Kalon Dicki Chhoyang: China has been steadfast in its refusal to open up Tibet...

shared from CTA

CTA Press Release

21 June 2013

The Central Tibetan Administration strongly rejects the false claims made by the delegation of China’s National People’s Congress of the so-called Tibet Autonomous Region on the issue of Tibet during its visit to the U.S. this week. Ironically, this visit takes place shortly after that of Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay of the CTA.

The delegation, led by chairman Padma Choling, met with Congressman Charles Boustany, co-chair of the bipartisan U.S.-China Working Group in the House of Representatives, congressional researchers and staff, and experts of the Brookings Institute, a U.S. think-tank, China’s state media reported.

The unfounded allegations made by the delegation that the Central Tibetan Administration is behind the cycle of self-immolations in Tibet are unlikely to provide convincing evidence to change the U.S. authorities’ position on Tibet. The U.S. government and Congress have unequivocally stated that they deplore the Chinese government’s repressive policies targeting Tibetans and have repeatedly called on the Chinese government to suspend its counter-productive policies implemented in Tibet, and resume dialogue with representatives of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to resolve the problem of Tibet.

“Despite repeated appeals by the international community, China has been steadfast in its refusal to open up Tibet to independent fact-finding delegations and the international media to investigate the true causes behind the self-immolations. Sending a group of individuals to disseminate Chinese State propaganda will prove a futile exercise in foreign countries where freedom of speech and respect for human rights are fundamental values,” said Kalon Dicki Chhoyang of the Department of Information & International Relations of the Central Tibetan Administration. The latter has repeatedly urged Tibetans not to resort to drastic forms of protests, including self-immolation.