Auckland — Tibetans and Tibet supporters have strongly protested against Chinese Premier Li Qiang's visit to Wellington and Auckland in New Zealand and called on the Chinese government to respect human rights and demand freedom in Tibet. During the peaceful protests, Tibetans were subjected to physical violence and harassment by pro-Chinese government individuals, which represents Chinese transnational repression in the free world.
Tibetans from Auckland Tibetan Association and members of Friends of Tibet protested against Chinese Premier Li Qiang's visit to Auckland on June 14, 2024 by holding up the Tibetan national flag, which is banned in Tibet by the Chinese government, and shouting slogans such as "We want justice in Tibet, we want human rights in Tibet, we want freedom in Tibet" etc.
Supporters of Tibet also protested against Chinese Premier Li Qiang's visit to Wellington, Capital of New Zealand on Junw 13, 2024. When Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in Wellington, members of the Wellington chapter of Friends of Tibet organised a demonstration to protest against Li Qiang and the CCP on the side of the road where the Premier's motorcade passed.
A member of the Wellington Chapter of Friends of Tibet who participated in the protests, Robin Greenberg said, “In Wellington, we don’t have Tibetans living here at the moment, Friends of Tibet feels a real privilege to make our presence felt and made the Chinese Premier seen us displaying the Tibetan flags high”. She further mentioned the importance of putting human rights above trade and holding Chinese leadership to account for its atrocities in Tibet.
Although small in number, Tibetans in Auckland made sure that their voices were heard to Chinese the Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Chinese government and that they stood up for the truth. Tibetan activists were jostled, pushed aside and relentlessly pursued around the protest site by the much larger pro-China group, who tried to tear down Tibetan banners. Yet the Tibetan flag flew high wherever the Premier had engagements in the cities of New Zealand. The Peaceful Tibetan demonstrators braved the rain and resisted beatings and harassment from their Chinese supporters.
The Tibetan protesters have made six demands of the Chinese government:
1. To Call on China to re-engage in dialogue with the Dalai Lama and Central Tibetan Administration to resolve the Sino-Tibet conflict.
2. Reinforce New Zealand's expectation that China immediately grants meaningful and unfettered access to Tibet for independent observers, including the Office of the UN High Commission.
3. Demand that China end its oppressive policies targeting Tibetan children and end the residential boarding school and pre-school system that separate an estimated one million Tibetan children from their families in denial of their cultural, religious and linguistic rights.
4. Demand that China cease interference in the selection and installation of Tibetan Buddhist leaders, including any future Dalai Lama. The determination of Tibetan Buddhist leaders must be determined solely by the Tibetan people, in accordance with international human rights law, without any interference by the Chinese Government.
5. Demand that China immediately release the world's youngest political prisoner His Eminence the 11th Panchen Lama and all other prisoners of conscience.
6. Demand that China repeal or amend provisions of their Criminal Procedure Law that violate the rights of detainees to a fair trial, and are routinely used to arrest Tibetans for peacefully exercising their human rights under the guise of 'separatism' and other State Security crimes.
