UK Foreign Secretary William Hague is visiting China this 14th July where he will meet Premier Wen Jiabo.
The UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Select Committee has already stated “there is little evidence that the British Government’s policy of constructive engagement with China has led to any significant improvements in the human rights situation”.
Call on the Foreign Secretary to discuss Tibet and its human rights during his visit and broker a real solution to the current deadlock situation.
YOU CAN TAKE ACTION BY:
1. SENDING A LETTER TO MR HAGUE urging him to:
- Raise Tibet with Wen Jiabao when he meets him.
- Urge China to drop all pre-conditions to negotiate a settlement on Tibet with representatives of the Dalai Lama.
- Demand the immediately release of Dhondup Wangchen, a Tibetan film-maker whose only “crime” was to peacefully exercise his right to freedom of expression, as guaranteed under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
You can copy and paste the sample letter below and send it to Foreign Secretary William Hague through this Foreign and Commonwealth Office link.
2. ASKING YOUR MP to ask Mr. Hague to make a public statement on Tibet during his time in Beijing. To find your MP click here
3. TWEET TIBET: Tweet your concern/questions on Tibet to the Foreign Secretary @WilliamJHague using the hashtag #fsinasia. You can see his answers by either following his twitter feed or coming back to the page later.
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[SAMPLE LETTER]
Dear Foreign Secretary
I am writing to urge you to make real progress towards a just and lasting resolution for the Tibetan people during your first trip to China as the UK Foreign Secretary. The new UK coalition government has recently pledged that it will, “seek closer engagement with China, while standing firm on human rights” and I ask you to ensure that you are true to these words and you move to pursue a results orientated policy on Tibet and not just issue rhetoric.
Tibetans continue to face arbitrary arrest, detention and torture for nothing more than peaceful expression of their religious and political beliefs. Most recently, the Chinese Government has started a new crackdown on Tibetan writers, artists, environmentalist and educators in a systematic attempt to block news of the arrests, torture and disappearances that have taken place across Tibet.
In light of the Chinese government’s ongoing oppressive policies in Tibet it is critical that when you meet Chinese premier Wen Jiabao that you take concrete action to help end China’s violent occupation of Tibet. I thereby, urge you to:
- Raise Tibet with Wen Jiabao.
- Urge China to drop all pre-conditions to negotiate a settlement on Tibet with representatives of the Dalai Lama.
- Demand the immediately release of Dhondup Wangchen, a Tibetan film-maker whose only “crime” was to peacefully exercise his right to freedom of expression, as guaranteed under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The international community has shown their overwhelming support for the Tibetan people in their peaceful struggle for human rights and freedom and I urge you to seize this opportunity to change the course of action of six million Tibetans and signal to the world that non-violence can triumph over violence and oppression.
Yours sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
