By Martin Banks - 10th March 2009
The world must not forget this tragic, occupied country
Edward McMillan-Scott
Senior British MEP Edward McMillan-Scott has urged the international community "not to forget" Tibet.
Speaking as Tibetan campaigners staged a major demonstration in Brussels on Tuesday, the UK conservative deputy also called on the EU to take a "tougher line" on negotiations between Beijing and the exiled Dalai Lama's administration.
He said, "The world must not forget this tragic, occupied country.
"The way Beijing has treated Tibet since its occupation in 1959 rightly remains an international scandal.
"Tibet deserves independence from China and I look forward to the EU taking a tougher line on the so-called 'talks' on Tibet's future."
McMillan-Scott, a vice president of parliament, was speaking in Strasbourg on Tuesday, the 50th anniversary of an uprising against Chinese rule in the province.
The MEP, a persistent critic of the Beijing regime, has initiated a debate at parliament's plenary on Thursday on the EU's role in the talks on Tibet.
Meanwhile in Brussels, activists staged a protest walk to the Chinese embassy in Belgium on Tuesday and urged the EU to support calls for Tibetan independence.
They also want the EU institutions to invite the Dalai Lama to Brussels to "explain the current situation in Tibet".
China was castigated by much of the international community following its response to last year's unrest in Tibet.
Relations between the EU and China have suffered since parliament invited the Dalai Lama to address MEPs in Brussels last autumn. The decision incensed Beijing which insists the province is and should remain part of the People's Republic of China.
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