DHARAMSHALA, October 30: The US ambassador to China has broken his silence on the ongoing wave of self-immolations in Tibet and urged China to re-examine policies which have led to the current situation.
Gary Locke’s comments come after the deadliest week of self-immolations, which saw seven Tibetans burn themselves demanding the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile and freedom in Tibet.
“We implore the Chinese to really meet with the representatives of the Tibetan people to address and re-examine some of the policies that have led to some of the restrictions and the violence and the self-immolations,” Locke said. He was speaking from Beijing to an online forum as part of a ‘China Town Hall,’ Monday.
Last month the ambassador visited two Tibetan monasteries in the Zungchu region of Ngaba, which is at a safe 100 miles (160kms) east of Ngaba town – the epicentre of the ongoing wave of self-immolations – as part of a broader business trip to the region.
Calling the self-immolations “very deplorable,” Locke also urged China to show respect for Tibetans’ religion, culture, and language.
“Nobody wants that type of action, or of people having to resort to that type of action. Too many deaths.”
US State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland had broken the news on Locke’s visit earlier this month at a regular news conference in Washington DC.
Nuland said Ambassador Locke met with government officials and residents in Ngaba and visited villages and Buddhist monasteries to learn more about how Tibetans live and work.
She went on to reiterate "grave concern" by the US over the rising number of immolations and urged "better dialogue" between China and Tibet.
"We have grave concerns about self-immolations in Tibet and about the underlying grievances that the Tibetan people have. And we have consistently urged dialogue between the Chinese government and the Tibetan people with regard to those grievances," Nuland told reporters.
62 Tibetans have set themselves on fire since 2009 inside Tibet demanding the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and freedom in Tibet.
The Dharamshala based Central Tibetan Administration has expressed its “grave concern” over the increasing self-immolations and strongly urged the Chinese government to address the underlying causes which are pushing Tibetans to set themselves on fire.
The exile Tibetan administration continues to push the international community to take “tangible actions” to press the Chinese leadership to find a lasting solution to the crisis in Tibet, while reiterating its appeal to Tibetans inside Tibet not to resort to drastic actions.
Source: Phayul.com
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