Madam, - We welcome the good news that the Chinese authorities have released the Tibetan nun Phuntsog Nyidrol from Drapchi prison after 15 years. She was given a very heavy sentence for engaging in non-violent political protest, extended by eight years for singing songs in prison. Although released, she will continue to remain under close surveillance in Tibet.
We are concerned, however, about the timing of this release. We are approaching the 60th UN High Commission for Human Rights in Geneva, with the possibility of a US-led resolution condemning China's "backsliding" on human rights. The EU is at present engaged in the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue. We are also approaching the 15th anniversary of the Lhasa martial law crackdown (March 1989) and of course the 15th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre (June 1989).
Meanwhile the Chinese are lobbying hard to have the post-Tiananmen arms embargo lifted. They are currently playing the economic card by listing countries "acceptable" as Chinese tourist destinations. Ireland is not yet on this list. Within the EU, the Chinese are concerned to have the EU arms embargo lifted before the accession of 10 new countries in May of this year.
The Chinese are masters at trading small human rights concessions, such as the release of a single prisoner of conscience, for major concessions. So we must not let Phuntsog's release, however welcome, blind us to the fact that China has made no gesture of apology or settlement to the many thousands of Chinese still in labour camps in the wake of Tiananmen. Nor have they released nor fairly tried Tenzin Delek Rimpoche, still under sentence of death on a trumped-up terrorism charge. Nor have they released several hundreds other Tibetan prisoners of conscience, not least the kidnapped Panchen Lama.
The current death toll in custody of Falun Gong members is nearly 900 fully documented cases, with the real figure probably approaching 3,000. There are no accurate figures for the thousands of other Chinese democracy, labour and religious activists in prison.
Amnesty International's most recent report on China has shown that with the so-called free-market "liberalisation" of China, human rights conditions have worsened, not improved, particularly in the past year. China has a long way to go before any concessions should be considered. - Yours, etc.,
ANTHONY OBRIEN,
Tibet Support Group,
Dublin 4.