Thousands of Tibetan students protest demanding ‘Freedom of Language’

The Australia Tibet Council (ATC) has called on Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd to raise the issue of Tibet when he visits China this weekend.

Mr Rudd, who is making his first trip to China since taking on the role of Foreign Minister, has stated that he wants to take the world’s engagement with China to a “new stage” through his concept of “zhengyou” - or friend who can be honest with advice.

“China’s leaders certainly need some advice when it comes to Tibet” said Paul Bourke, ATC’s Executive Officer. “We are deeply concerned by the lack of progress in the meetings between Chinese officials and representatives of the Dalai Lama. China has rejected outright the ‘Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People’, the very moderate proposal presented by the Tibetan side. And its continuing criticism of the Dalai Lama signals a lack of goodwill on the part of the Chinese government to negotiate constructively on Tibet’s future.”

The next round of talks is mooted to take place in December, 2010. The ATC sees Mr Rudd’s visit as a well timed opportunity to inject some new momentum into the dialogue process, which has failed to make any headway during the previous nine rounds of talks.

The ATC welcomed Mr Rudd’s strong remarks on the human rights situation in Tibet, made at Peking University in the lead up to the Beijing Olympics. However the government has remained silent on Tibet since in spite of the fact that the situation inside Tibet has deteriorated since the wave of protests across the Tibetan plateau in 2008.

Renewed protests began on 19 October in the Tibetan areas of Qinghai province, as thousands of Tibetan high school students took to the streets to voice their opposition to government plans to replace Tibetan language as the medium of instruction in their schools with Chinese language. This is a clear indication of the Chinese government’s efforts to undermine the use of Tibetan language which is intrinsically linked to Tibetan culture and identity. Follow links below on the protests.

For further information and comment:
Australia Tibet Council (02) 9283 3466

Notes:
Protests by students against downgrading of Tibetan language spread to Beijing