Letter to the Chairman from His Holiness
the Dalai Lama
It is now more than a year since the events
of 10 March 2008, when Tibetans all over Tibet spiritedly
expressed their deep resentment of the PRC's rule, and the Chinese
authorities used brute force to quell the unrest.
The Chinese authorities go to great lengths
to assert that Tibetans in Tibet are happy. If this were true,
we would have no reason to contradict them, but their statement
is countered by evidence. Why else do the authorities in Tibet
maintain a policy of suppression that is little different from
military occupation? Recently, there has been an even harsher
crackdown with the so called "strike hard" campaign.
Tibet languishes under undeclared martial law and has been all
but closed to the outside world.
The information we have been able to glean tells
us that sadly the situation in Tibet has deteriorated to such
an extent that Tibetans there live in constant fear and anxiety.
They face unspeakable treatment at the hands of a ruthless regime,
whose attitude and behaviour threaten the very survival of the
Tibetan identity with its rich and ancient culture. The Tibetan
predicament is exemplified by the arbitrary handing down of death
sentences, suspended death sentences and life imprisonment to
several Tibetans tried in a closed court without legal representation
for their alleged role in the protests in Lhasa last year.
Under the circumstances, it would be tremendously
helpful if the international community, and especially more than
one billion Chinese brothers and sisters, who do not have access
to free and impartial information about the real situation in
Tibet, were able to form a clearer picture of what is going on
there. This is why I feel it is important to insist that the Chinese
authorities allow representatives of the international media,
governments and other concerned organizations, as well as tourists,
unfettered access to Tibet.
In the meantime the Chinese authorities continue
to accuse us of being separatists. As you are aware, our Middle
Way approach has been consistent for the last thirty years. To
clarify and reiterate this once again, we recently presented the
Chinese authorities with a written memorandum explicitly laying
out our aspirations for the Tibetan people to achieve genuine
autonomy.
Therefore, I appeal to you once again to do
whatever you can to persuade the Chinese authorities to exercise
restraint in dealing with the situation and to open Tibet up to
impartial access. At the same time I am grateful for your continued
support and encouragement of the process of dialogue as the proper
way for us to reach a mutually beneficial solution to the issue
of Tibet.
13 April 2009
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