German legislator barred Tibet entry for ‘Tibetan independence’ remarks

By Lobsang Tenchoe

DHARAMSALA May 13: China has denied visa for German legislator Michael Brand to visit Tibet over his support for ‘Tibetan Independence.’

After pressuring India to deny visa for Uyghur leader, China has now denied visa for Michael Brand, Chairman of the Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid of the German Bundestag for his remarks backing ‘Tibetan independence’.

Brand, along with a delegation of the Bundestag (constitutional and legislative body at the federal level in Germany) plans to travel to Tibet later this month, however, China has agreed to let the rest of the delegates to visit Tibet.

His Holiness offering Tibetan ceremonial scarf to Michael Brand. (Source: lokalo24.de)
Gesture of friendship: traditional white scarf from the Dalai Lama for Michael Brand. (Source: lokalo24.de)

The outspoken German legislator, critical about the human rights abuses and violations in Tibet had twice met the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

He was denied permission to visit Tibet purely because of his position on Tibet and not for his comments on the human rights situation in China, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

“Brand is not welcome to China and his stand of backing ‘Tibetan independence’ is against Germany’s one-China policy”, The Indian Express Quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang as saying on Friday.

In comments posted on the Chinese Foreign Ministry website, Lu announced the reasons as to what angered Beijing to deny visa for Brand, “We don’t invite him to China, not because of what he said about China’s human rights since you know that he is not the only one that has something to say about China’s human rights. But a lot of people still made their visits to China. He cannot come because he blatantly breached the commitment of the German government to the “one China” policy and stuck his heels in advocating ‘Tibet independence’ which is so wrong”.

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