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Australian Foreign Minister
Urged to Back U.S. Stand on Tibetan Rights MELBOURNE, March 6, ATC [Press
release] -- Mr Christopher travels to Beijing later in the week, where he has said he will demand concrete progress from the Chinese Government on human rights. "This is an issue on which we believe Australians really support the strong stand the Clinton administration has taken, and we've asked Senator Evans to convey that to Mr Christopher", ATC President Ms Alex Butler said today. President Clinton has said that China's Most Favoured Nation trading status with the U.S. will not be renewed in May unless it makes progress in seven areas of human rights, including the protection of "Tibet's distinctive religious and cultural heritage". In a letter to Senator Evans (see copy attached), the Council says that there is no indication that the Chinese government is making any serious attempt at all to meet this condition. It cites several recent media reports of Chinese military expansion in Tibet, plans to force Tibetan peasants to give up their houses and land to accommodate Chinese settlers and heavy prison sentences handed out to Buddhist nuns for planning peaceful protests and singing pro-independence songs. Mr Christopher's visit to Australia coincides with the 35th anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising on 10 March, 1959, which is marked each year by protests by Tibetans in exile, and often within Tibet itself. In Australia, Tibetans and their supporters are staging a week of activities, including participation in a worldwide meditation for peace in Tibet, performances of chanting by the world acclaimed Gyuto Tantric Monks, currently touring Australia, film screenings and peaceful demonstrations outside the Chinese Embassy in Canberra and Chinese Consulates in other states. [Further information: Alex Butler, National President, tel. 03 499 1841; Paul Bourke, National Secretary, tel. 02 360 9669] The World Tibet News website referring page: http://www.tibet.ca/wtnarchive/1994/3/6-2_2.html  ~ | CLOSE WINDOW | ~  |