China should respect human rights, freedom in Hong Kong: Tibetan government-in-exile

Tibetan government-in-exile on Tuesday said that China should respect human rights and democracy in Hong Kong and called for peaceful resolution of the issue through dialogue.

Speaking to on Tuesday, Spokesperson of Tibetan Government-in-Exile Sonam Dagpo said, "The government of China and Hong Kong Government should respect the rights of the Hong Kong people and both sides should not resort to any violence and anything should be resolved through peaceful and dialogue."

Dagpo further added that China should respect the rights given to people according to the agreement between the United Kingdom and the People's Republic of China.

"It's very unfortunate that they (Hong King protests) are becoming violent and we are not happy about it. But otherwise, we are with Hong Kong in their struggle for democracy and human rights," Tibetan lawmaker in Dharamshala, Youdon Aukatsang said.

"Tibetans are worried how China has actually trampled upon the basic law that they have actually agreed to uphold, so this is worrying for us as well. Out of the 50 years, only twenty years have passed and the fear is settling in. China is not moving towards 'One Country, Two Systems' but towards 'One China' policy so people are worried," Aukatsang added.

More than 800 people have been arrested ever since the ongoing protests broke out in Hong Kong in June.

The semi-autonomous region has witnessed 12 consecutive weeks of protests, which began after the pro-Beijing administration of Hong Kong announced a controversial extradition bill that would have allowed authorities to send criminal suspects to mainland China for prosecution.

That bill has since been shelved, but protesters have continued their calls for more democracy in the special administrative region, demonstrating against the increased influence of China's mainland on daily life in the Asian financial hub.

( With inputs from ANI )