27 June 2011

Today the Prime Minister abandoned the British people’s values (1) for the promise of more Chinese investment. Mr Cameron said in February that Britain need not choose between our values and our interests, following embarrassment over Britain’s chummy relationship with repressive regimes then caught up in the Arab Uprising (2). But today, in his eagerness to build trade with China, the Prime Minister failed utterly to take a firm, public position on human rights concerns or Tibet while standing beside Chinese Premier Wen. The speed and ease with which he has abandoned his earlier commitment to values is impressive, particularly given the severity of the current crackdown on human rights in Tibet and China (3).

There also appear to have been attempts to shield Mr Wen from even setting eyes on human rights protesters on the streets of London, although not all of these were successful (4).

Premier Wen arrived at Downing Street this morning considerably earlier than protesters had understood he would, so that when they arrived he was already safely tucked up inside with Mr Cameron. Despite prior agreements with police of equidistance from Downing Street for Tibet supporters and China supporters, Tibet groups were directed by police to stand considerably further from Number 10 than China supporters, and Tibet supporters were neatly out of sight of the door of Number 10. Mr Wen also left Downing Street far later than groups had understood, so that most Tibet supporters had also left by the time he emerged. A police vehicle was parked in the middle of the road to block Tibet supporters from Premier Wen’s view as he left the Royal Society later in the afternoon.

Similar cat-and-mouse tactics were employed to shield Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang in London in January, when a large police van was used to shield them from sight as Mr Keqiang arrived at a banquet at the Royal Courts of Justice. Tibet supporters are known to be peaceful and protests have never been violent

Ends

Notes to Editor:


1) ICM Research interviewed a random sample of 1,000 adults aged 18+ by telephone from 29 October – 1 November 2010. Interviews were conducted across the country and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.

Please cite Free Tibet if you use information from this poll.
Q1. For you, is protecting human rights in Tibet more important, less important or equally as important as maintaining good trade relations with China?
More important: 36%
Equally as important: 38%
Less important: 13%
Neither are important: 2%
Don’t know: 12%

2) Following the Jasmine Revolution in Egypt, National Assembly, Kuwait, 22 February 2011

3) Tibet is currently closed to foreign visitors for the second time in 2011 as China prepares for rather one-sided celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the ‘peaceful liberation’ of Tibet and the 90th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party. Tibetan monks and laypeople in Ngaba, Eastern Tibet remain under the strict control of Chinese military forces following unrest that began in March when a young monk died after setting fire to himself; Tibetans in Kandze, also in Eastern Tibet, are reported to have been staging protests throughout June, with reports of protesters being beaten and detained. Information coming out of Tibet is severely restricted due to the severe penalties for Tibetans convicted of passing information to the outside world and the ban on foreign media.

2011 has seen protests by citizens not just in Tibet, but also in Inner Mongolia, Hunan, Beijing, Shanghai to name but a few. There were an estimated 180,000 such ‘mass incidents’ across China in 2010, and government spending on ‘public security’ is increasing year on year, outstripping spending on defence this year by millions of Yuan. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-06/china-s-spending-on-internal-police-force-in-2010-outstrips-defense-budget.html. Tibetan and Chinese dissidents are regularly detained for criticising the government and hundreds remain in detention and at risk of torture http://freetibet.org/newsmedia/cameron-must-not-be-gagged-lure-chinese-investment.

4) Photographs from the protests are available from harriet@freetibet.org / +44 (0)207 324 4605

Free Tibet is an international campaigning organisation that stands for the right of Tibetans to determine their own future. We campaign for an end to the Chinese occupation of Tibet and for the fundamental human rights of Tibetans to be respected.

For further information and interviews please contact Free Tibet’s Director Stephanie Brigden
E: stephanie@freetibet.org
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