Washington, D.C. December 11, 1996 (ICT) -- The President of International Campaign for Tibet, Lodi Gyari, has termed as "insensitive" the reported attendance by Defense Secretary William Perry at a reception hosted by visiting Chinese Defense Minister Chi Haotian on December 10.

Gyari and over 50 Tibetans and Tibet supporters were holding a candlelight vigil at the Chinese Embassy on the evening of December 10 to mark World Human Rights Day and for the release of the detained Panchen Lama when the reception was being held inside the Embassy.

"It is unfortunate that Secretary Perry has been insensitive to international sentiments by honoring a Chinese Minister who is responsible for the Tiananmen Square Massacre," said Gyari.

General Chi had accompanied Chinese leader Jiang Zemin to Tibet in July 1990 during which they ordered crackdown on Tibetan political activists. Since then the Chinese authorities have launched several campaigns to suppress any show of loyalty by Tibetans to the Dalai Lama, the latest being the ban on the possession of his photos.

Gyari, however, welcomed the letter of concern sent by 41 prominent members of the American film community to the Chinese Ambassador to the United States expressing their concern at China's policy of artistic censorship.

The film personalities, who included Bernardo Bertolucci, Spike Lee, Paul Newman, Barbara Streisand, Richard Gere, etc., had, in their letter on December 10, referred to China's threat to use its market clout to halt the production of the film "Kundun" on the life of the Dalai Lama of Tibet as being the latest example of China's attempt to censor artistic expression.

"The concern expressed by the film community is timely, particularly as December 10 is human rights day," said Gyari.