Dharamshala — The Tibetan parliament-in-exile on Tuesday appealed to the United Nations (UN) to reaffirm its commitment and conviction on the resolutions adopted by its general assembly on Tibet and restart the Sino-Tibet dialogue.
In a letter addressed to the newly appointed UN Secretary-General Hon'ble Antonio Guterres, it said: "The situation inside Tibet under the Chinese government's intensive political repression continues to remain grim and alarming despite China's lofty claims of having liberated and develop Tibet for the past 66 years."
"Since 2009 over 145 Tibetans in Tibet has resorted to self-immolation in protest against the China's rule in Tibet, calling for freedom in Tibet and to allow His Holiness the Dalai Lama to return to Tibet," the letter dated January 3, 2017 stated.
"Therefore, we are optimistic on the resumption of Sino-Tibet dialogue and the resolution of the Tibet's issue during your term," the letter added.
After UN General Assembly formally appointed Guterres as the next secretary-general, the political leader of Tibetan people, Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay congratulated him and says he hopes Guterres will "carry forward his reputation as a spokesperson of the oppressed and downtrodden."
"In this regard, I trust you will raise your voice on the issue of Tibet and steer the United Nations towards a peaceful resolution of Tibet issue," Sikyong said.
The UN General Assembly has passed three resolutions on Tibet; Resolution 1353 (XIV) of 21 October 1959, Resolution 1723 (XVI) of 20 December 1961, Resolution 2079 (XX) of 18 December 1965.
Guterres called for human rights to be respected unequivicolly on a global level during his first visit to Beijing, on November 28. Addressing reporters in Beijing, the UN chief said, “In a world where so many rights are not respected, to make sure that there is an effective combination in human rights, of the civil and political rights and the economic and social rights in a balanced way.” Without specifically mentioning China, Guterres said what was needed was a United Nations that abides by its principles.
Tibet was invaded by Communist China in 1949. Since that time, over 1.2 million out of 6 million Tibetans have been killed, over 6000 monasteries have been destroyed— the acts of murder, rape and arbitrary imprisonment, torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment were inflicted on the Tibetans inside Tibet, Beijing calls a "peaceful liberation".
In 1959, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama along with thousands of others escaped to India, where he was given political asylum. The spiritual leader has set up a government and rebuilt monasteries where masters pass on their teachings to young monks. Tibetans in exile have succeeded in gradually rebuilding their monasteries, preserving their culture, restructuring their society and keeping it alive, in spite of the extremely difficult circumstances.
