DHARAMSALA: "A STATE VISIT"

by Olivier Dupuis

(from Actualités Tibétaines, Paris, September 1996)

Dharamsala, August 1996. If I had to sum up in two words the visit that European Commissioner Emma Bonino and I made to the seat of the Tibetan Government in exile, I would describe it as a "State Visit", because it was organized right down to the last detail. But such a definition would not do justice to something that we felt throughout those days, which was even more meaningful: a sympathetic warmth that was as intense as it was all-embracing.

One symbolic image is sufficient to communicate the emotions aroused by all the various episodes: two hundred teenagers, lined up on both sides of the road that they had built, giving us a long warm welcome with "Tashi Delek", then disappearing in a flash to dash back to their classrooms. Everything is orderly and spotless, but the buildings are still made of tin. Hot in summer, cold in winter. Oh!, what a striking contrast with the "Tibetan Children’s Village" that I rather wickedly suggested our friends in the Tibetan Government do not show to too many foreign visitors, since it is obviously an out-and-out success on all fronts. This can be seen, above all, in the faces of the young children and adolescents. Naturally there is still a lot to do: they need more space; they need more beds... Equally successful is the factory that produces Tibetan medicines: an impressive mix of organization, tradition and modernity. Likewise the hospital, and the library where they "religiously" conserve manuscripts that have been saved from certain destruction, one by one, and whose unpredictable journey from occupied Tibet to Dharamsala is sometimes a story in itself that merits an entire book.

In the late afternoon we arrive at the Norbu Linka Centre: another place and another landscape, located a few kilometres from Dharamsala, in the middle of the paddy fields, where, with the mountains behind you, you are confronted by a temple surrounded by large barrack-like buildings. Here, under the watchful eye of real masters, 250 young people are learning centuries-old trades and carrying on ancient traditions. Be they arts or crafts: ironware, woodwork, "Tankas", clothes, embroidery, statuettes... Everything in this Centre is done with care: there is no saving on anything that "will remain here when we return to Tibet". A gesture of thanks to the Indian people who have welcomed the Tibetans with open arms.

One must not let oneself by fooled by appearances, however. The situation of the Tibetan refugees in India is far from idyllic. Of course the Government has done great things, starting from virtually nothing; it has provided fundamental services like education, health and - last but not least - the conservation of Tibet’s cultural heritage. But although the majority of Tibetan families live decently, their means of subsistence rarely rise above the minimum poverty level. Added to this, there has been for some time now a serious unemployment problem, caused as much by the natural population increase and the always higher level of education, as to the continual arrival of waves of refugees: a problem that presently affects 18% of the population and is considered a priority issue by the Tibetan Government. It is therefore easy to understand the importance of new lines of credit from the European Union for Tibetan refugees. Meanwhile, September has arrived and the great manoeuvres that take place in autumn at the European Parliament have begun; therefore, it is no idle threat that these lines of credit can be adversely affected by budget cuts on the part of the Council of Europe. We must therefore struggle hard to get projects underway that will make the entire Tibetan community self-sufficient, as soon as possible.

The monsoon brings its usual heavy rains, and we reach the Dalai Lama’s residence in something akin to the Universal Flood. His Holiness, with his unmistakable broad smile, shows us the photographs of the press conference on his meetings with the Italian President and Prime Minister (a press conference he held with Marco Panella and Emma Bonino in Rome in 1994). How are we going to use nonviolence? How are we going to create dialogue, and freedom for Tibet? Preliminaries are done away with, and a profound, open discussion ensues. A real brain-storming session. The Dalai Lama welcomes enthusiastically the idea that we have been working on for some time with Samdhong Rimpoche, i.e., to move progressively towards the preparatory phase of the Satyagraha for the freedom of Tibet, by means of a series of nonviolent initiatives. Together we reflect on the objectives of the first "dialogue" and hunger strike, while His Holiness insists on dialogue, nonviolence, the release of the Panchen Lama and of Wei Jingsheng: two different but at the same time very similar symbols of the future of the Tibetan and Chinese peoples, and of humanity itself. And so the decision is made; there will be a three-day hunger strike from 29 September to 2 October - Gandhi’s birthday. The hour for the offering of the "katas" has arrived. The last photos, the last smiles...

Later, first at the dinners offered by the Government and then during the long talks held with Foreign Minister Tashi Wangdi and the Secretary of State for Information, Tempa Tsering, we once again discuss the above initiatives and those elaborated in Bonn last June. We put our heads together to see how we can render them most effective: the big demonstration in Geneva on 9 & 10 March 1997 where there should be at least 10 if not 15 thousand of us; the target of 3,000 mayors for the new "Una bandiera per Tibet" (A Flag for Tibet) campaign; 2,000 signatures on an appeal to the UN Secretary-General for the opening of Sino-Tibetan negotiations; the campaign proposing Wei Jingsheng as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize... In other words, there may always be problems but our commitment is never lacking, as we have always shown in the past... Moreover, I am certain that we can work together to achieve our joint objective: the freedom of Tibet and democracy in China. But there is no time to lose: October 2 will be here soon.

Amendments to the 1997 EP Finance Law.

INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

- The assignment of a portion of the general budget, i.e., 3 million ECUs, to support the activities of the International Tribunals and the establishment of a permanent International Criminal Court.

- This budget would also finance the preparatory work necessary for the establishment of the permanent International Criminal Court.

TO COMBAT DRUG ADDICTION

- Possibility of financing of comparative studies on the impact of various legislation on fighting drug addiction.

- Reduction and/or reservation of 1,500,000 ECUs (*) allotted to the European Observatory on drugs and drug addiction, due to the infrequent activities undertaken by the institution.

HUMAN RIGHTS

- Possibility of financing NGOs working to defend human rights in Burma (now Myanmar).

- The assignment of a portion of the general budget, to co-finance, at the appropriate time, external actions with the Chinese Republic (Taiwan).

- The European Parliament also passed an amendment for the distribution of information on European ethnic minorities, namely the Rom and Sinti, and "to increase respect for ethnic minorities like the Rom".

TIBET

- To specify, with regard to the portion of the budget for Cupertino with Asian countries, that financing will only be granted to Nepal against a guarantee from the authorities that they will not deport Tibetan refugees.

- Revision of budget and increase of 2.6 million ECUs in favour of Tibetan refugees.

- Revision of financing for initiatives connected with the verification of respect for human rights, particularly in Hong Kong and Macao, and the communication of information, especially via radio to Tibetans who are exiled or resident in Tibet, concerning nonviolent initiatives in favour of the defence and the affirmation of human rights, and of democracy and freedom in Tibet; and also concerning initiatives undertaken in this regard within the European Union and the financing of the research programme on Tibetan specificity by the PRIO.

- Inclusion of financing destined to sustain actions conducted by NGOs engaged in defending and affirming human rights in Tibet.

TELECOMS

The assignment of a portion of the general budget to "telecoms", i.e., 2 million ECUs for, among other things "the development of the Europe site" on the Internet, common to all institutions. The site should allow any European citizen, wherever he or she may be, to receive exhaustive information on the objectives of the European Union, on the structure of its institutions, and on current policies and those that will be implemented. There should also be an "e-mail address" to permit European citizens to communicate with the various institutions of the Union.

The EP rejected other amendments presented by Reformist deputies Dell’Alba and Dupuis, including the ones concerning the creation of a special Programme against pandemic diseases, the Albanian University in the Republic of Macedonia, and "encouraging the use of the International Language Esperanto". (TNF8)

"BRING TO JUSTICE WAR CRIMINALS NOW AND FOREVER"

We, the undersigned,

considering the number of war crimes committed against humanity that remain unpunished around the world,

LAUNCH A SOLEMN APPEAL TO THE MEMBERS OF THE UNITED NATIONS

that they will, within their power, arrest and assure justice for those responsible for war crimes committed in the ex-Yugoslavia and in Ruanda,

and renew the mandate for the Preparatory Committee to convoke the Plenipotentiary Conference for the institution of the International Criminal Court by 1998.

The appeal, which was launched by European Commissioner Emma Bonino, has gathered the signatures of support of more than 30 international figures of state, including former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Bosnian President Alija IZETBEGOVIC, Haitian President Jean-bertrand ARISTIDE, former President of the European Union Jacques DELORES, ex- government leaders

Giuliano AMATO, Felipe GONZALES, Raymond BARRE, Mario SOARES, Adolfo SOARES, Michael ROCARD, Leo TINDEMANS, Wilfried MARTENS, and Gaston THORN.

With the preceding the Appeal to the Parliamentarians, Secretary of the United Nations, and Preparatory Committee was published, along with the

signatures of 600 supporters. The New York Times and Le Monde also

repeated the appeal in expressing support for the International Tribunal in various articles.

The appeal, launched by European Commissioner Emma Bonino, has been signed by over 30 statesmen to date, including former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Bosnian President Aliha Izetbegovic, Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, former EU President Jacques Delors, former heads of Government Giuliano Amato, Felipe Gonzales, Raymond Barre, Mario Soares, Adolfo Suarez, Michel Rocard, Leo Tendemans, Wilfried Martens, Gaston Thorn. (ANR6325)

In the final motion approved at the 7/9 December 1996 Congress, the CoRA proposes:

"...

- to launch an extraordinary membership campaign in all European countries, particularly those of Eastern Europe;

- to denounce the acts of intimidation and political interference by the French Government with regard to the drug policies of other European countries;

- to drum up support for the reforms of drug laws and policies proposed in political institutions - also through the promotion of PAA (Parliamentarians for Antiprohibitionist Action) - and for present and future referendums;

- to organize campaigns in support of acts of civil disobedience - particularly those undertaken by Marco Pannella - aimed at denouncing the criminal and crime-inducing nature of prohibitionist legislation;

- to undertake an international campaign for the immediate release of European citizens being held indefinitely in the Republic of Maldives for possessing minimal quantities of hashish..."

Elected organs for 1997:

- Secretary: Eric Picard, psychiatrist

- Treasurer: Marco Cappato, economist

- Political leadership: Michel Hancisse, Thierry Meyssan (editor of Reseau Voltaire in France), Carmelo Palma (Turin municipal councillor), Jean-Luc Robert (international official), Fabrizio Starace (Honorary lecturer at the University of London).

- Head of the OLD (Observatory of Laws on Drugs): Carla Rossi.

The Congress proposed the Honorary Presidency of the CoRA to Hedy d’Ancona (MEP and former Dutch Health Minister), Pol Boel (Belgian and former Liberal senator) and Jean-François Hory (MEP and President of the transnational Radical Party).