|
EU Official Visits Tibetan Community in Dharamsala
Thursday, 15 October 2009, 10:15 a.m.
 |
Peter Clever, member of the European Economic and Social Committee, addresses a press conference at end of his two-day visit to the Tibetan community in Dharamsala, India, on 14 October 2009/TibetNet photo
| Dharamshala: A delegate of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), Mr Peter Clever, said the committee would explore all possible fields of cooperation and dialogue with the Chinese government, especially in the areas of education and preservation of Tibetan culture and language.
Clever paid a two-day visit to the Tibetan community in Dharamsala from 12 – 14 October.
Clever accompanied Mario Sepi, president of EESC, for a visit to Tibet last month, with the aim to increase their knowledge of the social and economic conditions of TAR (Tibetan Autonomous Regions).
He said the delegation was taken for visit to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, adding that more than 80 per cent of the Tibetan population lives in rural area.
Speaking of his impression after visiting Tibet, Clever said the Chinese Central government has made real and huge investment in Tibet's infrastructural development to connect Tibet with the Mainland China and the outside world.
But our major question was what investment was made for the Tibetan people, especially in education, he said.
"We've seen some schools and I think the Chinese central government is well aware of the necessity to get education," he said. "But I think we will have further questions, especially after my impressions here in Dharamsala," added.
He said the Tibetans in exile are truly committed to the principle of non-violence and compassion. He unequivocally rejected the accusations that Tibetans are violent in their approach.
Clever met His Holiness the Dalai Lama, members of the Kashag, representatives of the Tibetan NGOs, and visited educational and cultural institutions during his stay in Dharamsala.
The President of the European Economic and Social Committee is considering an official invitation to His Holiness the Dalai Lama to visit Brussels to get the message of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Clever said.
“The Delegation's concerns about the degree of participation of Tibetans in the region's economic development were strongly highlighted on several occasions during our mission,” noted Mario Sepi, who headed a three member delegation on a fact finding mission to Tibet from 11 – 15 September.
"China, as a key global player, has to take on stronger responsibilities in terms of opening up its culture and values. At the same time, the Tibetan culture, which I believe is a strong one, needs to be dynamic in adapting to continuous development which is an undeniable characteristic of our globalised world, Sepi mentioned in his blog.
"There is a high level of discrepancy between urban and rural areas. This can be source of tensions, with the Han Chinese tending to be more present in the more developed urban areas and Tibetans predominating in the poorer rural areas of the region," he said.
"It is crucial, for a genuine and comprehensive development of Tibet, to seriously invest in the human capital and in a higher degree of participation of the Tibetans in society," he said.
"I firmly believe that the Committee can help improve the situation of people and societies, in terms of human and socio-economic development which cannot be separated from any concern related to the protection of fundamental rights,' he said.
The European Economic and Social Committee is a body of the European Union (EU) established in 1957. It is a consultative assembly composed of employers, employees and representatives of various other interests. It is similar to the Committee of the Regions, with whom it shares the Delors building in Brussels as its seat.
|
