Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-10-27-Speech-4-152"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20051027.18.4-152"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
".
Mr President, Commissioner, Tibet is once again the subject of debate in this House. During today’s debate, we must ask ourselves whether the measures taken by Parliament and the Commission have been effective. Unfortunately, the fact that we are holding yet another debate on this issue would suggest not.
Certain Members of the House have claimed that such matters come under the heading of China’s internal affairs, and indeed this is the line taken by the Chinese Embassy in Brussels. This is not the case, however. The concept of internal affairs, which is used to justify all crimes against one’s own nation, is a doctrine espoused only by tyrants, and one that has never been held in civilised Europe. In centuries gone by, the Catholic Church and other religions demanded that citizens be treated properly, and they opposed the notion that rulers could do whatever they wanted with their own citizens. International organisations nowadays never fail to emphasise the fact that internal affairs that violate basic moral principles concern all of humanity.
We must be aware that this issue is about more than just one monk. It is about nothing less than the destruction of Tibet and the Tibetan culture and nation, for no other reason than that this peaceful nation exists. The existence of a nation that differs from their own in cultural, historical and social terms is sufficient reason for the Chinese authorities to attempt to destroy it. Instead of welcoming the completion of a railway link between Tibet and China, we should be alarmed by this development, since one of its purposes is to destroy Tibet further by inundating it with Chinese people and entrepreneurs.
Parliament is very active in this field, and its Intergroup for Tibet has a very committed and energetic president in the shape of Mr Mann. We must do more, however. I would remind the Commissioner that it is high time that the Commission took decisive steps to settle the problems in China once and for all, since its status as a powerful EU body means that it is undoubtedly in a position to do so. Its first step should be to come to the rescue of this poor Tibetan monk."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples