Jim O'Keeffe
Ceist:225 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the Government's policy on Tibet and the violation of human rights there by the Chinese Government. [21695/01]
Written Answers. - Human Rights Abuses.
The Government's policy on Tibet is centred on the belief that dialogue, on a mutually agreed basis, between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese authorities is the best means of addressing the fundamental issues of concern in Tibet. The first and foremost of those concerns is human rights. We have called on the Chinese authorities to engage in a meaningful dialogue process with the objective of safeguarding the welfare and rights of the people of Tibet, particularly the right to freedom of expression and the freedom of religion.
The Government has made known its concerns about reported human rights violations to the Chinese authorities on a number of occasions over many years. The Taoiseach reiterated our position most recently in talks with the Chinese Premier, Mr. Zhu Rongji, during his visit to Dublin at the beginning of September. The situation in Tibet was also raised by our EU partners during the EU-China Summit on 5 September.
Through the mechanism of the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue, Ireland and its EU partners closely monitor developments in Chinese policy towards Tibet and progress on individual cases of concern. Among the cases repeatedly raised by the EU with the Chinese authorities is the case of Gendun Choeki Nyima, the Dalai Lama's choice as Panchen Lama. During the last session of the Dialogue in February, the EU reiterated its request that an independent delegation be given access to the Panchen Lama. This case, as well as our wider concerns about the rights of the Tibetan people, will be raised again with the Chinese authorities during the next round of the dialogue in Beijing at the end of October.