Italian Town Dedicates a Conference to Tibet

(From left) Mr. Roberto Pinter, (2nd) President of Regional council of Trento, Italy, Mr Tenzin Samphel Kayta (4th) and Gunther Cologna (5th), President of Italian Association Tibet, address the conference.

Rovereto, Italy: The local government of Rovereto, Italy jointly organised a conference on Tibet with the Italian Association of Tibet on 13 September. Mr. Tenzin Samphel KAYTA from Tibet Bureau, Geneva attended the conference dedicated to "Tibet". The aim of the conference was to highlight the present situation in Tibet.

In his address, Mr. Tenzin S. Kayta gave brief historical facts about Tibet and then updated the current situation in Tibet and the continued severe violations of human rights in Tibet. He told the gathering that since 10th March over 200 Tibetans were killed, above 1000 wounded and around 6,700 people remain under detention as a direct result of Chinese brutal military action. He further said the Beijing-Lhasa railway was a political move by Beijing to transfer Chinese population into Tibet. Tibetans are already minority in its own homeland. The railway brings in large influx of Han Chinese into the Tibetan region but transport mineral resources from Tibet to China. It was also used to transport Chinese security forces earlier this year Chinese provinces to merciless crackdown on the Tibetans.

Following the spontaneous protests in Tibet against Chinese rule earlier this year, China has imposed complete information blackout. The Tibetan monasteries are manned by Chinese military personnel, restriction of movement, implementing patriotic education campaign enforcing monks and nuns to denounce His Holiness the Dalai Lama, restricting freedom of expression etc. continues even today.

Mr. Kayta thanked the local government for adopting a resolution condemning the Chinese repressive policy in Tibet and expression of its solidarity to the Tibetan people, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Central Tibetan Administration and the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile. He urged the audiences to give their every support in realizing aspiration of the Tibetan people.

Mr. Gunther Cologna, President of Italian Association Tibet said that international community has moral responsibility to support His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Tibetan people at this critical hour.

Hon. Mr. Roberto Pinter, President of Regional Council expressed his support for His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people's commitment to resolve Tibet issue through non-violence.

Tributes were paid to victims of March protests in Tibet at historical site of the Peace Bell. Over 200 local people attended this conference with zeal and took part seriously during question and answer session.

The conference concluded by performing peace invocation and Sha-nak Cham (ritual dance) by monks from Gaden Jantse Monastery from south India.

--Reporting by Tenzin Samphel KAYTA, Human Rights and Press/Information Officer, The Tibet Bureau, Geneva