Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you, Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe, for the question, which relates to Tibetans and to everyone else who has been supporting Tibet for years. I think that first of all, it is important to trust that we are fighting for the Tibetan cause, because it is a cause in the service

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  . The Tibetan language, as my colleague from the Tibet Action Institute mentioned, has all of the qualities to succeed as a language in whatever aspirations one has. The Central Tibetan Administration has requested that the Canadian government continue this funding. I would appeal

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee   of the Chinese government regarding Tibet. Thank you.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee   and to change its behaviour and to change its policy. We've been hearing whispers that in some small places, in some counties in Tibet, there seem to be new changes on the ground. There is some reversal of policies that are not written, that are not completely official yet

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Certainly, if there is a scope for expansion of the committee, invitations should be sent to Tibetan human rights defenders from inside Tibet. Many committee members would know the story of Tibetan language advocate Tashi Wangchuk, who was sentenced to five years in prison just

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you. Those are very important recommendations. The flip side of the human rights defenders who are still in Tibet is those who are here today. Mr. Therchin, you said something about how there's been a change in the last couple of years. Would you think there would

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I will just quickly add also that, two months ago, the United Nations released a very strong statement on this subject demanding that the Chinese government abolish the entire colonial system of boarding schools in Tibet. Just yesterday actually, the German government, from

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I also feel that the response from the Canadian Parliament, so far, has been very encouraging to us. The fact is that we are holding this hearing and that the Tibetan people are following this event. We can assure you that people inside Tibet, who really have no voice because

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Okay, I will begin again. There have been cases in some Canadian provinces of francophones being assimilated after a ban on French-language education. Manitoba is one example. Could what happened in Canada be used to illustrate what is likely to happen in Tibet

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you, Sherap. I will turn to Abbot Tenzin Thupten Rabgyal for this last question. I think it's fairly familiar to me—I'm the chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Tibet—in terms of understanding the role of the Panchen Lama, but I'm not sure if it's crystal clear

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  [Witness spoke in Tibetan, interpreted as follows:] His Holiness the 10th Panchen Rinpoche is very important to many millions of Buddhist followers across Tibet and the Himalayan region. He serves as the root guru of many Tibetans. In regard to the importance of His Holiness

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee   language, causing the assimilation of future generations. I would like to hear what Mr. Dorjee has to say about that. We must look to the past to see what the future holds. Can Canada's past serve as an example of what could occur in Tibet? Were my comments understood, Mr. Chair?

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee   are the same. The goal is exactly the same. The only major difference I see is that, in the case of what China is doing to Tibet right now, it is not too late—yet. There is time to stop it from happening. If the phrase “never again” has any meaning, we have a chance to stop this genocide.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee   are not able to speak Tibetan. It has cut off the link of sharing not just the language but also the history that grandparents would usually share with their grandchildren. That is just one example, but I would defer to our colleague at the Tibet Action Institute, who has done research

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee   or 50 years old, we will have a world where in Tibet the majority of the Tibetan population will be speaking in Chinese—not Tibetan—to each other. There is nothing wrong with being bilingual, but there is something disturbing when Tibetans talk to each other in Chinese as their main