Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Oct. 17: Several rights groups made a direct appeal to the UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy ahead of his upcoming visit to China, urging him to address Tibet’s deteriorating human rights situation during his high-level meetings in Beijing. The appeal is supported by organisations such as Free Tibet, the International Tibet Network (ITN), Tibet Action Institute (TAI), the Voluntary Tibet Advocacy Group (V-TAG) UK, and the Tibetan Community in Britain.
Lammy’s visit, which is expected to focus on improving UK-China relations to promote investment and job creation, marks a significant diplomatic effort by the Labour government after years of strained ties under Conservative leadership.
In an open letter, Free Tibet emphasised that Lammy’s trip comes at a time of “historic low” for human rights in Tibet. The letter warns of Beijing’s intensifying control over the region, including the forced assimilation of Tibetan children through a coercive education system and the closure of Tibetan schools. Tibetan communities in exile, particularly in the UK, are also facing increasing levels of transnational repression by Chinese authorities, the group said.
The rights group urged Lammy to use his first official visit to China as Foreign Secretary to directly confront these human rights violations. They noted that Tibet remains closed to independent journalists, diplomats, and human rights monitors, limiting accountability. Given the UK’s economic and diplomatic leverage as a key trading partner with China, the groups argue that Britain should press Beijing to release political prisoners and abandon policies that threaten Tibet’s cultural survival.
The letter urged Lammy to press China on key issues; abolish its coercive boarding school system in Tibet and reopen Tibetan schools, release Tibetan human rights defenders like A-Nya Sengdra, Go Sherab Gyatso, and Jampa Choephel, provide proof of the whereabouts and well-being of Gendun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama, halt environmental destruction from megaprojects like mines and hydropower dams in Tibet, and resume direct dialogue with Tibetan representatives to resolve the Tibet-China conflict.
The appeal concluded with a request for Lammy to meet with Tibetan advocacy groups and representatives of the Tibetan community upon his return to the UK. The groups emphasised that raising Tibet’s plight during diplomatic engagements with China does not mean halting trade or cooperation on global issues but rather combining diplomacy with pressure on Beijing to end its human rights abuses.
