60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1959 TIBETAN NATIONAL UPRISING

That this House commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising on 10 March 1959 in Lhasa, Tibet; notes that the uprising was met with extreme force, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of Tibetans and the beginning of increasingly harsh Chinese rule over Tibet; recognises that this resulted in the flight of Tibet’s spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama into exile in India, from where he has been unable to return; acknowledges the hardship and struggle endured by the Tibetan people since the Chinese occupation began in 1950 and the some 150 Tibetans, young and old, monks and nuns, who have self-immolated since 2009 calling for freedom for Tibet and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama; regrets the Chinese authorities’ ban on foreign travellers from entering Tibet during this 60th anniversary period; further notes that such restrictions on access to Tibet are not new and that Tibet is almost entirely closed to foreign journalists, diplomats and UN experts; and calls on the Government to intensify its actions within the international community to seek a solution for Tibet and to send a direct and stringent message to the Chinese Government that international observers must be granted immediate and unfettered access to the territory to monitor the human rights situation on the ground.