Phayul
April 2, 2009

Dharamsala, April 2 -- An exile group of Tibetan
journalists called on the government of the
People’s Republic of China yesterday to allow its
members into Tibet for independent reporting.

"We hope that China will also allow Tibetan
journalists from overseas and the foreign
journalists to do independent reporting in Tibet
including the areas that have witnessed sporadic
protests since March 2008,”The Association of
Tibetan Journalists (ATJ) said in a press release.

Tashi Wangchuk, president of the ATJ, said that
China has allowed only a handful of journalists
to Tibet under some strictly monitored tours
since last March when Tibet reeled under heavy
military crackdown following protests across the
plateau which has been virtually under martial law since then.

"Through strict control on telephone, internet
and cellular services China tries to block the
flow of information to the outside world. Yet,
stories of brutalities, protests and arrests
reach the outside world through undisclosed
channels. It is difficult to obtain information and verify them.”

Tibetan journalists condemned China’s recent
censorship of video sharing network YouTube which
carried video footages of police beating unarmed Tibetans.

The Tibetan journalists’ group also condemned the
arrests of Kunga Tsangyang, Golok Jigme, Kunchok
Tsephel, Dhnodup Wangchen, Jamyang Kyi and many
others, who have just exercised their literary
freedom through blogs, poems, articles, essays
etc. ATJ demands their immediate release, it said in its press release.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama had said in Delhi
Tuesday that he would drop his quest for greater
autonomy if impartial reporting in Tibet found
the Tibetans to be truly happy under Chinese rule.