John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Hansard source

I say to the Senate that the government remains deeply concerned at the tragic developments in Tibet and neighbouring areas, and, as other senators have expressed, greatly regrets the violence and loss of life.

Precise details of the events remain unclear. We understand that protests began on 10 March, when Buddhist monks gathered in Ramoche Monastery in central Lhasa. Some 60 were arrested, prompting other monks to protest against the initial arrests. Sadly, events turned violent last Friday, 14 March. The international media has reported fires; the destruction of government buildings, Chinese owned businesses and vehicles by Tibetan protesters; and shooting and the use of tear gas by Chinese security forces.

The situation in Lhasa is quiet but tense, as protesters and authorities await China’s deadline for Tibetan protesters to cease activity and surrender by midnight, which is 3 am Australian eastern summer time on 17 March, or face ‘stern punishment’. Media reports suggest that protests have spread to the Tibetan areas of Qinghai, Gansu and Sichuan provinces. There are conflicting reports regarding the number of fatalities, with estimates between 10, which are the official Chinese estimates, and 100 from the Tibetan government in exile. The actual number may well remain unknown.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has contacted all Australians currently registered in Tibet. Our embassy in Beijing and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Consular Emergency Centre are in contact with, and monitoring the welfare of, 14 Australians in or near Lhasa as of 1330 Canberra time of today’s date. Since the start of significant unrest on 14 March, we have also been in contact with and assisted another four Australians, who have left Lhasa.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s travel advice for China was updated on 17 March. It continues to advise Australians to reconsider their need to travel to Lhasa and now advises Australians to exercise a high degree of caution in the rest of Tibet and in the Tibetan areas of provinces bordering Tibet—Yunnan, Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai—following reports of demonstrations there. The travel advice notes:

Several days of protest activity by Tibetan monks in Lhasa turned violent on 14 March, with reports of rioting and property damage. The situation on the streets of Lhasa remains tense. In these circumstances, you should reconsider your need to travel to Lhasa.

There have been reports of demonstrations and violence in other areas of Tibet and in Tibetan areas of provinces bordering Tibet (Sichuan, Gansu, Qinghai and Yunnan) and of an increased military presence. You should exercise a high degree of caution if travelling to these areas.

The overall travel advice for the rest of China remains at ‘Be alert to your own security.’

The government calls for calm and constraint by all parties and for the violence to end quickly and without further casualties. We are at a crucial juncture as we approach the deadline China has set for protesters to turn themselves in to authorities, which is midnight Lhasa time on 18 March. We call for restraint by authorities and by protesters. We call on China to ensure media freedoms in Tibet and elsewhere, so that the Chinese people and the international community have an accurate understanding of developments. We call on China to implement policies that will foster an environment of respect and tolerance and safeguard basic human rights.

On 16 March, the US Secretary of State, Dr Condoleezza Rice, called on China to engage in substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama and urged all sides to refrain from violence. On 14 March, the French foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, said:

We asked for restraint on the part of the Chinese authorities. We asked for human rights to be respected.

The UK Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, added:

There are probably two important messages to go out. One is the need for restraint on all sides, but secondly that substantive dialogue is the only way forward.

Of course, fundamental respect for human rights is a key platform of this government. We believe that human rights are a legitimate subject of international concern. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Stephen Smith, raised the government’s concerns, including those over Tibet, Falun Gong and fundamental freedoms, with China’s foreign minister, Mr Yang Jiechi, in February. We do not believe that in raising these issues we will damage our strong friendship with China. Indeed, we see such discussions as a vital component of continued bilateral engagement. Nor do we see raising human rights as inconsistent with our efforts to promote our bilateral and trade ties. On the contrary, strong economic and political relations with China can only increase Australia’s standing to conduct meaningful dialogue on human rights.

We believe that an open and transparent approach to human rights issues would greatly assist China to strengthen its standing in the international arena. We will continue to pursue our concerns about human rights in China through high-level visits and dialogue, through bilateral representations and through the annual Australia-China Human Rights Dialogue. Our human rights dialogue is underpinned by a practical program of human rights engagement managed by AusAID and the Human Rights Technical Cooperation Program. In collaboration with a range of Chinese agencies, the HRTC program promotes the protection of human rights in China through training, capacity building and other practical projects. To date, over 60 activities have been implemented.

Australia recognises the challenges China faces. In recent years, China has made remarkable achievements in improving the social and economic rights of its people in the face of tremendous challenges. The World Bank estimates China has lifted 400 million people out of extreme poverty since 1981. The United Nations Development Program estimates that the number of Chinese living in poverty decreased from 85 million in 1990 to 26.1 million in 2004 and that China’s infant mortality rate decreased from 32.2 per cent in the year 2000 to 19 per cent in 2005. Increasing communications access, particularly the internet and mobile phones, has bolstered China’s growing civil society. Some progress has also been made in labour laws and in legal reform, and Chinese people are increasingly aware of their rights and increasingly willing to exercise them.

But human rights abuses continue to occur in China, and China continues to fall short of international expectations, including with regard to the death penalty, torture, non-judicial detention and restrictions of freedoms of expression and information. Beyond the latest disturbing developments, we also remain concerned about persistent and serious inadequacies in the protection of human rights in Tibet, including in the protection of Tibetans’ religious, civil and political rights. We are of course also concerned about Tibetans’ cultural and environmental heritage.

Australia does not question China’s sovereignty over Tibet. Successive Australian governments have recognised China’s sovereignty over Tibet, as does every country that has diplomatic relations with China. We believe that it is in China’s best interests to implement policies which will foster an environment of greater respect and tolerance. At this time, we urge China to take the opportunity to enter a process of dialogue with Tibetan groups, including the Dalai Lama. China would do well to encourage the non-violent elements of the Tibetan minority that the Dalai Lama represents, as it would be a tragedy were Tibet to continue to go down a path where violence is the only means for the expression of grievances. The year 2008 could be a watershed for Chinese and Tibetan history. We of course hope for increased tolerance and understanding.

Some have suggested that Australia should boycott the Olympic Games as a political statement against the reaction to protests in Tibet. The Australian government does not support a boycott of the Olympics. A boycott of the Olympics would not assist the human rights of the Tibetan people. The greater international focus the Olympics will bring can serve only to give the international community a greater understanding of China, including its diversity and its complex challenges, and give China a deeper appreciation of international norms, ultimately assisting in a better human rights situation in China.

I should say that the government is troubled by the actions of some protesters at Chinese consulates in Sydney and Melbourne over the weekend. I take this opportunity to say that the government takes its responsibilities under the Vienna convention for the protection of diplomatic premises very seriously, as I am sure you would appreciate. I can say to the chamber that we are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life in Tibet and we reiterate our call for restraint by all parties. We call on China to show leadership to overcome the challenges it faces in Tibet and to resolve this issue peacefully.

In relation to the urgency motion that is currently before the chamber—while, needless to say, any criticism of the government made in this debate is certainly not accepted, and I do not want this to be misinterpreted in any way—I will make absolutely clear that the government will support this urgency motion.