Communication or Statement by the South African Government regarding the violent eruption of protests and the Chinese Government’s response thereto which occurred in Tibet during March 2008

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NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION NO: 581           

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 11 OF 28 MARCH 2008

 MR AJ LEON (DA) TO ASK THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS:

Whether her department or the Government, in any communication or statement, addressed the violent eruption of protests and the Chinese government’s response thereto which occurred in Tibet during March 2008; if not, why not; if so, what was the nature of such communication or statement?

REPLY:

(1) Yes. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr N C Dlamini Zuma wrote a letter dated 06 June 2008 to the Tibet Office in South Africa in response to a circular letter entitled “An Appeal to the Chinese People” sent to the President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr T M Mbeki.

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