Tibetan Administration Issues 4 Point Appeal to China's 18th Congress

The Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile today urged the 18th Congress of China's Communist Party to consider 4 points appeal regarding the issue of Tibet.

At the press conference in Dharamsala, speaker Penpa Tsering and Vice Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel urged China to investigate causes of the series of Tibetan self-immolations, to stop villification of the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, to release Tibetan political prisoners and to revive contacts fo meaningful discussion.

The four point appeal are as follows:

1. Urge the 18th Congress to seriously deliberate on the continuing spate of self- immolations in Tibet, conduct a thorough investigation into the underlying causes and develop corrective policies and measures that meets the aspiration of the Tibetan people.
2. Urge the Chinese leadership to immediately stop its error-ridden policy of denigrating and accusing His Holiness the Dalai Lama with exaggerated and distorted statements. Such statements coupled with the measure to deny display of His Holiness’ pictures causes immense pain in the hearts and minds of the Tibetan people. We urge the PRC government to usher in conducive atmosphere for our people to freely practice and promote our religion, culture and language.
3. Urge the 18th Congress to provide amnesty and release all Tibetan political prisoners to foster positive policy transformation in Tibet, following the precedence of seven such amnesties in the history of the Communist Party of China.
4. Urge the imminent upcoming new Chinese leadership to desist from the existing policy of avoidance or the false notion of not accepting the existence of a Tibetan Issue. Rather we urge you to revive the channels of meaningful contacts to resolve the longstanding issue of Tibet.

Tibetan Parliament in Exile also expressed deep concern over the continuing self immolation in Tibet and held China's hardline policies for driving Tibetans to such actions.