Deputy Speaker, all political parties that are aligned to the principles of a people's democracy and fundamental human rights and freedoms should call on China to acknowledge and respect cultural differences and freedom of opinion, assembly and religion in Tibet and elsewhere in its territory.
Like the people of South Africa did, the Tibetan people have been fighting a struggle for freedom for a decade now. However, the current wave of Chinese atrocities and human rights violations in Tibet, including arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances, demand public pronouncements by all freedom-loving parties and parliamentarians. The deteriorating situation inside Tibet since the 2008 uprising has led to an alarming rate of self-immolation - by 38 Tibetans since 31 May 2012.
Cope is calling on our government to request the Chinese authorities to engage in good faith negotiations with the central Tibetan administration to provide Tibet with political, cultural and religious autonomy; to respond positively to the memorandum on genuine autonomy for the Tibetan people presented in 2008; and to reject threats of abrogation of the nominal minority status for Tibetans provided for in the Chinese constitution, thereby removing the basis for negotiations for real and substantive autonomy.
We further call on the government to include human rights protection as an agenda item in all bilateral and multilateral discussions, venues or engagements with China, so as to hold China to the same standard of human rights protection as any other country, without lowering the measure of human rights protection expected from China on account of its economic, financial and trade power. Thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]