05/06/97 08:43am >>>What follows is the text of the Order of the Day of the Italian Senate on
the situation in Tibet, as well as the press release that was issued by the
Transnational Radical Party after the vote.
PRESS RELEASE
THE ITALIAN SENATE'S ORDER OF THE DAY ON THE SITUATION IN TIBET:
A MASTERPIECE OF REVISIONIST HISTORY.
Rome, April 29, 1997. The Text of the Order of the Day on Tibet, approved
today by the Italian Senate, is to be placed in contrast to the numerous
and timely resolutions approved by the European Parliament, as well as
similar resolutions passed by the German Bundestag, the Belgian Senate, and
the Parliament of Luxembourg.
This morning, in the Senate Room, a number of arguments based upon analyses
of Italy's conduct in relation to Tibet that did not correspond with the
truth were even heard. In the coming days it will be our job to collect and
translate the documents concerning this matter, including those relating to
the meeting of the Human Rights Commission in Geneva, so that they may be
consulted by all political parties and by the Italian media, as well as by
the Tibetan authorities. These are the same Tibetan authorities who, you
may recall, were received by the President of the Republic, the Senate, and
the Council.
SOME NOTES ON THE SUBJECT:
Tibet was invaded by Beijing's troops in 1949-1950, and in 1959 the
population of Lhasa rebelled against the Chinese, and were violently
repressed;
Tibet is an invaded nation according to International Law (see the U.N.
resolution on this matter);
The Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile request autonomy, not
independence. To speak of separatist threats is therefore ABSOLUTELY FALSE.
Nor is it correct to omit that the repeated requests for dialogue and
negotiations with Peking by the Tibetans have been constantly ignored and
derided;
the terms "homogenization" and the sending of "government representatives"
have nothing to do with the Chinese policies of forced abortions and mass
sterilization, or the transfer of millions of Chinese colonists to Tibet,
which have reduced the Tibetan population through a process of ethnic
cleansing and dilution so that the Tibetans become a minority in their own
land;
the commitment taken to "represent the hopes" is significant;
Tibet is used as a dump site for nuclear waste;
it is a positive commitment that has been made to operate in the
international groups, and, more precisely, in UN Human Rights Commission,
so that they be recognized as a strong criticism of the conduct undertaken
by the Italian government in Geneva as recently as 11 days ago.
ORDER OF THE DAY APPROVED BY THE ITALIAN SENATE
The Senate,
considering that:
the population of Tibet has conserved its proper cultural and ethnic
identity, as well as a dominant religious vision (alongside an expression
of the religious Bon minority) which has made Lamaist Buddhism into a
distinct experience in relation to general Buddhism which, together with
Taoism and Confucianism, have impregnated Chinese society and culture;
rightly in relation to these original characteristics, Tibet has always
enjoyed an ample political and administrative autonomy, both during the
Chinese empires, under the Quing Dynasty which, as the land of five major
ethnic groups (then symbolized by the five colors of the national flag), is
the political foundation of the First Chinese Republic;
the imperatives of the modernization process underway throughout China may
bring Tibet undeniable economic and social benefits, as well as negative
repercussions on the natural environment and the lifestyles that represent
the heart of Tibetan cultural and religious identity;
the historical laceration that is represented by the Tibetan revolt of 1959
was not overcome, as the numerous recurrent regional turbulences and
separatist activities both within and abroad attest, and the necessity of
resuming constructive dialogue between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese
government is ever more urgent;
generally speaking, the authorities of Peking have conducted a strong
politics of homogenization throughout the territory, even through the use
of sending massive amounts of government representatives;
commits the Government:
to make itself interpreter to the Chinese government, even within the
bilateral dialogue on human rights, of the concerns of the Italian people
concerning the risking of a progressive loss of identity which concretely
confronts Tibet in absence of measures that effectively guarantee the
autonomy it should already practice;
to solicit the Chinese government to guarantee, in the interests of
stability and civil progress of Tibet, the respect of human rights and the
local collectivity, expressing the availability of the Italian government
to collaborate with the Chinese authorities for the development of a
judicial system and, more generally, the roots for the basic rights of the
Chinese Popular Republic;
to solicit the Chinese Government, on every useful occasion, to resume a
dialogue with the Dalai Lama that supports the commitment to a constructive
process that will bring the profound divergences that exist to a peaceful
resolution that restores both the cultural and religious freedom of the
Tibetan people, as well as its autonomy and respect for its
representatives;
to present to the Chinese Government, in the correct places and on the
occasions that present themselves, the sincere hope of the Italian
Government for the full respect of fundamental human rights in Tibet, with
particular reference to the child Gedun Choekyi Nyima, his family, and all
those who are deprived of their political and religious rights;
to operate so that these issues are addressed in all of the competent
international organizations, beginning with the next United Nations
Commission on Human Rights.
