World Tibet Network News Thursday, June 25, 1998

BEIJING, June 25 (AFP) - Members of a US-based pro-Tibetan human rights group who came to Beijing for US President Bill Clinton's visit said Thursday they will press China to release Tibetan prisoners of conscience.

Their plans include distributing leaflets at a planned briefing by China's religious affairs minister Ye Xiaowen on Friday to protest Beijing's jailing of Tibetan religious leaders, said John Ackerly, president of the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT).

"It seems like there is a real possibility of some prisoner releases and we're hoping there will finally be a Tibetan released among them," Ackerly told AFP.

In particular, they have in mind the possible release of a former US Fullbright scholar sentenced to 18 years in prison for making an amateur documentary film in Tibet. Ngawang Choephel, who studied at Middlebury College in Vermont, and was a resident of India with no citizenship, has

already been in prison for three years.

"We know his name has been on the list during working meetings in the pre-summit process," said Ackerly.

He noted there has not yet been a Tibetan released as a result of US diplomacy, whereas several prominent Chinese dissidents have been sent into exile in the US, most recently former Tiananmen Square student leader Wang Dan.

At Friday's news conference by the director of the Religious Affairs Bureau, the group "doesn't want to disrupt anything or get thrown out of China", but plans to hand out flyers on Tibetan political prisoners, Ackerly said.

He said China's apparent relaxation of its tight grip on political dissent recently had encouraged him to make the trip.

Ackerly said that, so far, he had not had any run-ins with Chinese authorities since his recent arrival on a tourist visa, norhad he had he been subject to surveillance as far as he knew.

"We don't know the limits of Chinese government tolerance for groups such as ours, but we think it is important to be here during the summit," he said.

"We have come to Beijing to ensure Tibet remains in the mainstream of Sino-US discussions."

Ackerly was disappointed that the US special coordinator for Tibetan affairs Greg Craig had been left behind on Clinton's trip, apparently out of fear of antagonizing the Chinese, who view Tibet as an inalienable part of China.

"We feel Clinton is falling short on human rights issues. We're hoping he doesn't backpedal," he said.

Ackerly and another ICT member have contacted the US embassy, which was "not overly pleased" to see them in China, he said.

China, which claims a long history of sovereignty over Tibet, sent troops to "liberate" the region in 1951. Eight years later, the Dalai Lama, who is Tibet's top spiritual leader, fled to India after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule.

China maintains that it will only enter discussions with the Dalai Lama over Tibet's future if the spiritual leader accepts Tibet as part of China.

But a leading Hong Kong-based expert on Tibetan affairs said Thursday the Chinese government has recently shown signs of flexibility in recognising foreign concerns over Tibet.

Barry Sautman, assistant professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and author of a paper written for American officials on Tibet's impact on Sino-US affairs, said signs had emerged of a subtle change in policy.

"There has been some indications that the Chinese government has admitted there is such a thing as the Tibetan question," Sautman told a luncheon, as China prepared to welcome US President Bill Clinton.

"There have been some very recent signs that the Chinese may be willing to consider foreign involvement in the solution to the Tibetan question," Sautman said.

But he ruled out any high-level breakthrough on Tibet during Saturday's Sino-US summit.

"What is likely to happen is that (President) Clinton will raise the issue and will be treated to the standard speech of Tibet as a part of China," he said.