DETENTION AND CONVICTION OF RONGYAL ADAK

That this House notes with concern the detention and subsequent conviction of Rongyal Adak, a respected Tibetan nomad, simply for calling publicly for the return of the Dalai Lama to his native country after 48 years in exile; condemns the brutal action of the Lithang police in response to the protests against his arrest, including the use of tear gas and rubber bullets; further notes with alarm the intensifications of effort by the occupying power, China, to suppress the free expression by Tibetans of their religious beliefs; observes that the free access provided to journalists to Tibet by China as part of that country's Olympic bid is not being honoured; and calls on the British Government to raise with the Chinese authorities the case of Rongyal Adak, and to demand that access to Tibet by journalists be allowed unimpeded.