Parliament criticises human rights abuses in Tibet in a resolution passed on Thursday demanding that China reveal the whereabouts of all the victims of self-immolation and calling for unrestricted access for media and human rights monitors. It asks EU foreign policy chief Ashton to step up efforts to tackle the abuses and appoint a special EU coordinator for Tibet.
Thirty-eight Tibetans, mostly monks and nuns, are reported to have set themselves on fire since 2009 in protest against Chinese policies in Tibet, and their fate and whereabouts are largely unknown, MEPs point out.
Special EU coordinator on Tibet
They ask the EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, to appoint a special coordinator to promote human rights in Tibet, report regularly on the situation there, and provide assistance to Tibetan refugees.
They also urge Ashton to address the issue “at every meeting with the representatives of the People’s Republic of China” and they want the new EU Special Representative for Human Rights to monitor human rights in China, especially with regard to Tibet.
Meaningful autonomy for Tibet
The resolution calls on China to grant “meaningful autonomy to the historical territory of Tibet” and rejects the Chinese government’s argument that the engagement of governments with the Dalai Lama constitutes a breach of the ‘One China Policy’. China should refrain from settlement policies in favour of the Han people and from forcing Tibetan nomads to abandon their traditional lifestyle, the resolution says.