News: Obama, McCain are less ‘tepid’ on Tibet than Bush

Out of curiosity, I went looking for any statements Barack Obama and John McCain might have made regarding the crackdown the communist Chinese government is doing in occupied Tibet.

I found this in an Associated Press article:

McCain did not discuss the issue during a 45-minute meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, but told reporters later the subject was “one of the first things I would talk about if I were president of the United States today.”

China’s crackdown “is not correct,” McCain said in the courtyard of the French presidential Elysee Palace.

“The people there are being subjected to mistreatment that is not acceptable with the conduct of a world power, which China is,” McCain said in response to a question by a Chinese television journalist.

“There must be respect for human rights, and I would hope that the Chinese are actively seeking a peaceful resolution to this situation that exists which harms not only the human rights of the people there but also the image of China in the world.”

Good. I also found this article on the site Tibet Will Be Free:

I am deeply disturbed by reports of a crackdown and arrests ordered by Chinese authorities in the wake of peaceful protests by Tibetan Buddhist monks. I condemn the use of violence to put down peaceful protests, and call on the Chinese government to respect the basic human rights of the people of Tibet, and to account for the whereabouts of detained Buddhist monks.

These events come on the 49th anniversary of the exile of the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, the Dalai Lama. They demonstrate the continuing frustration of the Tibetan people at the way in which Beijing has ruled Tibet. […]

Tibet should enjoy genuine and meaningful autonomy. […] Now is the time to respect the human rights and religious freedom of the people of Tibet.

The blog chided Obama a bit for suggesting mere autonomy, when in fact China has no right at all to be occupying Tibet, which was an independent nation until China’s Army invaded.

As course, this blog doesn’t think highly of George W. Bush’s tepid response. It reminds me of his father’s initial concern that all that freedom in Eastern Europe might be made for business.

Not that the Tibetans expect any help from the rest of the world anyway.