Forwarded by Ngawang C. Drakmargyapon

Geneva, 21 April - As the on-going 52nd session of the UN Commission on Human Rights entered its final week of work, more countries raised Tibet in their statements on the question of violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms in country situations. "This shows that an increasing number of Governments want the Chinese authorities to end human rights violations in Tibet," said Mrs. Chungdak D. Koren, Representative of H.H. the Dalai Lama for UN Affairs. The Tibetan UN Initiative of the Tibetan Government in exile has been lobbying at the Commission on Human Rights since 1989. This UN Commission on Human Rights is a 53-member body which meets annually for six weeks in Geneva.

On 16 April, Dr. Klaus Kinkel, Foreign Minister of Germany told the Commission that "Insistence on the respect for human rights is not interference in internal affairs. Germany and the European Union have done much this year to persuade the Chinese Government in an exhaustive dialogue to take further, concrete steps to improve its human rights record. Unfortunately, the results of this dialogue have not been substantial and concrete enough. The European Union and the United States have therefore presented a draft resolution on the human rights situation in China. This resolution derives entirely from our concern for the international respect for human rights."

When the Commission began discussing country situations this week, on 17 April, Ambassador Per T. Haugestad of Norway said that his country "urges China to soon become party to the International covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. However, there are reports of violation of human rights in China, including Tibet. We would encourage China to address these concerns and allay fears of suppression of human rights."

On the same morning, Ambassador P. Torella Di Romagnano of Italy, speaking on behalf of the European Union said: "The persistence however of violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms in China continues to be a source of grave concern to the European Union. Despite solemn recognition in the Chinese constitution, the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly continue to be restricted. Inadequate protection of the human rights of minorities and their cultural, ethnic and linguistic identities still persist, in particular in Tibet, where recurring restrictions in religious practice were strongly denounced. The Union expresses its concern at the well-being of the child recognize by the Dalai Lama as the Eleventh Panchen Lama of Tibet." This statement of the European Union was signed by Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Cyprus and Malta. The EU statement was therefore a representative of 26 countries.

Thereafter, Ambassador Howard Bamsey of Australia said: "The observance of human rights in China is an important element in the strengthening of stability and continued economic growth in China and its effective integration into the region of China. China has made considerable progress in economic and social areas and has taken important steps in building a more effective legal system, including the promulgation recently of a new criminal procedure law. It is important however that the rights of individuals are guaranteed in this process of economic, social and legal reform. In this regard, Australia remains concerned about fundamental rights such as freedom of speech and assembly and the rights to a fair trial. Australia is also concerned about religious freedom, especially in Tibet.

On 18 April, Ambassador Geraldine Ferraro, the Head of the US delegation told the Commission: "In China, for example, the government remains intolerant of dissent and resorts to arbitrary detention, forced confessions, torture and mistreatment of political prisoners. We cannot remain silent in the face of continued restrictions on freedom of speech, press, assembly, association, religion, privacy, movement and worker rights. Nor can we ignore the repression of peaceful dissent by international-known political thinkers such as Wei Jinsheng, Ren Wangding and Chen Zeming or the interference in the selection of the Panchen Lama. I must say that I find it absolutely mind-boggling that a government as strong as China's seems afraid of a six-year old boy. And while we are talking about freedom of religion, Chinese authorities must allow Roman Catholic and Tibetan Buddhists to express their beliefs fully and without hinderance."

On the same morning, Mr. Falvio Cotti, Foreign Minister of Switzerland, speaking on behalf of Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said that Switzerland had maintained a bilateral dialogue with China from 1991 that was both constructive and critical -- it was urging China to step up its efforts, and felt the Commission should similarly request China to do so, and also urged it to cooperate fully with the Commission efforts on human rights. The statement hoped that as the Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance visited Tibet, the Chinese authorities must allow other Rapporteurs and Working Groups to study the situation in the country. Switzerland was making this statement also in their capacity as the President of OSCE which has more than 50 countries under its membership.

During the debate on the violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms, NGOs who raised their concern about the deplorable situation in Tibet were:

Amnesty International, International League for Human Rights, Transnational Radical Party, Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace, International Freedom of Free Journalists and International League for the Rights and Liberation of People. Amnesty International in their statement said that in Tibet " many monks, nuns and lay people are still imprisoned, and sometimes tortured for peaceful activities such as displaying national flags or shouting pro-independence slogans in public."

On 23 April, the Commission will vote on the human rights situation in China and Tibet tabled by the European Union, United States of America and other countries. In this connection, on 18 April, the European Parliament adopted a new resolution calling "on the member States of the European Union to use all the diplomatic means available to them, while making a determined effort to gain support from other members of the UN Human Rights Commission, in order to ensure that a resolution on the human rights situation in China and Tibet is approved by the UN Human Rights Commission and that it takes account of previous resolutions adopted by the European Union."