Office of President of Czech Republic

Press spokesman of the President of Czech Republic

Prague, November the 5th, 1995

Radical Party, Transnational and Transparty

for the attention of Olga Cechurova,

Member of General Council

P.O.BOX 287

111 21 Praha 1

Dear Ms. Cechurova,

thank you for your materials concerning the situation in Tibet. The President of Czech Republic expressed his support to Tibet in his press conference in the seat of United Nations in New York (see enclosed part from the transcription of press conference) and he even visited people demonstrating in front of the UN building and spoke with them.

I will submit your Appeal to the Secretary General of UN and the Parliamentary Motion Resolution to Mr. President.

Best regards

Ladislav Spacek

Enclosed: transcript of excerpt from President Havel's press conference in the seat of United Nations

Press conference of President Vaclav Havel on the UN summit, New York, October 24, 1995

Question: Across the street from the UN building there are Tibetans demonstrators, who are on hunger strike. It is evident that some are already in very serious condition. Did you, Mr. President, visit them? If so, why? And if not, could you also tell us why? It appears that they did not receive many visitors from this side of the street.

Havel: I did go there and I spoke to some of them. However, you are probably more interested in my opinion on the Tibetan question than if I talked with them. I believe firmly that the project of Tibetan autonomy, which was presented by the Dalai Lama, will sooner or later be accepted as a purposeful solution of the Tibetan question.

If I may something that was not part of your question: in today's world there are many different problems, some of which are being discussed more, some less, and some not at all. We are reminded of some of them by demonstrations which are occurring here, not just the Tibetan one - there are many demonstrations around. Some, however, appear to receive no attention whatsoever, and therefore I would like to mention one of these problems. In Hong Kong there are twenty thousand boat people, Vietnamese refugees, who are being gradually repatriated back to Vietnam and whose future fate is anybody's guess. I believe it would be correct if the richer countries of the world offered these refugees, who are mainly members of the intelligentsia, permanent residence on their territories.