UN Chief ‘Very Concerned’ for Tibetan Hunger Strikers/ENG

2012. március 16./CTA/TibetPress

DHARAMSHALA, 15 March: UN Secretary General has expressed concern for the health of three Tibetans who are on an indefinite hunger strike outside the United Nations headquarters to seek the international community’s intervention to end the Chinese government’s repressive policies on Tibet which is pushing an increasing number of Tibetans to self-immolate.   

“The secretary general affirms the right of all people to peaceful protest. He is however very concerned about the health of the hunger striking protesters,” UN chief Ban Ki-Moon’s spokesman Martin Nesirky was quoted as saying by AFP.

Three Tibetans – named Dorjee Gyalpo, Shingza Rinpoche and Yeshi Tenzing – have today entered 23rd day of the fast organised by the Tibetan Youth Congress. They are demanding a UN fact-finding mission in Tibet, and international pressure on the Chinese government to end the undeclared martial law in Tibet. They started their fast on the first day this Tibetan New Year, 22 February.

The three wheelchair-bound protesters, weakened by their fast, told Voice of America Wednesday they had been visited by UN assistant secretary general Mr Ivan Simonovic on Monday. The protesters said they told Simonovic they want “concrete action” by Chinese authorities to ease the ongoing crackdown on Tibetan dissent in their homeland, before they will consider ending their hunger strike.

Mr Ivan Simonovic met a representative of the Tibetan Youth Congress in New York on Monday, the UN spokesman said.

Mr Simonovic “said he would convey the group’s concerns to the relevant special rapporteur and the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva in line with established procedure in line with handling human rights matters,” the UN spokesman told a briefing.

The UN assistant secretary general also met on Monday with China’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations and briefed Mr Ban’s office on the talks. No details were made public of the meeting however, the AFP report said.

Earlier on the occasion of the 53rd National Uprising Day on 10 March, His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s representative to US Mr Lobsang Nyandak and staff of the office of Tibet in New York visited the three Tibetan hunger strikers to express their support.

Related reports:

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Related reports:

EU, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Czech and US raised the Tibetan issue at UN

A Tibetan human rights defender calls for multilateral intervention in Tibet

UN Special Rapporteur challenges China’s forced resettlement policy in Tibet

UN High Commissioner’s intervention in Tibet is necessary: MEP

UN Human Rights Chief asked when she would visit Tibet

Czech FM expresses “serious unease” about situation in Tibet at UN