For the attention of all Tibet Support Groups

Copy to: Prof. Samdong RIMPOCHE

and Mr. Tempa TSERING

Brussels, 3 August 1995

Dear Sir/Madam,

together with the President of the Italia-Tibet Association, Piero Verni, I was able during a brief stay in Dharamsala at the end of July to meet the Dalai Lama, Samdong Rimpoche, President of the Tibetan Parliament in exile, and Tempa Tsering, secretaru for Information and International Relations of the Tibetan government in exile.

The Tibetan leaders expressed their gratitude for the work carried out by the parliamentarians who are members of the transnational and transdivisional Radical Party, as well as by the Euro-MPs James Moorehouse and Adelaide Aglietta, towards the adoption by the European Parliament of a resolution which for the first time condemns the invasion and the occupation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China (see enclosed document). They also expressed their gratitude for the words of support and sympathy after the death of the Panchen Lama.

As you can imagine, the Tibetan leaders underlined the increasingly tragic nature of the current situation in Tibet, where the Tibetan people suffer regular violation of the fundamental rights of the individual as well as a daily invasion of Chinese people, organized and planned by the Peking government. As a result of this invasion, they are now a minority in their own country. According to the Tibetan leaders, there is an urgent need for a radical change, or for a radical reinforcement of initiatives for the liberation of Tibet: otherwise there is a risk that a whole people, with its culture and its history, will disappear.

During the course of the meeting, we had a long discussion with the President of the Tibetan Parliament in exile, Samdong Rimpoche, and the head of information, Tempa Tsering, on the objectives to be pursued and the concrete action to be undertaken to stop this tragedy.

As well as confirming the current priorities of the Tibetans and of those who, like you, are working for the liberation and the liberty of Tibet, that is:

a) to bring about the immediate release of political prisoners;

b) to ensure the respect of civil, political, and religious rights;

c) to stop environmental destruction;

d) to stop the destruction of monuments and of the Tibetan cultural heritage;

e) to stop the mass transfer of Chinese people to Tibet;

our discussion also reached the conclusion that it is necessary to step up pressure on the Peking authorities, with new objectives and requests:

a) to ask the Chinese authorities no longer only for a halt to the mass transfer of Chinese people to Tibet, but for a fully-fledged process of decolonization;

b) to begin initiatives at the UN to bring about the attribution to the Tibetan government in exile of an international status similar to that obtained in the past by the PLO;

c) to ask the Chinese authorities for information on the whereabouts and the state of health of the Panchen Lama. The Dalai Lama was particularly concerned to underline this point. He believes that this request, rather than a request for immediate release, keeps open the possibility of dialogue with the Chinese. A more drastic request could, he believes, have serious consequences for the Panchen Lama, including even his execution.

It was also thought necessary to begin a feasibility study on the possibility of an international campaign to boycott all Chinese products. On this point, given the fact that it is extremely difficult to organize an effective, global boycott, we would ask you send us any information you have relating to trade between your country and the People's Republic of China, and on companies in your country which have commercial or business activities in or with China. It is our intention to organize a "Watchdog" on the People's Republic of China: we will send you the results as soon as possible.

In order to achieve these objectives, we decided to plan a number of initiatives, starting in the coming weeks. In particular:

1) August: intervention by the Radical Party in the Human Rights Commission and the Minorities Sub-Commission of the United Nations (see enclosed text of the document lodged);

2) September: initiation of procedures within the United Nations for the recognition of the international status of the Tibetan government;

3) September: presentation in as many national parliaments as possible of motions or resolutions similar to that adopted recently by the European Parliament;

4) from 25 September to 2 October (anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi): week of Satyagraha (collective fast) to put pressure on as many national parliaments as possible to adopt the resolution. The objective of this transnational nonviolent action is: 1,000 fasters in at least 30 countries. With regard to this initiative, the President of the Tibetan Parliament in exile, Samdong Rimpoche, informed us of the participation of nonviolent associations in India;

5) late December; Samdong Rimpoche proposed that we organize another nonviolent initiative;

6) 10 March 1996, on the occasion of the anniversary of Up Rising Day (day of nonviolent insurrection in 1959), a European demonstration for the liberation of Tibet, to be held in Brussels. Both our Tibetan friends and we believe that the time has come to go beyond single national demonstrations (inevitably limited in breadth) and to aim for a big European demonstration. If our friends in America and India are willing, two other big demonstrations could be organized.

These, dear friends, are some of the things that we are hoping to organize, together with you (if you are willing), in the coming weeks and months.

It is obviously a big commitment. I have no doubt that, with the contribution of all those who are working for the survival and the freedom of Tibet, great results can be obtained. In order to move on as quickly as possible to the concrete organization and implementation of these initiatives, I would be grateful for your comments and opinions on the various proposals.

Best wishes,

Olivier DUPUIS

Secretary of the Radical Party (*)

transnational and transparty

Radical Party

c/o European Parliament

Rue Belliard 97-113

Rem 5.08

1047 Brussels

Tel. 32-2-2842579; 2304121

Fex. 32-2-2849197; 2849198

(*) The Radical Party is a transnational and transdivisional political organization. That is, an organization of citizens and parliamentarians belonging to various national political forces who have chosen to commit themselves to a number of specific campaigns. The current campaigns of the Radical Party are: the universal abolition of the death penalty; the establishment of a permanent international criminal court; the revision, in an anti-prohibitionist direction, of the international laws and conventions on drugs; support for Bosnia-Hercegovina, in particular through its immediate membership of the European Union; world democracy and, of course, Tibet. The Radical Party does not take part in national elections. It recently obtained First Category Consultative Status from the United Nations.