Prince Charles urged to push Tibet cause

Prince Charles urged to push Tibet cause

The Press Association[Thursday, April 02, 2009 19:38]

The Prince of Wales has been urged to speak out in support of Tibet when he holds a private meeting with the Chinese president on Thursday. The Free Tibet campaign group has written to Charles listing a range of human rights concerns it hopes the heir to the throne will bring up during his discussions with President Hu Jintao. The Prince, who once described China's leaders as "appalling old waxworks", will meet the president at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in London. The historic move will be seen as an important step in the Prince's previously uneasy relations with China and part of the general thawing of his dealings with the republic. China sent thousands of troops into Tibet in 1950 to enforce its claim on the territory, but over the decades has been criticised by human rights organisations for its governance of the region. Last year fatal clashes between anti-Chinese protesters and the authorities in the region led to 6,000 people being arrested but more than 1,000 are still unaccounted for, according to Free Tibet. A spokesman for the organisation said the questions they have forwarded to the Prince include asking President Hu to investigate the excessive violence it is claimed was used during last year's protests and urging that Chinese troops in the territory should not be used against unarmed protestors. The president should also be encouraged to hold meetings with representatives of the Tibetan people. Charles is a supporter of the Dalai Lama - Tibet's spiritual leader - who is seen by China as a separatist threat. The Free Tibet spokesman said the territory was now under "de facto martial law" and that the Dalai Lama had described the situation as a "living hell". He added: "Prince Charles is an extremely good friend of the Dalai Lama, I'm certain he's seen the Dalai Lama's comments and hopes that the letter we've sent to him very much encourages him to take action and show support for Tibet in the same way he has done in the past."