English Open Letter to Mr. Hu Jintao From Tibetan Parliament in Exile

HE Hu Jintao, President of ChinaYour Excellency,On behalf of all the Tibetans inside and outside Tibet, the Tibetan Parliament in Exile wishes to express our deep anguish and concern at the prevailing critical situation in...

HE Hu Jintao, President of ChinaYour Excellency,On behalf of all the
Tibetans inside and outside Tibet, the Tibetan Parliament in Exile
wishes to express our deep anguish and concern at the prevailing
critical situation inside Tibet. As a human being, we are sure you
will very much understand why people resort to extreme measures such
as self-immolation. However, the harsh and brutal repressive
measures adopted by your government on the peaceful demonstrators
leave us in no doubt that your government has no value for
fundamental human rights, dignity or lives.As President of PRC, you
have professed harmonious relationship between nationalities as one
of the cardinal principles for nation building. However, what you
said and what is implement is self-contradictory. You very well know
that Harmony can be built only through mutual understanding and
trust and not through brute force and repression.China has grown
economically and militarily over the years and is considered a world
power to reckon with. Chinas growing influence globally has turned
itself into a brash and arrogant monster with no regards for others
sentiments and welfare. Material wealth alone does not bring
happiness. Development has to go hand in hand with respect for human
freedom and human dignity. We have heard your leaders, over and over
again that the western world does not treat China on an equal
footing. And may we ask, do you treat your nationalities on an equal
footing? Your leaders quote Confucius Do not do unto others what you
do not want others to do to you. But do you apply the same
principles to the Tibetans, Uighurs, Inner Mongolians, Manchurians
and others?As a world power, you have to earn respect by respecting
others but not through force. You can earn this moral power only by
granting basic human rights and resolving conflicts through
dialogue. That is for the long term benefit of China as a nation and
Tibetans and others as people. His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the
Central Tibetan Administration have for several decades taken a very
pragmatic, mutually beneficial, long lasting solution to the Issue
of Tibet by not asking for separation. But your leadership has
always turned a blind eye; stalled dialogue on flimsy grounds and
expected the Tibet issue to die a natural death. By now, you must
have realized that the Tibetan spirit remains indomitable and it
shall remain till a mutually agreeable solution is found.Every time,
Tibetans manifest their frustration by way of peaceful protest,
instead of looking into the causes of these incidences, your
government has always chosen to clamp down violently. Any human
rights violations by the State are cloaked under national security
barring transparent and independent investigation. For the larger
and long term interest of China and Tibet, we urge you to undertake
the following1. Withdraw the large reinforcement of military to
reduce tension immediately and take measures to give due
consideration to the aspirations of the Tibetan people.2. Allow
independent, non-partisan fact finding delegations to ascertain the
ground realities. If you have issues with that, allow a Tibetan fact
finding delegation to visit Tibet.3. Stop the policies and programs
aimed at destroying the identity of the Tibetan people. Provide
religious freedom and undertake reconciliation measures to assuage
the hurt sentiments of the Tibetan people.4. Stop sedentarization of
Tibetan nomads and include Tibetan participation in environmental
stewardship by using their centuries old wisdom of having lived on
the Tibetan Plateau. 5. All developmental activities in Tibet must
give due consideration to Tibets fragile environment and should
accrue due benefit to the native Tibetans.6. Release all political
prisoners including Panchen Rinpoche Gedun Choekyi Nyima, just as
Burma did so to create more trust between the people and the
government.7. Resume dialogue with the Tibetans with the commitment
and conviction to seek a lasting solution to the Issue of Tibet, and
peace and stability in the whole geo-strategic region.Given the
present day realities and the interdependence of the globalized
world, it is high time that your government give serious
consideration to a peaceful transformation of China that provides
freedom, respect and dignity to all. Otherwise, the day may not be
far when the Chinese nation and its people become victims of its own
creation. That will be the saddest moment in Chinese history.We
express the above sentiments with hope in our hearts that positive
sense will prevail over you and your colleagues and immediately
respond to the legitimate concerns. failing which you and your
government will be held solely responsible for any adverse
consequences if the matters are not addressed in a humane way.
Sincerely,Tibetan Parliament in Exile