MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Tibet, in particular self-immolation by nuns and monks

25.10.2011

with request for inclusion in the agenda for the debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
pursuant to Rule 122 of the Rules of Procedure

Charles Tannock, Michał Tomasz Kamiński, Adam Bielan, Marek Henryk Migalski, Ryszard Antoni Legutko, Valdemar Tomaševski, Tomasz Piotr Poręba, Ryszard Czarnecki on behalf of the ECR Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0540/2011

B7‑0561/2011

European Parliament resolution on Tibet, in particular self-immolation by nuns and monks

The European Parliament,

–    having regard to its numerous previous resolutions on China and on Tibet, in particular the one of 25 November 2010;

– having regard to Rule 122(5) of its Rules of Procedure;

 

A. whereas respect for human rights, the freedom of identity, culture and religion is a founding principle of the European Union and a priority of the European Union’s foreign policy;

B. whereas Phuntsog, age 20, and Tsewang Norbu, 29-year old, died after setting fire to themselves, respectively on 16 March and 15 August 2011, as a protest against Chinese restrictive policies in Tibet;

C. whereas the younger brother of Phuntsog, Lobsang Kelsang and Lobsang Kunchok, both aged 18, set fire to themselves in the Ngaba County market on 26 September, ans although they survived, their present condition remains unclear;

D. whereas 17 year old monk of Kirti monestary, Kelsang Wangchuk, immolated himself on 3 October and was immediately carried away by Chinese soldiers who extinguished the fire and beat him heavily before taking him away so that his current wellbeing and whereabouts are unknown;

E. whereas two former monks from Kirti, Choephel, 19-year old, and Kayang, 18-year old, clasped their hands together and set fire to themselves while calling for the return of the Dalai Lama and the right of religious freedom, and died following the protest;

F. whereas former Kirti monk Norbu Damdrul, at the age of 19, set fire to himself on 15 October as the eight Tibetan self-immolating, whereas his current whereabouts and wellbeing are unknown;

G. whereas on 17 October a nun from Ngaba Mamae Dechen Choekorling Nunnery, Tenzin Wangmo, aged 20, died as the first female to commit self-immolation;

H. whereas it is reported that all monks before committing self-immolation have called for religious freedom, the return of the Dalai Lama and against repressive China's policies;

I. whereas Kirti Monks live in permanent fear of repressive actions and arrests by Chinese authorities;

J. whereas self-immolation can be seen as a form of protest and expression of increasing desperation of young Tibetan people and, whatever their personal motivation is, these acts must be considered in the larger context of religious and political repression in Ngaba county that can be traced back many years;

K. whereas tighter control over religious practice introduced by the Chinese government via the regulations passed in 2007 and expended state control over religious life (expressions of religious identity being subject to state approval and control, including the recognition of reincarnate lamas) has contributed to the desperation of Tibetans;

L. whereas over the last months the Chinese authorities have tightened security in Tibet by a heavy presence of security forces, especially in the environs of the Kirti monastery, with journalists and foreigners being banned from visiting the region;

 

1. Is deeply concerned about reports, since last April, of eight Tibetan Buddhist monks and one nun self-immolating in China’s Sichuan province;

2. Calls upon the Chinese authorities to preserve and protect the distinct cultural, religious and national identity of the six million Tibetan people in all the provinces of China, to act in a proactive manner and to stop perceived religious repression of Tibetan people;

3. Urges the Government of the People’s Republic of China to provide full clarification on the status of the 300 monks who were taken away from the Kirti monastery in April 2011 and about which several Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council, including the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, have intervened, Calls on the Government of the People’s Republic of China to release information on all those detained in the eastern Tibetan region of Ngaba since 16 March 2011, especially their current whereabouts and wellbeing and proceed to their immediate release;

4. Urges the Government of the People’s Republic of China to be accountable for the status of those Tibetans who have been “hospitalized” after their self-immolations, including the access to their medical treatment;

5. Calls on the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to release as soon as possible a public statement to express the concern of the European Union for the escalating situation in Ngaba county urging for human rights and fundamental freedoms and restraint of security police;  

6. Urges the Chinese Government and the representatives of the Dalai Lama to resume meaningful dialogue with a view to achieving a durable solution in Tibet via genuine autonomy for Tibetans within the People’s Republic of China;

7. Calls on the EU HR/VP of the Commission Lady Ashton to raise human rights issue at the EU-China Summit next week in Tianjin, and to ask the support of the President of the European Commission Barroso as well as of the President of the European Council Van Rompuy to clearly protect Tibet’s unique religious, cultural, and linguistic identity during their official speeches at the opening or closing of the Summit, in the case that this will not happen, calls on Lady Ashton to explain why it was not possible to raise this issue;

8. Urges the People’s Republic of China to respect religious freedoms and basic human rights of the monastic communities in Ngaba and suspend implementation of religious control regulations, review religious and security policies implemented in Ngaba since 2008, and begin a transparent dialogue with the leaders of Tibetan Buddhist schools;

9. Calls on the EEAS and the EU Delegation to China to constantly monitor the human rights situation in China;

10. Asks the People’s Republic of China to lift the siege by heavy presence of security forces in Ngaba region and allow independent and neutral observers to the region, as well as to withdraw military and other armed personnel surrounding Kirti monastery allow unhindered atmosphere of religious activity;

11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the HR/VP of the Commission, the Governments and Parliaments of the Member States, the President and Prime Minister of the People's Republic of China, the President of the Chinese People's National Congress, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama.