SHANGHAI, March 23 — A group of prominent Chinese intellectuals has
circulated a petition urging the government to stop what it has called
a “one-sided” propaganda campaign and initiate direct dialogue with
the Dalai Lama.
The petition, which was signed by more than two dozen writers,
journalists and scholars contains 12 recommendations which, taken
together, represent a sharp break from the Chinese government’s
response to the wave of demonstration that have swept Tibetan areas of
the country in recent days.
They come, moreover, at a time when the government is working hard to
convey a sense of strong international support for putting down what
is being depicted here as a civil disturbance by lawless people being
instigated by the Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who
Beijing denounces as a secessionist, or “splittist.”
In recent days, the state controlled press has also stepped up its
criticisms of the international press for what it says has been biased
and overblown coverage of the Tibetan crisis.
China has barred international journalists from Tibet and expelled
most tourists and other foreigners from the province since the
beginning of the crisis. As trouble has spread to neighboring
provinces where many Tibetans live, the government has blocked access
to these areas, as well.
“In our view the current news blockade cannot gain credit with the
Chinese people or the international community, and is harmful to the
credibility of the Chinese government,” the petitioners wrote, adding,
“only by adopting an open attitude can we turn around the
international community’s distrust of our government.”
Given the government’s stringent censorship of the media, including
the Internet, it is not clear how widely knowledge of the
intellectuals’ letter will spread within China, but many of its points
challenge or dispute the government line head on.
“We support the Dalai Lama’s appeal for peace, and hope that the
ethnic conflict can be dealt with according to the principles of
goodwill, peace, and non-violence,” it reads.
The petition goes on to cite government claims that the unrest was
“organized, premeditated and meticulously orchestrated by the Dalai
clique,” and calls on Beijing to invite theUnited Nations Commission
on Human Rights to carry out an independent investigation of these
charges.
“In order to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future,
the government must abide by the freedom of religious belief and the
freedom of speech explicitly enshrined in the Chinese Constitution,
thereby allowing the Tibetan people fully to express their grievances
and hopes and permitting citizens of all nationalities to freely
criticize and make suggestions regarding the government’s nationality
policies.” (NYT)