City Council Joins the Call for Tibetan Rights

BY BILL KOENEKER

The Malibu City Council by unanimous vote adopted a resolution supporting the human rights of the people of Tibet and urging the state of California and the United States government to take any actions necessary to end the ongoing conflict between the Chinese government and the people of Tibet.
Councilmember Sharon Barovsky had made the request of the council to adopt the resolution, saying she had not followed the recent events very closely, but had been alerted about the ongoing troubles in Tibet.
Two months ago, in Lhasa Tibet, hundreds of monks staged a protest in commemoration of Tibetan National Uprising Day, to which Chinese soldiers responded with arbitrary arrests and beatings, according to a narrative in the city’s staff report.
When subsequent protests broke out in other parts of Tibet, the Chinese government imposed a curfew in Lhasa and began a military crackdown in the provinces of Gansu and Qinghai, which saw Tibetan protesters being killed. In support of those directly impacted by the Chinese government’s actions, Tibetans in exile worldwide have been staging various peaceful campaigns.
Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives, by a vote of 413-1, adopted House Resolution 1077, introduced by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, calling on the Government of the People’s Republic of China to end its crackdown in Tibet and enter into a substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama to negotiate a solution that respects the distinctive language, culture, religious identity and fundamental freedoms of all Tibetans.
The resolution also urged unrestricted access by media and representatives of international organization to observe development in the country and provide medical aide to injured protesters, according to the city’s staff report.
The matter has prompted some to call for a boycott of the Olympic Games being held in China this summer. Even President Bush was urged to refrain from attending the games. He has apparently rebuffed those requests.
Not too differently, Mayor Pamela Conley Ulich said she would also be attending the games, but promised to take the resolution with her and boycott the opening ceremonies.
Barovsky was even more adamant, calling for a boycott of China. “Do not spend your money there,” she added.