Members would be aware that China invaded an independent Tibet in the 1950s. Since then, the Tibetan people have endured tremendous hardship under Chinese rule. It is estimated that 1.2 million Tibetans have lost their lives as a result of that Chinese occupation. After more than five decades, there is no sign of freedom for the Tibetan people. It is now with great concern and sadness that we learn of the killing of innocent Tibetans by Chinese authorities, particularly in Lhasa. Their only crime was to express opposition to Chinese occupation and its consequences. We have every reason to fear that the number of casualties could increase dramatically unless the current situation can be resolved peacefully.
Members may be aware that at the beginning of this month, on 1 March, 100 monks left Drepung Monastery outside Lhasa and headed into Lhasa, which is the provincial capital of Tibet. The demonstration was calling for an easing of government imposed campaigns that forced monks to write denunciations of the Dalai Lama and subjected them to governmental political propaganda. Over 50 of them were detained by police on their way to the city. Further demonstrations over those arrests took place at other monasteries. Those protests were joined by Tibetan lay people and spread to the neighbouring provinces of Qinghai, Gansu and Sichuan where there are a significant number of ethnic Tibetans. Some protests turned violent with attacks on individuals from other ethnic groups and the destruction of property, particularly that symbolising the state or owned by members of other ethnic groups.
The response of the Chinese security forces was reported to include the use of tear gas, beatings and the firing of live ammunition. The official number of those killed in the violence perpetrated by the protestors, including those who set fire to buildings, is 13. However, Tibetan exile sources now believe that at least 99 Tibetans were killed. I ask members to do all they can to demonstrate their opposition to the activities that are now occurring in Tibet, particularly given that the upcoming Olympic Games mean that China will be under the spotlight. In the federal Parliament the Australian Greens called for a boycott of the Olympic Games unless the situation in Tibet is resolved peacefully. The Australian Greens successfully moved a motion in the Senate; indeed, it was passed with the support of all parties and without dissent. In part the motion states that the Senate —
It is beholden on us in free democratic countries to do all we can to protest against human rights abuses, including those in China. As we in Western Australia form closer ties with China through trade and other cultural exchanges, we have an obligation to send a clear message to the Chinese authorities that we strenuously oppose the human rights abuses that continue to be perpetrated and that we want a peaceful resolution that respects the autonomy of the Tibetan people.reiterates its concern over the reports of continuing human rights violations in Tibet, including torture, arbitrary arrest and detention, repression of religious freedom, ‘patriotic re-education’ including forcing Tibetans to denounce the Dalai Lama, arbitrary restrictions on free movement, rehabilitation through labour camps and coercive resettlement.
Question put and passed.