Fed: Tibet protest clash outside Chinese Embassy

AAP General News (Australia)
12-10-2007
Fed: Tibet protest clash outside Chinese Embassy

By Susanna Dunkerley

CANBERRA, Dec 10 AAP - Police have clashed with Tibetan and Australian human rights
protesters in Canberra after a young man tried to scale the fence of the Chinese Embassy.

About 200 people from the Australian Tibetan community rallied outside the embassy
today to call on the federal government to stand up to China over its human rights record.

What began as a peaceful protest of chants and songs became tense after a failed attempt
by the protesters to hand a petition letter to the embassy.

Police acted quickly to restrain the protesters, including women and children, who
threw placards and flags across the gates of the embassy after a young man tried to scale
a security fence.

Police made no arrests and allowed the protesters to continue their organised march
into the city centre.

One protester who was restrained by police, Pentap Dugeak 26, said Tibetans were committed
to a non-violent protest, but emotions ran high when the petition was rejected.

"The emotion ran really high and a lot of Tibetans wanted to pass the message directly
to the embassy staff about what's happening in Tibet," he said.

"The Chinese government don't have the guts to listen to one of the most peaceful people
and I think a lot of young Tibetans nowadays across the globe are trying to tell the Chinese
government to resolve the Tibet issue."

Protest organiser Tsewang Thupten said China continues to impose policies that are
destructive towards the culture, environment and economy of Tibet, which it occupied in
1951.

"We need to draw attention to the fact that the Chinese government for over 50 years
has been relentlessly pursuing a policy of cultural genocide and repression of the rights
of the Tibetan people under the illegal occupation," Mr Thupten said.

Dr Simon Bradshaw from the Australia-Tibet Council called on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd,
who recently met with the Dalai Lama, to hold talks with China over Tibet.

"Our new prime minister is certainly more informed about China than his predecessor
and does have some understanding and depth of knowledge about China," Dr Bradshaw said.

"The Tibetan community hopes that Kevin Rudd will be more confident in his dealings
with Chinese authorities and will be willing to confront China on the issues of human
rights of Tibetan autonomy and repression."

But Lobsang Lungtok, 32, who fled from Tibet to Australia six years ago is not confident
Australia will have any influence on China.

Mr Lungtok left Tibet under self-imposed exile six years ago after spending 18 months
in jail for writing a poem condemning the Chinese occupation.

"There are always three choices when living in Tibet, keep quiet, go to jail or leave
Tibet and I experienced all three," he said.

"Until I was 20 I kept quiet when I expressed myself I went to jail and then it was
too hard to live in Tibet so I left."

Mr Lungtok said China considered Tibet as a business venture and would not be influenced
by western countries.

"I don't hold much hope for the Australian government."

AAP sld/sb/sco/bwl

KEYWORD: TIBET PROTEST NIGHTLEAD (PIX AVAILABLE)

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