The Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA) calls on the Special Representatives leading the Indo-China border talks to discuss the much-vexed and neglected issue of Tibet. Much has been talked and parleyed on the border crisis between India and China with, of course, no concrete solutions arrived at; and at every meeting, Tibet was conveniently forgotten. The present border crisis has its roots in the illegal occupation of Tibet by the Chinese communist troops in 1959. Without addressing the root cause, no amount of diplomacy and political parleys would solve the crisis for good.
We, at TWA, strongly support the Dharamsala-Beijing contact established recently as this could help in settling the Tibet issue non-violently. However, after the visit of second Tibetan delegation to Beijing in May this year, no further contacts have been established so far. A third Tibetan delegation is awaiting the official nod from Beijing. In an effort to create a favorable atmosphere for negotiation to happen, TWA has made repeated concession in gaining the trust of Beijing. However, there has been no corresponding concession from the Chinese leadership. The situation inside Tibet is deteriorating. Repression and torture is rampant. On October 1, 2003, a serving Tibetan political prisoner, Nyima Drakpa, aged 28 died of torture suffered during his imprisonment in Chinese jail. Earlier this month, five Tibetans were arbitrarily arrested in Tawu district in Karze in eastern Tibet. The whereabouts of the arrested Tibetans is still unknown. As the largest democratic nation in Asia, India ought to prevail upon the Chinese leadership to restart the talks with Dharamsala.
TWA is aware of the political direction that directs the present talks on the border dispute. We welcome the spirit with which this meeting is expected to take place: to bring peace. We also welcome any positive development that might come out of the talks, which would help in improving relations between the Asian giants. But both sides must remember that turning blind eye to Tibet’s existence will surely hinder the outcome of the meeting. The resolution of Tibet issue is at the heart of the border dispute. Playing with the peripherals without going straight to the heart of the matter would serve little. The Indian leadership must not forget that its own security is at stake if Tibet was forgotten. History says lot about China’s stab-in-the-back policy. The recent Arunachal Pradesh incursion by the Chinese border police when Prime Minister Vajpayee was signing the Joint Declaration is a pointer.
As Principal Secretary Brajesh Mishra meets Chinese senior vice-minister Dai Bingguo, all the pretensions must go. Tibet matters and is crucial to resolving the long-lingering dispute between India and China. No border talks would bear concrete results without discussing the Tibet issue.
Tibetan Women’s Association is the largest and only Tibetan women’s NGO working for the freedom of Tibet. Originally founded in 1959 and revived in 1984, TWA has over 11,000 members and 43 regional chapters in India and abroad.
Issued on 23rd October 2003
