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Pro-Tibetan groups
urge MAC to speak on China¡¦s abuses
By Loa Iok-sin / Staff Reporter
Several Tibetan support groups yesterday visited the Mainland Affairs Council
(MAC), urging it to take a stronger stand on China¡¦s human rights abuses against
Tibetans.
Upset that the council has not done anything following the Chinese government¡¦s
bloody crackdown on Tibetan demonstrators in Ngaba (Aba, ªüÅò), Sichuan Province,
and the subsequent lockdown at the Kirti Monastery that began last month, the
Tibet support groups met with Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Chao
Chien-min (»¯°·¥Á) and urged the council to take a tougher stance on China¡¦s human
rights records as Taipei and Beijing develop closer ties.
These groups included Taiwan Friends of Tibet (TFOT), the Regional Tibetan Youth
Congress Taiwan (RTYCT), Students for a Free Tibet Taiwan and the Regional
Tibetan Women¡¦s Association Taiwan
¡§As the Dalai Lama, as well as many governments around the world have demanded,
China must show more restrain when handling the Kirti Monastery incident to
avoid more casualties and to respect freedom of religion and it must stop
illegally arresting monks,¡¨ TFOT president Chow Mei-li (©P¬ü¨½) said in a statement
to the Taipei Times after the meeting.
The meeting was not open to the media.
TFOT vice president Yiong Cong-ziin (·¨ªøÂí) called on the council to stand firmly
behind the values of human rights and freedom, and to call on the Chinese
authorities to release arrested monks, end the lockdown at the Kirti Monastery
and allow international media outlets to visit the monastery.
TFOT also urged the council to ban Chinese officials with notorious human rights
records from visiting Taiwan.
¡§There¡¦s no Chinese embassy in Taiwan, that¡¦s why we came to the council,¡¨ RTYCT
president Tenzin Chompel said. ¡§You must help us.¡¨
He pointed out that RTYCT members in other parts of the world, notably India,
had started an indefinite hunger strike to protest Chinese repression of the
peaceful demonstrations in Ngaba.
Since Taiwan and China are developing closer relations and share a common
language, ¡§the call that comes out of here maybe more powerful than the calls
coming out of other countries,¡¨ Tenzin said.
In response to the Tibetan groups¡¦ demands, Chao said the council is also
concerned about human rights issues.
¡§I believe that now the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are having more
exchanges, freedom and democracy in Taiwan is actually having an impact in
China,¡¨ Chao said.
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