<-Back to WTN Archives

World Tibet Network News Tuesday, March 7, 2000

---

3. As China cracks down, UN official calls for greater rights in Asia

---

By Charles Hutzler
Philadelphia Inquirer

BEIJING - As Chinese police moved against political and religious
dissenters, U.N. human-rights chief Mary Robinson opened a visit to
China yesterday by calling for better civil liberties in Asia.

With the United States vowing to censure China at the forthcoming
meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Commission, Chinese leaders hope to use
Robinson's visit to mute foreign critics. But Robinson's presence could
energize dissidents and bring Beijing more bad publicity.

Ahead of her arrival Tuesday night, police detained at least three
members of an outlawed opposition party, tightened surveillance of a
mother whose son was killed in the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, and
prevented gatherings by the banned Falun Gong organization, human-rights
groups said.

A Tibet group said Chinese authorities detained the family of the
Karmapa as part of an investigation into the Tibetan Buddhist leader's
escape to India in January.

The wife of Xu Wenli, a jailed dissident, began a 24-hour hunger strike
Tuesday to capture Robinson's attention. He Xintong said that as she
walked in her Beijing neighborhood yesterday, police followed her,
probably to ensure she did not try to meet Robinson.

Opening a symposium for Asian-Pacific countries yesterday, Robinson
urged them "to take tangible steps" to promote and protect human rights.
But she shied away from the tough stance she adopted Tuesday in Hong
Kong, when she deplored China's deteriorating rights situation.

Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen told the conference that China would
not adopt foreign models of democracy and appealed to fellow Asians not
to bow to Western pressure.

"Countries have different national conditions," Qian said, "therefore it
is only natural that they have differences in their approach to the
promotion and protection of human rights." He reiterated that China held
economic development as among the most important.

President Jiang Zemin said in a message to the symposium that China
would grant greater democracy, rights and freedoms in the 21st century.
"It is one of the common aspirations of mankind to fully enjoy human
rights," Jiang said.

Robinson was to hold talks today with Qian in the highest-level meeting
of her two-day visit. She hoped to get China to sign an agreement on
technical cooperation to help it ratify two key U.N. rights treaties.

Since signing the second of those treaties in 1998, China has begun its
most concerted crackdown on dissent in a decade. Chinese leaders have
jailed 21 leading members of the nascent China Democracy Party and
detained thousands of members of Falun Gong spiritual group. Beijing has
branded Falun Gong a dangerous cult.

---

Articles in this Issue:

1. India And China Pursue First Security Dialogue
2. Chinese analyst wants regional tie-ups to frustrate US "hegemonism"
3. As China cracks down, UN official calls for greater rights in Asia
4. Your Mama Loves the Lama
5. Chinese Vice-President Discusses Western Development With NPC Tibet Deputies
6. Letters to Editor

---

Other articles this month - WTN Index - Mail the WTN-Editors