SHANGHAI, March 23 — A group of prominent Chinese intellectuals has circulated a petition urging the government to stop what it has called a “one-sided” propaganda campaign and initiate direct dialogue with the Dalai Lama.
The petition, which was signed by more than two dozen writers, journalists and scholars contains 12 recommendations which, taken together, represent a sharp break from the Chinese government’s response to the wave of demonstration that have swept Tibetan areas of the country in recent days.
They come, moreover, at a time when the government is working hard to convey a sense of strong international support for putting down what is being depicted here as a civil disturbance by lawless people being instigated by the Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who Beijing denounces as a secessionist, or “splittist.”
In recent days, the state controlled press has also stepped up its criticisms of the international press for what it says has been biased and overblown coverage of the Tibetan crisis.
China has barred international journalists from Tibet and expelled most tourists and other foreigners from the province since the beginning of the crisis. As trouble has spread to neighboring provinces where many Tibetans live, the government has blocked access to these areas, as well.
“In our view the current news blockade cannot gain credit with the Chinese people or the international community, and is harmful to the credibility of the Chinese government,” the petitioners wrote, adding, “only by adopting an open attitude can we turn around the international community’s distrust of our government.”
Given the government’s stringent censorship of the media, including the Internet, it is not clear how widely knowledge of the intellectuals’ letter will spread within China, but many of its points challenge or dispute the government line head on.
“We support the Dalai Lama’s appeal for peace, and hope that the ethnic conflict can be dealt with according to the principles of goodwill, peace, and non-violence,” it reads.
The petition goes on to cite government claims that the unrest was “organized, premeditated and meticulously orchestrated by the Dalai clique,” and calls on Beijing to invite the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to carry out an independent investigation of these charges.
“In order to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future, the government must abide by the freedom of religious belief and the freedom of speech explicitly enshrined in the Chinese Constitution, thereby allowing the Tibetan people fully to express their grievances and hopes and permitting citizens of all nationalities to freely criticize and make suggestions regarding the government’s nationality policies.”
