Thank you very much for your questions. It's beautiful to hear your language. French is a beautiful language. We believe the Tibetan language is also quite beautiful, and ought to be preserved. It needs its own space in Tibet for the Tibetan people.
You are absolutely right. Going to Tibet is very difficult. Many members of Parliament have made requests. In fact, the UN's special rapporteur on human rights made the request, and the Chinese government agreed to allow him to visit Tibet. His term is ending in August, and he is actually not allowed....
That's why a bill is being moved in Washington, D.C. on reciprocity. Chinese members of Parliament and Chinese officials, journalists, and scholars, including the Tibetan delegation—those who are propagandists—can come to Ottawa, Canada. Similar access should be given to Canadians as well, though—Canadian diplomats, Canadian members of Parliament, and scholars. It's just about reciprocity. You come to our place and you are welcome, but we should also go.
Whenever the Chinese delegation comes, its members always say, “Unless you see things for yourself, you won't know what's going on. We don't trust your judgment or assessment because you have never been there.” That's what they tell me all the time.
Actually, I went to Beijing in 2006. They allowed me. I was an academic at Harvard Law School. When I requested to go to Tibet, which is just a three-hour flight, they said they didn't have enough people to receive me in Lhasa. I said, “I've come to China and you have 1.3 billion people. Don't tell me you don't have enough people to receive me.” Still, they didn't allow me.
I am a Tibetan. They always say, “You should go to Tibet and see for yourself. Then you will appreciate how good Tibet is,” but we are all denied that access. It's very important that we insist. The Chinese are welcome in Canada, and the Canadian members of Parliament and the diplomats in Beijing should have access to Tibet as well.
As far as autonomy is concerned, what we are asking is a little less than Quebec, in fact. We are essentially saying that what is written in the Chinese constitution, as far as minorities and Tibetans are concerned, should be implemented, so that Tibetans have their own language, their own culture, and their own administration. This is what we are asking for, including education. If the Chinese government implemented its own laws, we could take that as autonomy.
In fact, we submitted a document called “Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy” in 2008. Unfortunately, the Chinese government has denied implementation of those rights. Essentially, autonomy means having a Tibetan language, culture, and education, and administration of the region by Tibetans themselves.