"The Rt. Hon. David Cameron MP
Prime Minister
10 Downing Street
London SW1A 2AA
February 13, 2012
Dear Prime Minister,
Following a meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama last June in Westminster
Abbey, we have come together as a unique group of British people with direct
family ties to Tibet going back over 200 years. We are writing to urge Her
Majesty’s government to take a leadership role in addressing the grave situation
in Tibet today.
As the on-going self-immolations attest, all parties involved with the current
impasse are paying an immense price. Tibetans are paying with their lives, but
China is paying with lost goodwill around the world. This is unnecessary and
avoidable and, as a friend to both parties, we would urge you to promote
genuine dialogue so that the Tibetan and Chinese peoples can live alongside
each other in mutual respect, acting as a beacon of peace and reconciliation to
the region and to the world.
Britain has extensive experience in Asia. It has also played a notable role in
conflict resolution in Northern Ireland. Our country and government have
demonstrated a capacity to achieve astounding results in establishing dialogue
where none seemed possible. We are confident that a concerted effort by the
government to address the current situation in Tibet at this critical time will yield
positive and substantial results. We would like to suggest the following
affirmative actions:
• Offer assistance to the new Chinese leadership to overcome the deadlock
in their talks with the Tibetan Government in Exile;
• Review and strengthen UK policies to ensure that Her Majesty’s
Government’s position on Tibet both effectively reflects our nation’s
standards on human rights, and grants a commensurate value to the
national historical culture of the Tibetan people;
• Work to ease the security clampdown on Tibetans, and petition the United
Nations General Assembly, perhaps requesting an investigative human
rights team be sent to Tibet.
The majority of the British people support the restoration of human rights in
Tibet. The UK has an on-going responsibility and duty to Tibet, having signed
treaties with this nation in the past.
We trust that our suggestions meet with your broad approval. We would like to
request a meeting with you at the earliest convenience to discuss these
affirmative strategies and how we might also be involved.We would also like to inform you that a copy of this letter has been sent today to
the Daily Telegraph.
Yours sincerely
The Undersigned,
Friends of British in Tibet"
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