State should showcase freedom of speech - Tibetan exile leader

THE MAN named by Tibetan exiles as their prime minister has said Ireland “should be leading, showcasing its democracy and freedom of speech for the rest of the world”.

In Dublin yesterday, Lobsang Sangay was referring to the recent visit to Ireland by Chinese vice-president Xi Jinping, and the associated small protests against him by supporters of Tibet.

The Harvard-trained legal scholar was being honoured by the historical society at Trinity College.

He was sworn in as prime minister of the Tibetan government in exile last August by the Dalai Lama after being elected in April by exiled Tibetans to lead the administration, which is based in the northern Indian city of Dharamsala. China does not recognise his authority.

Giving his assessment of Mr Xi’s visit here, Dr Sangay said Tibetans wanted good relationships between all countries. “Human rights is equally important to business rights because Ireland struggled for 800-plus years to regain its freedom and the success of Ireland’s freedom movement is one more affirmation of the universality of freedom,” he said.

Asked if he was disappointed that the Irish Government had not adopted a more forceful approach during the visit on China’s human rights record, Dr Sangay said it was up to every country and leader to decide how to proceed on national matters.

“But we would urge that freedom of speech and speaking for injustice should be a national part of discourse . . . We would expect that principle would be preserved and reciprocity will be there. On that basis one would expect it natural for Irish leaders to speak up for human rights in general and Tibetan in particular.”

He acknowledged that protests during the visit were small, and said he would have liked to have seen more support from Irish people.

“It’s for each authority to decide how they want to handle the protest. But I think protest should be allowed because it’s a vital part of the freedom of speech,” he said. “Ireland is one of the successful stories of democracy in the world. In that sense, Ireland should be leading, showcasing its democracy and freedom of speech for the rest of the world.”