to express yourself,” she said.
“We also, as we always do, call on the Chinese government to address its own policies in Tibet that have caused these kinds of tensions and frustration,” Nuland said in response to a question.
“I think you can tell from the situation that it remains quite tense,” she said when asked if the US sees any move by China to address the concerns of the Tibetans.
New US Secretary of State, John Kerry, in his first talk with his Chinese counterpart, did raise US concerns over human rights, she said.
“In his first conversation with Foreign Minister Yang, obviously, the importance of continuing our human rights dialogue did come up,” Nuland said.