Hours after the Chinese Embassy fired off a letter to 6 Indian Parliamentarians for attending the Tibetan Advocacy Campaign programme on December 22 last year, the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile slammed the Chinese regime for its illegal occupation of the region since 1951.
In a press statement, it said, “Historically Tibet has never been a part of China. Since the illegal and violent occupation of Tibet, China has oppressed the Tibetans under its brutal and draconian policy. Tibetans inside Tibet are deprived of their fundamental rights and the situation inside Tibet remains grim to date. Hence, the Tibetan issue is not an ‘internal affair’ as China has repeatedly claimed but a critical concern on Tibetan existence.”
The Tibetan Parliament-in-exile added, “The violation of international human rights law and hegemony of the neighbouring nations by China should be a concern for the international community. China in the name of economic development has only fulfilled its growing greed and is systematically destroying Tibet culturally, environmentally, and eradicating the Tibetan identity. Now China is displaying its dominance of free nations and democratic countries around the world including India.”
The press release pointed that the Communist regime in China continues to put Tibetans under surveillance, who are now residing in other nations. It stated, “By sending the letters to honourable members of the Indian Parliament, it becomes evident that China is intimidated by the growing support for the Tibet movement around the world.”
“Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile does not consider it a matter of surprise because Chinese government has been performing similar behaviour in the past. China has yet again called Central Tibetan Administration a “separatist political group” whereas it remains the sole legitimate representative of Tibet and Tibetans across the world. CTA has been supported warmly by many nations in our endeavour of protecting the fundamental rights of Tibetans inside Tibet and protection of our cultural identity,” it added.
The Tibetan Parliament-in-exile further stated that its non-violent struggle for human rights has found appreciation from the international community. “Considering the growing aggression and propaganda narrative by CCP, at this date no nation would believe such preposterous claim by China. Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile openly welcomes an equal and non-conditional negotiation with Chinese government,” it concluded.
Participation of Indian MPs in Tibetan Advocacy Campaign miffed China
On December 22, 2021, six Indian parliamentarians headed by Union MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar had attended a dinner reception hosted by the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile, prompting protests from expansionist China which illegally captured Tibet. Other than Chandrasekhar, the event witnessed the presence of BJP’s Maneka Gandhi and KC Ramamurthy, Congress MPs Jairam Ramesh and Manish Tewari, and BJD’s Sujeet Kumar. The Speaker of Tibetan Parliament-in-exile, Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, was also present at the event.
According to the website of the Tibetan Parliament, MPs attended the Tibetan Advocacy Campaign programme as part of the All-Party Indian Parliamentary Forum for Tibet (APIPFT). The programme continued for over a week. Besides these six MPs, others namely minister Ramdas Athawale, Janardan Singh Sigriwal, Swapan Dasgupta, Chandeshwar Prasad, Suresh Kumar Kashyap, Sabtagiri Ulka, and Rani Pratibha Singh had attended the reception.
Full letter by Chinese Embassy to some Indian MPs for participating in an even organised by Tibetan govt in Exile. Says,’China firmly opposes any anti-China separatist activities conducted by “Tibetan independence” forces’ pic.twitter.com/twNlCAA6Si
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) December 31, 2021
Meanwhile, the Political Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in India Zhou Yongsheng shot protest letters to MPs asking them to refrain from anti-China separatist activities and providing support to the ‘Tibetan independence forces’.
BJD MP Sujeet Kumar, who has been appointed as the new convener of APIPFI, snubbed the Chinese Embassy for its undiplomatic move and asked, “How dare you send letters to Indian MPs? If anything, you can raise your protest through official channels. I think the MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) should take a stand.”
