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Tibetan govt-in exile to give fresh push to talks with China

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Press Trust of India Shimla

To continue the dialogue process, the Tibetan Task Force on Negotiations will meet in December after the new Chinese leadership will assume office, the government-in-exile said in a statement issued here on the 52nd anniversary of Tibetan Democracy Day.

The dialogue was stalled since 2010 and two special envoys of Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, in talks with Beijing since 2002, had resigned in June citing the 'deteriorating' conditions in Tibet and frustration over lack of positive response from Chinese side to the dialogue process.

The statement said the Tibetan 'Kashag' and Parliament has decided to hold the Second Special General Meeting of Tibetans in Dharamsala from September 25 to 28 to discuss ways and means to address the "urgent and critical situation" in Tibet.

 

Advocating Middle-Way Policy and resolving Tibet issue peacefully through dialogue, the government-in exile said, "Both for Dharamsala and Beijing, this is a win-win proposition and we also welcome the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's recent call on the Chinese government to resume serious dialogue with the Tibetan leadership."

It asserted that the Tibetan spirit and their quest for freedom "cannot be crushed by China's military might."

"Under the continued occupation and oppressive polices of the Chinese government, 51 Tibetans have set themselves on fire and sadly, 42 have died," the statement said.

"To understand the self-immolations, it is crucial to know that no space exists in Tibet for freedom of speech and other conventional forms of protest and even participant in a simple demonstration could face arrest, torture and even death. These conditions help explain the terribly high number of self-immolations in Tibet," the statement said.

The government asked Tibetan people to remain vigilant to counter the hard line Chinese leaders efforts to undermine the Tibetan cause.

  

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First Published: Sep 02 2012 | 10:45 PM IST

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