22 March 2008
China dissidents call for dialogue with Dalai Lama
(Reuters ) A group of 29 Chinese dissidents urged Beijing to open direct dialogue with the Dalai Lama, in the wake of unrest in the region. "We appeal to the country's leaders to directly engage in dialogue with the Dalai Lama. We hope to eliminate misunderstanding between Han and Tibetans", the group said in an open letter e-mailed to reporters. The pro-democracy activists, led by writer Wang Lixiong and dissident Liu Xiaobo, urged the government to invite UN investigators to Tibet to change the international community's distrust of China. They also suggested allowing credible domestic and foreign journalists to independently report from Tibet and said those arrested should be given an open and fair trial. The government should tone down its Cultural Revolution-era invective against the Dalai Lama, which was only fanning the flames of "ethnic hatred" and undermining the country's image. "Serious mistakes exist in [government] work on Tibet", the letter said, pressing the government to fundamentally change its "failed" policies towards ethnic groups.