The Tibetan people are locked inside Tibet—and the rest of the world is locked out.
In violation of human rights and diplomatic norms, the Chinese government keeps Tibetans from leaving their homeland (which China invaded nearly 70 years ago) and bans foreigners from unfettered access to Tibet.
Tibet Society is working in partnership with the International Campaign for Tibet to raise awareness about this unfair relationship and to put pressure on the UK government to prevent Chinese Officials who stop Brits (including British-Tibetans) from entering Tibet, from entering the UK themselves.
The reasons why are simple.
- China’s policies are unfair. China won’t let British diplomats, journalists or citizens freely enter Tibet, but Chinese delegations, state media and tourists travel without obstruction in the UK.
- The Chinese government discriminates against British-Tibetans and frequently denies them the right to visit their family members in Tibet.
- China’s lack of reciprocity is a threat to our economy and a long-term danger to our national security.
- Every day, China violates Tibetans’ human rights and subjects them to vicious abuse. Reciprocal access will shine a light on their suffering.
- Reciprocal access shows that the UK has a strong interest in supporting the aspirations of the Tibetan people and would also pressure China to restart negotiations with the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader and a worldwide symbol of peace.