Chinese "demonstrations" at OoT, UK Parliament never happened

Government of Tibet in Exile ^ | 28 March 2008 | The Office of Tibet, Tibet House, London

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A Chinese website, apparently connected to the Chinese government, containing a news item titled, "Chinese students in UK demonstrate against Tibet independence" has been brought to the attention of this office today. The report says, “Eighteen Chinese students held demonstrations last Saturday (meaning on March 22) in front of the British House of Parliament, and Tibet House, London headquarters of the Tibetan separatists, according to a student named Fang from Cambridge University. The students held placards demanding fair media coverage of events in Tibet and stood their ground in the face of threats from the separatists'.

The Office of Tibet, London, would like to categorically state that we are not aware of any such demonstration. If we had seen any Chinese demonstrators, instead of threatening them, we would have invited them for a cup of tea to discuss their grievances, in line with His Holiness the Dalai Lama‘s emphasis on dialogue and non-violence.

In fact neither the staffs of the Office of Tibet nor the staffs of the Kailash Centre, located below the Tibet House, and their clients, saw any Chinese that day around the premises. We know that if a demonstration were to take place anywhere in the UK, the permission of the police has to be sought. So to verify this, we approached the local police station situated only two blocks away from the Office of Tibet/Tibet House. The police officer on duty said that no application from any Chinese to stage such a demonstration had come through them and that if there were to be a demonstration then there would have to be a police on duty. The duty police officer said that at the most it must have been their propaganda game to take some photos quietly and quickly in front of the office and that if we face any problem in the future to call them straight away.

The Office of the Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet has also been informed by the Charing Cross Police Station that no Chinese had sought their permission and that they were not aware of any demonstration having taken place in front of the Parliament.

In the light of the above facts, we feel sorry for all those Chinese students who have been compelled to involve themselves in this so-called demonstrations. Such acts only expose to what length the official Chinese machinery would go to fabricate the truth about Tibet. Indulgence in such acts and lies will further tarnish the international image of China and the Chinese people.

We would therefore like to urge the Chinese authorities to put more effort to resolve the Tibet issue and to seek truth from facts rather then wasting resources in such gimmicks.

Issued by The Office of Tibet, Tibet House, London

28 March 2008

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