Greens Brown Accuses PM of Being 'Effectively Silent' over Tibet
CANBERRA—Australian Greens leader Bob Brown has accused the Prime Minister of been "effectively silent" on a violent crackdown on Tibetan protesters by Chinese authorities.
Mr Rudd's reaction to the crackdown, compared to his stance against the military in Burma, was double standards, he said.
"I can't believe that this Prime Minster has been so effectively silent except for calling for restraint, whatever that is," Senator Brown told reporters today in Canberra.
"When the Burmese crisis was on last year, with Buddhist monks and nuns being shot and incarcerated and tortured, this Prime Minister called on the then (Howard) Government for targeted sanctions against the Burmese regime and for coordinated worldwide condemnation of Burma.
"Now, we've got the same thing happening in Tibet and the Prime Minister, who's made such a feature of his understanding and relationship with China, is effectively saying nothing except: `Let's have restraint'."
Senator Brown said seven million Tibetan people had been treated abominably and had no rights.
They were being treated cruelly just for calling for the freedom of their own country, he said.
"Our Prime Minister and this Government has got to get some backbone over Tibet and speak up and look the Chinese communist dictatorship in the eye when Kevin Rudd gets to China and call on China to haul off on Tibet," Senator Brown said.
Tibet Crackdown Disturbing – PM Rudd
CANBERRA—Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has called on China to show restraint after a deadly crackdown on pro-independence activists in Tibet.
As many as 80 people have been killed in the violence, which started in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa and has moved to other parts of China.
The official death toll in China's state-run media remains at 10.
Mr Rudd said the violence was disturbing and Australia had raised it with China through diplomatic channels.
"These most recent developments in Tibet are disturbing and from my point of view, I would call upon the Chinese authorities to exercise restraint," Mr Rudd told reporters.
"Australia has always recognised from the beginning China's sovereignty over Tibet but these are significant developments and therefore have been the subject already of communication diplomatically between our two governments.
"I imagine that those communications will continue."
Mr Rudd, a former diplomat in Beijing, did not say whether China's Ambassador Zhang Junsai had been called in to hear Australia's views.
"The normal diplomatic processes apply here both in Beijing and in Canberra," he said.
"These are serious matters and I take them seriously. They will certainly form part of our continued diplomatic communication with the Chinese government."
Mr Rudd will visit China next month as part of a 19-day world tour.
He indicated he would raise the issue with Chinese leaders during his visit.
"In most of my discussions with Chinese leaders in the past we have dealt with human rights. I can't see that changing in the future," he said.
"It is a normal part of our relationship with the Chinese, which is to say that on human rights questions we have differences with the government in Beijing.
"And when it comes to these most recent developments in Tibet, we have already made our position clearly known."
Mr Rudd said Foreign Minister Stephen Smith raised human rights concerns when his Chinese counterpart visited Australia recently.
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