International
US President Biden makes law to support rights of Tibetans
Dharamsala, July 13 (IANS) In a message for Beijing to peacefully resolve through negotiation, not repression, an agreement on Tibet that will support Tibet’s peaceful struggle for human rights and democratic freedom, US President Joe Biden on Friday signed the Resolve Tibet Act.
The law states that it is American policy that the Tibet issue must be resolved in accordance with international law by peaceful means, through dialogue without preconditions.
The Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act, popularly known as Resolve Tibet Act, also takes aim at China’s lies about Tibet, calling on China to stop propagating disinformation about Tibet’s history and giving the State Department a new mandate to directly counter these false claims.
Responding to the signing of the Act, International Campaign for Tibet President Tencho Gyatso said: “The Resolve Tibet Act cuts to the heart of China’s brutal treatment of the Tibetan people.”
“To Tibetans, it is a statement of hope. To other countries, it is a clarion call to support Tibet’s peaceful struggle for human rights and democratic freedoms. And to Beijing, it is a declaration that American support for Tibet does not come with an expiration date; China must resume dialogue and find a solution that supports the fundamental rights of the Tibetan people.”
One key feature of the Act is defining the Tibetan people as a people with their own distinct religious, cultural, linguistic, and historical identity. It then states that Chinese policies are systematically suppressing the ability of the Tibetan people to preserve their way of life.
The Dalai Lama has repeatedly called for China to grant genuine autonomy to the Tibetan people, and it is clear under international law that people are entitled to self-determination.
When House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) spoke before it passed Congress, he expressed his hopes that the new law will help “put the people of Tibet in charge of their own future.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken frequently refers to support for self-determination as a core principle of American foreign policy.
President Biden previously pledged to push Beijing to “return to direct dialogue with the representatives of the Tibetan people to achieve meaningful autonomy, respect for human rights, and the preservation of Tibet’s environment as well as its unique cultural, linguistic and religious traditions.”
Now that the Resolve Tibet Act is law, the onus is on the State Department and the White House to vigorously champion genuine negotiation and overcome Beijing’s stalling tactics.
“President Biden promised his administration would stand up for the people of Tibet,” said ICT President Tencho Gyatso. “There is not a moment to lose. Experienced State Department officials like Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues Uzra Zeya now have a valuable tool to elevate their calls for negotiations and fulfill the core objective of the Special Coordinator’s office: promoting substantive dialogue, without preconditions, between China and the Dalai Lama, his representatives, or democratically elected Tibetan leaders in support of a negotiated agreement on Tibet.”
The Resolve Tibet Act became law after three years of effort by a select group of members of Congress backed by a broad range of Tibet supporters and Tibetan Americans.
Senior leaders of the Central Tibetan Administration and the ICT board and staff met with Congressional leaders to brief them on the situation in Tibet and discuss how new initiatives could help.
Representatives Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Michael McCaul (R-TX) took the lead in the House, while Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Todd Young (R-IN) introduced the bill in the Senate. All four leads and their staff worked tirelessly to put this law in place.
Advocates for Tibet helped at every step along the way. These efforts included testimony from international law scholars, grassroots advocacy by Tibetan Associations, waves of petitions from ICT members, record-breaking turnout at Tibet Lobby Day, and coordination between the Office of Tibet, the International Campaign for Tibet, Students for a Free Tibet, and other prominent Tibet groups.
“It was inspiring to witness such a positive response to the Resolve Tibet Act from across the country and around the world,” said ICT President Gyatso. “It is clear how much can be accomplished when citizens, organisations, and dedicated decision-makers unite. Moving forward, I know we can build on today’s extraordinary accomplishment.”
“As His Holiness the Dalai Lama says, change only takes place through action,” she added.
Rep. Jim McGovern said: “I am thrilled. The United States once again affirms our strong support for the rights of the Tibetan people under international law, including their right to self-determination.”
“With its bipartisan passage, we hope to restart dialogue between Tibet and China to resolve the decades-long dispute over Tibet’s autonomy and governance in keeping with US policy. The Tibetans are willing; the People’s Republic of China should come to the table.”
Rep Michael McCaul, who led a high-level US congressional delegation and visited Dharamsala last month to apprise the Dalai Lama that how the Resolve Tibet Bill had been advancing closer to becoming law, said: “This bill makes it clear the United States believes Tibet has its own unique language, religion and culture, and has a right to self-determination. The bill also requires the State Department to aggressively challenge CCP propaganda about Tibet.”
Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration to North America Namgyal Choedup said: “The bipartisan and bicameral passage of the Tibet bill and the signing of the bill into law by President Biden is a huge moral boost to the Tibetan people, who continues to suffer PRC’s systematic repression. This is a clear indication of the unwavering support of the US government and its people towards the just cause of the Tibetan people. This is a call to Beijing that the only solution to Tibet China dispute is through dialogue and negotiation in good faith.”
The 14th Dalai Lama, an icon of ahimsa (non-violence) and karuna (compassion), who turned 89 on July 6, is presently in the US recovering from a knee surgery he underwent last month.
–IANS
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Vientiane (Laos), Aug 22 (IANS) Representatives from the Lao government and development partners have attended a conference here titled “Climate Change and Nutrition in Laos: Intersections and Interventions” to discuss the impact of climate change on nutrition in the Southeast Asia country and potential solutions.
Speaking at the conference, deputy director general of the Department of Hygiene and Health Promotion under the Lao Ministry of Health Viengkhan Phixay, said, “We gather to address a critical and interwoven issue: the impact of climate change on nutrition and how we can work together to tackle these challenges,” Xinhua news agency reported.
The Lao government is actively engaged in this endeavor, with numerous policies and initiatives aimed at addressing both climate change and nutrition, Lao National Television reported on Thursday.
“By leveraging the Scaling Up Nutrition network in Laos, which is led by the government, and supported by civil society, donors, and the United Nations, we have a robust platform to tackle the negative impacts of climate change while improving nutrition and overall health for everyone in Laos,” Viengkham said at the conference held on Monday.
The conference featured a series of presentations that not only detailed evidence-based research but also introduced innovative tools for measuring and enhancing nutrition under the impact of climate change.
The conference stressed the critical need for integrated approaches to tackle the intertwined challenges of climate change and nutrition, and setting the stage for impactful future collaborations.
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Baghdad, Aug 22 (IANS) A civilian was killed while seven others were injured on Thursday in a tribal shootout in Iraq’s holy Shiite province of Najaf, according to a local security source.
The shootout erupted in the early hours between armed men from the local tribe in the al-Zarga area in northern Najaf, some 160 km south of Baghdad, a local police officer told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
The clash resulted in the killing of an Iraqi civilian and the injury of seven others, including three Iranian Shiite pilgrims, the source added.
A joint force from the Interior Ministry’s emergency response division and Najaf provincial police arrested 53 gunmen from both sides of the shootout and seized weapons and ammunition, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
It added that search operations are ongoing to locate additional gunmen and weapons, with more details to be released later.
The incident took place as numerous pilgrims traveled to the city of Karbala to observe Arbaeen, which marks the end of a 40-day mourning period for the killing of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, in the Battle of Karbala in 680 A.D.
Typically, these pilgrims also visit Najaf as part of their journey to Karbala.
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Dhaka, Aug 22 (IANS) Bangladesh’s interim government has sought $1 billion from the World Bank as budgetary support.
The call came from the country’s Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan’s meeting with Abdoulaye Seck, the World Bank’s Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan, in Dhaka on Wednesday.
He made the plea as the ministry owes more than 2 billion dollars to suppliers in import costs of power and energy, Xinhua news agency reported.
Khan mentioned that the interim government, which was formed with many pressing mandates, is due to settle a $2 billion debt left by the previous government in the power sector.
He said they have already suspended activities under the much-criticized Quick Enhancement of Electricity and Energy Supply Act 2010 and abolished the government’s power to set energy prices without any public hearing.
On August 5, the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, was ousted from her country and power, ending her rule since January 2009.
This event was seen as a massive escalation, with what initially started as student’s protests and resulted in a major crisis in Bangladesh.
Earlier on August 8, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took oath as the head of Bangladesh’s interim government.
–IANS
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Belgrade, Aug 22 (IANS) Serbian police are still searching for seven missing migrants in the Drina River after their boat capsized when crossing from Serbia to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia’s Interior Ministry confirmed in a press release issued on Thursday.
According to testimonies of the migrants who managed to reach the shore, there were approximately 25 people on board. So far, police and rescue teams have found 18 individuals, including three children, on the riverbank, Xinhua news agency reported.
Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dacic said police and the Emergency Situations Sector responded promptly after being alerted by the Bosnian border authorities early Thursday morning.
An intensive search is underway in the Drina River and its surrounding area.
The European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, reported a significant decrease in illegal border crossings in the Western Balkans during the first half of 2024.
The illegal crossings towards EU borders reached 12,407 between January and July 2024, a 75 per cent drop compared to the same period last year.
–IANS
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Islamabad, Aug 22 (IANS) Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, turned into a fortress on Thursday with dozens of containers forcing closure of several roads with heavy deployment of law enforcement forces following the cancellation of a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) of an anti-government protest planned by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and protest call by religious parties, including the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) under the banner of Majlis-e-Tahaffuz-e-Khatme Nabuwwat against a Supreme Court decision in the Mubarak Sani case.
Anticipating widespread protests, the local administration, which had cancelled the NOC, imposed Section 144 in the city, barring assembly of people and also closed all educational institutions for the day.
Later in the day, the PTI announced its decision to postpone its protest rally and rescheduled it for September 8.
The government maintained that it did not want to take any chance considering the Supreme Court hearing and also the presence of Bangladeshi cricket team in the country which is currently touring Pakistan for a Test series.
On Wednesday, the capital administration of Islamabad decided to cancel the NOC for PTI, less than 24 hours before the scheduled public gathering in Tarnol area. PTI had earlier announced that it would go ahead with its planned gathering even after its NOC was revoked.
“It is concerning that the government might try to exploit the rally to incite unrest and blame it on PTI. They are scared and are trying to find ways to orchestrate cases against us,” said senior PTI leader Azam Swati.
Imran Khan’s party has been struggling to hold a political gathering in the capital for the past five months with the local administration delaying grant of any permission to hold such an event. Even after a permission is granted, it ends up being revoked a few hours later.
The latest episode is the second time the capital administration has cancelled the NOC issued to PTI for holding a political gathering at Tarnol.
The government maintains that it had detailed meeting with the Inspector General Police, Deputy Commissioner, senior officers from the Chief Commissioner’s office, officials of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Military Intelligence (MI) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) after which it was decided that there will be serious law and order concerns if the gathering is allowed.
On the other hand, several religious parties have also taken to the streets in Islamabad, protesting against the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s verdict in the Mubarak Sani case.
Tehreek-e-Khatam-e-Nabuwat, an umbrella name for different religious parties, has called for a protest in front of the Supreme Court after the July 24 Supreme Court verdict in the case, maintaining and ruling that while Ahmadis are declared non-Muslims, they retain the right to profess and proliferate their religion, provided they do not publicly use Muslim terms or introduce themselves as Muslims.
In February 2024, Mubarak Ahmed Sani, an Ahmadi, was accused of violating the Punjab Holy Quran (Printing and Recording) Amendment) Act 2021 by distributing the proscribed book ‘Tafseer-e-Sagheer’. However, the Supreme Court maintained that the alleged act occurred in 2019, before it was criminalised in 2021.
The Supreme Court decision was widely criticized by the religious groups who demanded the federal and the Punjab government to challenge the decision and ensure punishment for Sani.
The Punjab government later filed a review petition in the Supreme Court while a petition was also filed by the Federal government on directions of the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
–IANS
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