DAYS BEFORE China’s annual parliament meets in Beijing, the government dismissed sharp US criticism of its human rights record, saying Washington should get its own house in order before attacking other countries.
At the same time, Human Rights Watch said China should open Tibet to independent monitors and journalists to defuse tensions before the 50th anniversary of anti-Chinese riots in Lhasa next month. “Relying exclusively on repressive policies will only lead to increased polarisation and resentment, while further jeopardising genuine stability across Tibet,” said Sophie Richardson, its Asia advocacy director.
Yesterday a Tibetan monk set himself on fire in protest during a prayer festival outside a monastery in Aba county, an ethnic Tibetan area in Sichuan province, carrying a Tibetan flag, said Matt Whitticase, of the Free Tibet Campaign. The monk was surrounded by armed police, three gunshots were heard and he was carried away. It is not known if he is dead or alive, said Mr Whitticase.
Separately, the “Tiananmen Mothers”, a group representing families of demonstrators killed or maimed in the armed crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests 20 years ago, has urged China to name the dead and denounced official silence over the anniversary.
Reiterating Beijing’s standard line on human rights, the government said the US state department report on global human rights “ignored and distorted” facts and was merely US interference in other countries’ domestic affairs.
“The report turned a blind eye to the efforts and historic achievements China has made in human rights that have been widely recognised by the international community,” Xinhua news agency said in response to the report, which described China’s respect for human rights as “poor” and getting worse, particularly in treating ethnic minorities and dissidents.
The report came days after US secretary of state Hillary Clinton played down dialogue with Beijing on human rights to focus instead on the global economic crisis and global warming.
Beijing is working hard to keep a lid on dissent in Tibet itself and in Tibetan areas in other provinces ahead of the one-year anniversary of the March 10th protests. This year also marks 50 years since the uprising in the Tibetan capital, which caused an army crackdown and prompted the Dalai Lama to flee to India.