London 14/11/08

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                                                                                             (photos by: Luke Ward)

Tibetans and supporters gave Zhu Weiqun, Vice-Minister of the United Front Work Department which oversees Sino-Tibetan talks, a noisy reception when he visited London. Having visited the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) earlier this morning, Zhu Weiqun headed for Chatham House in St James Square, London for a 'round-table' discussion on the recent failure of the eighth round of talks since 2002.

On 10th November, Zhu Weiqun delivered a stinging attack on the Dalai Lama in a televised press conference held in Beijing. Despite the Dalai Lama making explicitly and plainly clear that he seeks 'meaningful autonomy' for Tibet, not independence, the Dalai Lama has been repeatedly criticised by Chinese government officials who seem to have no intention of sincerely pursuing dialogue. Referring to the Dalai Lama's 'Middle Way' approach the Vice-Minister asserted, "We will not accept independence, half independence or covert independence." The dialogue seems to be in tatters following Zhu's statement that the current Chinese administration in Tibet is "perfect," adding, "there is no other way."
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Tibetans, dismayed by the Chinese government's continual refusal to approach the dialogue process in good faith gathered and angrily shouted slogans throughout the duration of the 'round-table' discussion. A passing Chinese FedEx employee briefly disrupted the protest when he stormed towards the Tibetan protesters in search of a confrontation. Failing to provoke a reaction, he took one Tibetan man's national flag and snapped the flagpole, receiving a police caution for his provocative behaviour. However, the biggest surprise for Zhu and his entourage was provided when a Padma Dolma, a Tibetan student walked out into the road with a Tibetan flag, in front of the Chinese diplomats. Simultaneously, four other Tibetans covered the windows of the van in blood (tomato ketchup), banging on the glass and shouting slogans such as 'Zhu Weiqun, liar, liar!' The Tibetans then left the scene to the applause of many of the nearby British public. One of the protesters, Pema Yoko explained; 'Tibetans will not stand down to the Chinese government and today we Tibetans in London showed them this, just like our brothers and sisters in Tibet. We showed the London public that the Chinese government is responsible for the bloodshed and death of hundreds of Tibetans in a brutal crackdown after the protest in Tibet in March this year.'

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                                                                                                                             (photos by:Luke Ward)
Tibet supporters also condemned the Chinese government's latest wave of hard-line rhetoric. "To spuriously blame the Tibetan side for the collapse of talks was patently false, but to accuse the Dalai Lama of plotting 'apartheid' and 'ethnic cleansing' in Tibet is both ludicrous and deeply offensive to all Tibetans," said Terry Bettger, Campaigns Coordinator of Students for a Free Tibet UK, "rhetoric like this only serves to embarrass Chinese diplomacy on the world stage, and exposes the absolute lack of sincerity the Chinese government have shown to talks with the Dalai Lama's envoys.

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                                                                                                                             (photos by: Luke Ward)

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