Taiwanese Parliament Discusses Situation in Tibet/ENG

2012. március 15./CTA/TibetPress

TAIPEI, 15 March: The Taiwanese Parliament held discussions on issue of Tibet to commemorate the 53rd Tibetan national uprising day against the Chinese government.

 Democratic Progressive Party’s Tuan Yi-Kang and Dan Ji-Mei initiated the discussion on Tibet in the Taiwanese Parliament on 8 March.

 Member of Taiwanese Parliament and Democratic Progressive Party’s Chen Jeh Wu stated that the six million Tibetans are unable to exercise their right of speech and freedom of religion under the communist regime.

 Tibet’s language and environment are in severe danger. So much so that the Tibetans are reduced to a second class citizen in their own land, she said.

 Since the March 2008 mass uprising in Tibet, Tibetans have been put under severe restrictions and oppression, forcing the Tibetans to protest and self-immolate out of desperation to vent their strong resentment against the Chinese government.

 Keeping in view these facts, the Taiwanese parliament has urged the Chinese government to withdraw the military presence in Tibetan monasteries and respect the Tibetan people’s freedom of religion and speech as well as to safeguard Tibet’s language and environment.

 Another member of the Taiwanese Parliament, Wu Yi Tan, said that 26 Tibetans have set themselves on fire since the first instance of self-immolation by Tapey in 2009.

 “Tibet, the land of Shambala, has been transformed into a hell,” he said and urged the Chinese government to allow independent foreign journalists to visit Tibet.