The Editor

Otago Daily Times, 10 July, 1997.

Stuart St

Dunedin, New Zealand

Dear Sir,

Under the title 'China battling Dalai Lama's influence' your daily carried an article on June 19th, in which the Tibet Daily was quoted as saying, 'We must carry out an international struggle and gain more friends in the world in order to isolate the Dalai clique on the international scene'. Sir, this statement makes perfectly clear why Chinese cities under the injunction from Beijing have sought and are seeking to form friendly and even sisterly relation with the cities of the free and developed countries under the guise of trade and culture in their vain attempt to isolate the Dalai Lama, an internationally recognised leader of the Tibetan people, and of non-violence and peace.

It is for this reason that Shanghai sought and succeeded in forming sister city relationship with Dunedin. The CATS (coalition against twinning with Shanghai) with the vast support of the people of the city appealed and protested to the Dunedin City Councillors against twinning with Shanghai, because we knew then as we do now that it is not so much that the city of Shanghai or Dunedin stands to gain anything substantive from this. Instead it is China that has gained recognition for her repressive policies that are driving the Tibetan people and their civilization to the point extinction. The Dunedin City councillors have given much needed support to China in her drive to 'isolate' the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Govt. in exile. As a Tibetan I felt we were slapped on the face by the Councillors when we turned to them for help.

Yours faithfully

Losang Dawa

21 Bangor Terrace

Dunedin

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Dear Sir,

Hong Kong, which has transformed into a much coveted 'treasure island' under the British rule has rightly reverted to China. The mainland communist China was obviously happy and quick to claim it back. They did it with a show of military might. For China the reversion of the island marked the end of the 'national shame' of being colonised by a foreign power.

Sir, may I ask: "Why does China not return Tibet, not a small island, but a high plateau as vast as the Western Europe, which the inner circles of the Communist China have called the 'Western Treasure House' to the rightful owner, the Tibetan people?" Is China only going to take over what is hers and other's, or is she also going to lawfully return what is other's to others? If they felt ashamed when a small part of them was colonised, how, do they think, the Tibetan people feel when the whole of Tibet is occupied by them, and when their ruthless repressive policies are driving the Tibetan people as a race and their age old culture, language, and religion to the point of extinction?

For the Tibetan people being colonised by China is not a matter of shame; it is a matter of life and death. Sir, does Communist China feel shame only as a victim of a foreign power and not as an aggressor and unlawful occupier of an innocent country? I say to the International Community that China is guilty of invasion, illegal occupation and destruction of culture, religion, language, wild life and ecology of Tibet. Do they still not feel shame?

Yours faithfully

Losang Dawa

21 Bangor Terrace

Dunedin