Issues facing Tibet today Invaded by China in 1949, the - TopicsExpress



          

Issues facing Tibet today Invaded by China in 1949, the independent country of Tibet was forced to face the direct loss of life that comes from military invasion and, soon after, the loss of universal freedoms that stemmed from Communist ideology and its programmes such as the Cultural Revolution (1966-76). However, it is erroneous to believe that the worst has passed. The fate of Tibet’s unique national, cultural and religious identity is seriously threatened and manipulated by the Chinese. China’s policy of occupation and oppression has resulted in no more or less than the destruction of Tibet’s national independence, culture and religion, environment and the universal human rights of its people. Time and time again, the infliction of this destruction sees China break international laws with impunity. NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE With a written history of more than 2,000 years, Tibet existed as an independent sovereign state prior to Chinese rule. But having no representation in the United Nations, the world largely stood by and allowed China’s occupation and destruction to happen. CULTURE AND RELIGION China’s relentless destruction of religion in Tibet saw the demise of over 6,000 monasteries and countless religious artefacts. Even today, China see the Tibetan religion and culture as the main threat to the leadership of the Communist Party. China’s Third Work Forum on Tibet in 1994 and the Fourth Work Forum in 2001 have called for an array of measures to wipe out the vestige of Tibetan religion. Denouncing Tibet’s Spiritual Leaders Forced to denounce His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama recognised by him, Tibetans must pledge their allegiance to the Chinese government. Failure to do so can result in imprisonment or other forms of punishment. Possessing an image of His Holiness the Dalai Lama is today illegal in Tibet. Since May 2005 Beijing has stepped up its efforts to attack the person of His Holiness the Dalai Lama by declaring a “fight to the death” struggle against him. Many describe this new round of vituperative campaign against the Tibetan spiritual leader as a throwback to the era of the Cultural Revolution. In July 2007 a new regulation was introduced, according to which all incarnate lamas or tulkus must have state approval. As well as usurping the power to recognise the Tibetan spiritual figures, Beijing hopes — through the implementation of this regulation — to rule the land and people of Tibet through state-sponsored lamas or tulkus. Self-Immolations in Tibet Since February 2009, over 120 Tibetans have committed self-immolation in Tibet. Sadly, 105 have died. Such form of political protest is unprecedented in Tibetan history. This number includes Tibetans from all walks of life - men, women, monks, nuns, nomads, farmers and students. They include Tibetans from all regions of Tibet U-Tsang, Kham and Amdo including the capital city of Lhasa. Their universal aspirations are His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s return to Tibet and freedom for Tibetan people. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has visited world over since 1973. During these visits,millions of people have met and heard His Holiness the Dalai Lama. But, that right is denied to Tibetans inside Tibet. In reality, both the blame and solution lies with Beijing. The self-immolations result from decades of Chinese misrule in Tibet. The self-immolations are Tibetan people’s protest against misguided policies. Beijing has the power to change the situation on the ground by reviewing its policies in Tibet to reflect the wishes of the people and responding peacefully to civil expression of discontent. Here are a few examples to illustrate the current situation: On 24 June 2012, a 17-year-old girl, Jigme Dolma protested in Kardze county center in Eastern Tibet. She called out for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, freedom for Tibetans, and Tibetan political prisoners release. The Chinese security forces beat her. She was hospitalized for two months. Then, she was sentenced to three years imprisonment. On 6 July 2013, the indiscriminate firing upon Tibetans by Chinese security forces with 11 Tibetans being shot upon and 16 beaten for celebrating His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday in Tawu, Eastern Tibet. On 3 September 2013, Dayang a 68-year-old Tibetan man was sentenced to two years and five months imprisonment. He had called for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s return and freedom for Tibetans during a cultural show in Tsachu Township in Driru County, Nagchu in Central Tibet. On 28 September 2013, in the run up to the Universal Periodic Review of China at the UN Human Rights Council, the Chinese security forces cracked down heavily on local Tibetans in Mowa Village in Driru County (Central Tibet) refusing to raise the Chinese national flags on their rooftops. The Chinese authorities detained a total of 17 Tibetans. A few days later, on 6 October 2013, again in Driru County, the Chinese security forces are said to have shot and wounded at least 60 Tibetans who were demanding the release of a villager who had led protests against Chinese orders to hoist the flag. Two days later, the Chinese security forces shot dead four Tibetans. At least 50 were injured onOctober 8. The stand-off continues to this day. Population Transfer The continued population transfer of Chinese to Tibet in recent years has seen the Tibetans become a minority in their own land. Today the six million Tibetans are vastly outnumbered by Chinese immigrants, who are given preferential treatment in education, jobs and private enterprises. Tibetans, on the other hand, are treated as second-class citizens in their own country. Under the guise of economic and social development, Beijing encourages the migration of Chinese population to Tibet, marginalising the Tibetans in economic, educational, political and social spheres. The railway line between Gormo and Lhasa, which was officially opened in July 2006, has given further impetus to this vicious policy of flooding Tibet with Chinese migrants, and thus making it demographically impossible for the Tibetans to rise up as in the case of Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang. It is estimated that the railway brings some 5,000 to 6,000 Chinese to Lhasa everyday. Out of these, 2,000 to 3,000 return to their homes in China and the rest of them settle in Tibet indefinitely. If this trend continues unabated, it will not be long before what many perceive as Beijing’s “final solution” to the question of Tibet will have achieved its desired goal. Education Chinese occupation of Tibet has seen the Tibetan language surpassed by that of the Chinese. The government is repressing Tibetan culture by making the language redundant in all sectors. Tibet’s education system, controlled entirely by the Chinese and their Communist ideology, is geared to suit the needs of Chinese immigrants. Tibetan students also suffer from prohibitive and discriminatory fees and inadequate facilities in rural areas. The deprival of meaningful education in their own homeland has forced well over 10,000 Tibetan children and youths to escape to India, where the exile Tibetan community offers them educational opportunities unimaginable in Tibet. The records of the Tibetan Reception Centre in Dharamsala reveal that from 1991 to June 2004, the Centre had hosted a total of 43,634 new arrivals from Tibet. Out of these, 59.75% were found to be children (below the age of 13) and youths (between the age of 13 and 25). In 2006 alone, some 2,445 newly-arrived Tibetans were received at the Centre, majority of them being children below 18 years of age. The sole purpose of such a large number of young Tibetans fleeing their homeland — and more often than not negotiating a treacherous journey across the Himalayas — is to obtain a decent religious and secular education in a country far away from home. In monasteries, Chinese government “work teams” are being sent to forcibly “re-educate” monks and nuns in their political and religious beliefs. Their methods are similar to those imposed during the Cultural Revolution. The “strike hard” campaign between 1996 and 1998 saw 492 monks and nuns arrested and 9,997 expelled from their religious institutions. UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS Today, in Tibet: Any expression of opinion contrary to Chinese Communist Party ideology can result in arrest; The Chinese government has systematically covered religious institutions in an attempt to eradicate allegiance to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tibetan nationalism and any dissention; Tibetans are subject to arbitrary arrest and detention; Those imprisoned are often denied legal representation and Chinese legal proceedings fail to meet international standards; Torture still prevails in Chinese prisons and detention centres despite it being in contravention of the United Nations Convention Against Torture; Due to subsistence difficulties, inadequate facilities and discriminatory measures, many Tibetan children are denied access to adequate healthcare and schooling; The rate of imprisonment for political reasons is far greater than in other areas under Chinese rule; Children are not exempt from China’s repression of freedom of expression. There are Tibetan political prisoners below the age of 18, and child monks and nuns are consistently dismissed from their religious institutions. Enforced disappearances, where a person is taken into custody and the details of his detention are not disclosed, continue to occur; Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, recognised by His Holiness the Dalai Lama as the 11th Panchen Lama, has been missing since 1995; More than 70 percent of Tibetans in Tibet now live below the poverty line; Thousands of Tibetans continue to flee their homeland in pursuit of freedom, livelihood, and education in the exile community, where the Indian government gives facilities that the Chinese government cannot even think of, much less provide. Continual international pressure is essential in encouraging the Chinese government to abide by the regulations of the covenants of human rights. Finally, we urge you to call for: · Engage in dialogue with His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Envoys to resolve the Tibet issue on the Middle Way Approach, which seeks genuine autonomy within the framework of the Chinese Constitution. · Immediate end to repression in Tibet · Guarantee the use of Tibetan as a medium of instruction in Tibetan areas · Suspend the forceful settlement of Tibetan nomads Visit for more @ tibet.net Show your support @ tibetnetwork.org gyawarinpoche
Posted on: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 22:03:35 +0000

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