City Council Joins the Call for Tibetan
Rights
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.
