52. Question & Answer at the Norwegian Parliament

Oslo - 13 December 2005 Submitted by Norwegian Tibet Committee/ Chungdak Koren

The written question in regard to the recent incidence in Drepung Monastery was put forward in written to the Norwegian Foreign Minister by Member of Parliament Mr. Olav Ginner Ballo during the Norwegian Parliament's question-session. The following text is the unofficial translation of written answer to the query of the Member of Parliament, Mr. Olav Ginner Ballo (member of the ruling party). Question for the written answer no.212. Question: Olav Gunnar Ballo, MP Socialist Left Party (SLP) "Several monks have been arrested in one of the Lhasa's largest monastery in Tibet, and curfew has been imposed on the rest of the monks in the monastery after they refused to sign a declaration that would have led to a break with their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama in practice. Foreign witnesses describe the situation in Lhasa as having been deteriorated in the last few weeks, with new violations on the fundamental human rights of the population. How does th e foreign minister intend to take up the violations on human rights in Tibet with Chinese authorities?" Reply: The Norwegian Foreign Minister, Ghar "Human rights are a central theme in the dialogue between Norway and China and there is a significant active Norwegian involment in connection with Tibet and the human rights situation. The Norwegian opposition to the death penalty, promotion of freedom of religion and protection of Tibetan culture is emphasised both in our regular bilateral contacts with the Chinese authorities at different levels as well as in all relevant multilateral connections - like the UN Human Rights Commission. We also r aised individual cases with the Chinese authorties where Tibetans have been imprisoned on improper grounds. The Norwegian embassy in Beijing is now looking into the incident in the monastery that the member of parliament referred to, and the embassy will take up the current situati on with the Chinese authorities. Depending on what comes out of it, the question concerning this particular case would be raised during the next Norwegian Chinese Round Table Conference about human rights. This will take place from the 4th to 6th of January 2006. The round table conference will present a good opportunity to take up the situation in Tibet, and that too to at a political level. The Norwegian delegation will be lead by the State Secretary Raymond Johansen. Norwegian educational institution and the voluntary organizations have also got involved with Tibet - Especially The Oslo Coalition of Freedom of Religion or Belief is actively working on the question of freedom of religion in China, with a special focus on Tibet and Buddhism. The coalition has a broad member based with the people from research institutions, different religions and beliefs and from the NGO's. The government believes that such organizations do important and good work."