Hautala’s greeting:

Dear participants of 50th Anniversary of the Tibetan democracy in exile,[:] 

I as the Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Human Rights in the European Parliament convey all my support to your valuable work for genuine autonomy and democracy of Tibet.

I remain deeply concerned of the situation of Tibetans inside China. The human rights situation is very grim: repression on freedoms of speech, religion, association and movement has increased since the March 2008 unrest. Tibetans’ disappearing and unwarranted arrests are reported frequently. With great concern I have read the recent news (26.8.) of police in Sichuan province having responded with lethal force to a group of Tibetans protesting the expansion of a gold mining operation. People’s Republic of China must fully respect the Tibetan people’s fundamental human rights and freedoms.

I share your concerns on environmental issues. Tibet is the ‘world’s third pole’ containing the biggest glaciers outside of the Arctic and Antarctic. The melting of the glaciers could be catastrophic. Tibetans should be included in the decision making and management of the area’s natural resources.

I wish you to continue your work for the Tibetan democracy along the lines of His Holiness’ Middle Way approach. This approach is together with the Memorandum on Genuine autonomy for the Tibetan people a true commitment to peace, inter-religious understanding, non-violence and to a practical solution for the future of Tibet and its people.

I urge the Chinese side to continue in good faith the peaceful dialogue between your representatives and the Chinese authorities in order to find a concrete solution to the situation of Tibet.

In a meeting with His Holiness, we came to the conclusion that the EU should demand an investigation into the reasons and consequences of the 10 March 2008 uprising. Therefore I urge EU’s High Representative Lady Ashton to act swiftly on this.

I wish you all the success in defending the fundamental human rights of Tibetans and I remain fully at your service in this important mission.