CHINA-TIBET/THE DALAI LAMA MEETS WEI JINGSHENG

The Dalai Lama met the Chinese dissident Wei Jingshen in Boston on the latter's return from his European trip. Hundreds of people, among them Chinese refugee students and professors were present.

CHINA/PROTESTS BY STREET VENDORS IN CHENGDU, A TOWN IN SICHUAN.

In Chengdu, China's most southerly city, thousands of people took part in a protest demonstration against the confrontation between the police forces and street vendors on April 30 last which left five dead and more than a thirty wounded in the city of Sichuan. This information was relayed by Human Rights China.

CHINA/A DELEGATION FROM SICHUAN IN MILAN

On May 26 next, representatives from Sichuan's local government will travel to Milan to present 15 industrial projects in their region of 110 million inhabitants to Milan's Institute for Foreign Trade. Sichuan has set up three high-tech development zones in Chengdu, Chongqing and Mianyang. These are areas which benefit from the preferential policy of "economic zones". Major deals are expected for Italian investors, especially in the automotive sector, the construction industry, the packaging industry, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and energy.

INDIA/NUCLEAR/DALAI LAMA

The Dalai Lama defended India's right to join the atomic club. "India was right in availing itself of this privilege". The Dalai Lama, on a visit to Madison, Wisconsin (USA), declared that the atomic bomb must not be considered as the exclusive privilege of rich countries.

INDIA/PROTESTS IN NEW DELHI/GEORGE FERNANDES

India's Minister of Defence and leader of the Samata Party, George Fernandes, has called on the UN Secretary General to ensure that all possible avenues are exploited to open up a process of dialogue between Beijing and the Dalai Lama.

EAST TIMOR/PROTESTS IN NEW DELHI/RAMOS HORTA

The Nobel Peace Prize, Ramos Horta, East Timor's opposition leader under the Suharto regime, has invited TYC militants on hunger strike to put an end to their action, by offering "to speak on behalf of Tibet wherever he goes".

>> PRESS REVIEW

-"The immolation of a Tibetan brings the Dalai Lama's strategy of non-violence into question", by Françoise Chipaux (Le Monde, France, May 2). Cause and reasons of the disillusionment of the New Delhi protesters after the suicide of Thupten Ngotup.

-"The Dalai Lama "testimonial" by health-food shops to free 12 Tibetan prisoners" by A. GU (Il Messagero, Italy, May 13). The Dalai Lama and soap : support for the release of 12 prisoners in Tibet.

-"Buddhism. The tradition, the Dalai Lama, etc." (Il Sole 24 ore, Italy, May 10). On political questions in Tibet.

-"Aborted dialogue in Geneva on the "already settled" future of Tibet" by Jean-Claude Buher (Le Monde, France, May 13). Based on a proposal put forward by the Socialist regional deputy, Régis De Battista in Geneva, to give a conference in the Swiss town in conjunction with an official Chinese delegation and Tibetan representatives, analysis of the international situation.

-"China riled by official in New Delhi" by John F. Burns (The International Herald Tribune, May 6). Analyses of the declarations made by the Indian Minister of Defence, George Fernandes, on Chinese policy in Tibet, Burma and Pakistan, responsible for instability in the region.

-"La Politica italiana verso i dissidenti ignorarli" by Gianni Riotta (Il Corriere della Sera, Italy, May 8). Accusation by the famous Italian editor of Italy's foreign policy in the field of human rights.

-"Né grazia, né giustizia : 1939 : morire per Danzica. 1938 : digiunare per il Tibet. Il Governo in esilio chiede l'apertura di un ufficio di rappresentanza a Roma", by Luigi Manconi (Il Foglio, Italy, May 9). Manconi, who is the leader of the Italian Green Party, speaks on behalf of the hunger strikers in New Delhi, and submits a proposal to the Mayor of Rome : acceptance of a Tibetan Embassy in the Italian capital.

>> MEETINGS (RENDEZ-VOUS)

-June 2 at 5 p.m. : Orvieto (Italy), Palazzo dei Sette. Public conference "Politics and religions in Tibet". Will also be taking part : Geshe Jampa Gyatso of the Lama Tzong Khapa Institute in Pomaia, those in charge of the Umbria-Tibet Committee, and the scientist Aldo Mastroianni. Event organized in support of the Tibetan nun Ngawang Sangdrol, sentenced to 18 years in prison in Tibet.

-June 6 : Osnabruck (Germany), international conference on "Tibet and Burma".

Will also be taking part : the Dalai Lama, Erkin Alptekin (Eastern Turkistan), Klemens Ludwig (TID), Michael van Walt van Praag (UNPO) and several Tibetan and Burmese exiles. For more information contact : Aktionszentrum Dritte Welt : phone + 49-541-260981, fax 28896.

>> TIBET/RESOLUTION PASSED BY THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

Human rights

B4-0511, 0537 and 0538/98

Resolution on Tibet

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its earlier resolutions on the People's Republic of China and Tibet,

A. whereas six Tibetan activists, Dawa Gyalpo, Dawa Tsering, Karma Sichoe, Palzom, Yndung Tsering and Kunsang, went on hunger strike in New Delhi on the 39th anniversary of the Tibetan insurrection against the Chinese, and, on the 49th day of the strike, the Indian police decided to detain the six pursuant to a law forbidding suicide,

B. deeply shocked by the fact that, when the police intervened, Thunpten Ngodup, an elderly Tibetan who had been looking after the strikers from the start, set fire to himself as a sign of protest and later died in a New Delhi hospital,

C. having regard to the six hunger strikers' calls to the United Nations for: (a) the resumption of talks on Tibet on the basis of the UN resolutions of 1959, 1961 and 1965; (b) the appointment of a special rapporteur to investigate the situation in Tibet and an envoy to promote action aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the Tibetan problem; and (c) China to promote a referendum under UN auspices in order to ascertain the wishes of the Tibetan people;

D. noting that five other Tibetans have embarked on a hunger strike unto death,

E. whereas such actions reflect the desperation felt by the Tibetan people after forty years of Chinese occupation,

F. noting the visit which the troika of EU ambassadors to China made to Tibet between 1 and 10 May 1998, as part of the EU-China dialogue on human rights, with the aim of collecting information on the social, economic and political situation in Tibet,

1.____ Calls on the Council and Commission, within the scope of their respective powers, to take steps to ensure the appointment of a special UN rapporteur on Tibet;

2.____ Calls on the Member States to take steps to ensure that the question of Tibet is included without delay on the agenda for the next session of the UN General Assembly;

3.____ Endorses the request made to the United Nations Secretary-General by 1 300 members of parliament from around the world that he meet the Dalai Lama as a first step in a UN-sponsored process of mediation between the Chinese Government and the Tibetan Government in exile;

4.____ Calls on the Chinese Government to open political negotiations with the Dalai Lama about the future of Tibet;

5.____ Deplores the Council's and Commission's failure to take action on Parliament's call for the appointment of an EU special representative for Tibet in its resolution of 15 January 1998(1) , and calls on the Council to make that appointment without further delay;

6.____ Considers that the steps taken by the European Union to secure the release of the Panchen Lama, an eight-year old Tibetan currently held in a secret place by the authorities of the People's Republic of China, are insufficient;

7.____ Calls on the Council to report to the European Parliament on the EU troika's visit to Tibet at the earliest opportunity;

8.____ Asks its Delegation for relations with the People's Republic of China to raise the Tibet issue on the occasion of the next delegation visit in June 1998;

9.____ Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States, the United Nations Secretary-General, the President of the United Nations General Assembly, the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Tibetan Government in exile.

(Published by FREEDOM FOR TIBET/DEMOCRACY IN CHINA ! - Number 71 - 18 May, 1998)