Following the Dalai Lama’s statement yesterday that he may be forced to resign if violence in Tibet escalates, the Australia Tibet Council has written an urgent letter to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, asking him to redouble his efforts to bring about peace in the troubled region.

ATC President George Farley said today that the Australian Prime Minister’s forthcoming trip to China was timely because he would be able to impress upon Chinese President Hu Jintao the necessity and urgency of overcoming his reservations and entering into genuine negotiations with the Dalai Lama.

“I honestly believe that Kevin Rudd is one of the few people in the world who may be able to convince President Hu that he must do this, or risk China experiencing the kind of international ostracism that followed the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989”, Mr Farley said.

In 1989, Hu Jintao was responsible for implementing a brutal crackdown on dissidents in Tibet, where he was Communist Party Secretary in Tibet.

“The challenge for our Prime Minister is to persuade President Hu that he should not make the same dreadful mistake again.”

More immediately, ATC has asked the Australian Government to push for international media to be allowed into all Tibetan areas to report on the situation.

“This is the only potential protection the world can offer Tibetans and Han Chinese living in Tibet at this critical moment”, Mr Farley said.

China promised to allow foreign media access to all parts of China in the run up to the Beijing Olympics. However, journalists are now barred from entering or staying in Tibetan areas, where large scale troop build-ups are in progress. James Miles, the China correspondent for The Economist and the last international journalist in Tibet was “escorted” out of Lhasa two days ago.

From ABC Melbourne’s AM program this morning, Peter Lloyd reported from the Dalai Lama’s press conference in Dharamsala …

PETER LLOYD: It’s still difficult to get a clear picture of the size and scale of demonstrations inside Tibet, now that it’s under military lockdown. Exiled human rights campaigners here say protests are still happening across the country, describing the situation as extremely tense. There are unconfirmed reports that a number of former political prisoners have been re-arrested, merely on the suspicion of involvement. The Dalai Lama says too many world leaders have stayed silent on Beijing’s heavy handed response to the protest movement.

But there is one prime minister for whom he has a higher regard, and that’s Kevin Rudd.

DALAI LAMA: He speaks Chinese, very fluently, very fluently. And is very … showing great sort of concern about Tibet. And one I admire. He apologise to Aborigines. That is good, very good.

PETER LLOYD: The Dalai Lama will be in Sydney in June. He’s hoping to make Mr Rudd’s acquaintance once more.