A three-member French Parliamentarians who visited the Tibetan community in Dharamsala had urged the Chinese government to implement the provisions of national regional autonomy in Tibet as enshrined in the constitution.
The envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama presented the memorandum on genuine autonomy for the Tibetan people to the Chinese government during their eight round of talks in Beijing last year. The memorandum puts forth the aspiration for the integrity of the Tibetan nationality and the preservation of their rich and distinct history, culture, language and spiritual tradition and other issues which can be met through application of the principles on autonomy of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China.
The French senators participated in the celebration of 49th anniversary of the Tibetan democracy day on 2 September. They also visited various educational, cultural and religious institutions during their five-day visit.
“Despite having a divergent views on various issues that come up for discussion in the French Senate, the members are united in their attitude and concern on Tibet’s problem,” Mr Jean Francois Humbert, senator from Franche Comte province in Eastern France affiliated to the right party told local and international reporters.
“Our visit to Dharamsala symbolises the French people’s solidarity and support for the Tibetan people and was never aimed to harm the sentiments of the Chinese people,” Mr Humbert said.
He further said we are not enemy of China and we don’t want to defeat China, but what we want to tell the Chinese government is that what is happening inside Tibet is not acceptable.
He emphasised that Tibet’s problem is not an internal issue of China, it is rather included in the list of some of the most pressing issues of the international community.
He said the French people consider Tibet as an very important issue which is concerned with survival of its unique culture, language, culture and the non-violent struggle of the Tibetan people.
“We were able to experience and enrich our understanding of the issue of Tibet during our visit to Dharamsala. We will convey the message to the people of France”, he added.
Mr Thierry Repentin, senator, affiliated to the Socialist Party and member of the Tibet Information Group, urged the world parliamentarians to visit Tibet and understand the problems of the Tibetan people living under the Chinese government’s repressive policies.
He said the French Parliament had passed three resolutions on Tibet and the members take strong interest in reviewing and studying the issue of Tibet.
The senators will meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama in New Delhi on 5 September.
www.tibet.net is the official website of the Central Tibetan Administration
