New York [US] August 30 : A Tibetan delegation has urged the United States to intensify international scrutiny of China's policies in Tibet, raising concerns over alleged human rights abuses, cultural assimilation and the recent self-immolation of Tibetan independence activist Lobga Rangzen outside the United Nations headquarters in New York, as reported by Phayul.
According to Phayul, the delegation included Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) President Tsering Chomphel, members of Rangzen's family, former TYC president and MP Tenzing Jigme, and Regional TYC New York and New Jersey President Jamphel Choesang.
The group met representatives of the US Mission to the United Nations to discuss the situation in Tibet and Rangzen's death. The delegation met Yaryna Ferencevych, Deputy Representative of the US Mission to the UN, and Maria Macarena Apud, a Human Rights Adviser at the mission. The delegation briefed the US officials on the circumstances surrounding Rangzen's self-immolation on July 2, outside the UN headquarters.
They also conveyed the contents of what they described as his final message. Rangzen reportedly denounced China's policies in Tibet and accused Beijing of pursuing measures aimed at assimilating Tibetans and weakening their distinct identity.
He called for the restoration of Tibetan independence, describing it as the only lasting solution to what he regarded as decades of suffering under Chinese rule. The delegation said the self-immolation reflected growing despair among Tibetans over what it characterised as restrictions on fundamental rights, particularly those concerning culture, language, religion and national identity, as highlighted by Phayul.
It also criticised China's recently enacted Ethnic Unity Law, arguing that the legislation could further institutionalise assimilation policies and accelerate the erosion of Tibet's cultural and religious distinctiveness. The delegation stated that such measures posed a broader threat to Tibet's linguistic, cultural and national identity.
The group called on Washington to keep Tibet on the UN agenda and press Beijing over alleged rights violations through international human rights mechanisms and bilateral engagements, as reported by Phayul.