China leaders vow to fight “Dalai clique resolutely”

] Jampa Phuntsok, chairman of the so called Tibetan Autonomous Region’s people’s congress standing committee, left, and Tibet's governor Padma Choling, right, at a National People's Congress Tibetan delegate group's discussion session in Beijing. DHARAMSHALA, March 9: China appointed leaders of Tibetan regions have renewed their pledge to fight against the “Dalai clique resolutely” and crackdown on “all secessionist forces and sabotage activities.” The leaders were speaking in Beijing on the sidelines of the ongoing National People’s Congress, which will formally enthrone China’s new set of leaders headed by Xi Jinping. "We will always place maintaining stability as our top priority and keep on crackdowns on all secessionist forces and sabotage activities," Lobsang Gyaltsen, chairman of the so called Tibet regional government, said during a panel discussion. Speaking from the same platform, Padma Choling, chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region's people's congress, accused the ‘Dalai clique’ of encouraging self-immolations while failing to provide any evidence. When asked about the nature of the evidence, Choling merely told reporters: “We have evidence, but it is not convenient to tell you now.” The Chinese government is yet to release concrete details linking the incidents to the exile Tibetan community. Jampa Phuntsog, TAR vice-party secretary added that regional authorities will take “strong measures to ensure the region's social stability." The harangue of accusations comes a day after communist party leaders in eastern Tibet made similar declarations saying that their “struggle against the Dalai Lama is long-term and intense" and that they “can not relax at any moment.” Since 2009, as many as 107 Tibetans have set themselves on fire protesting China’s continued occupation and demanding freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama from exile. The exile Tibetan administration has denied all allegations by China and invited representatives of the Chinese government to investigate its offices in Dharamshala, India. Speaking before a parliamentary committee in Canada last month, Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, while noting that the exile Tibetan administration has made repeated calls to Tibetans inside Tibet not to resort to self-immolation, said that Tibetans are bound by duty to honour the sacrifices. “As Buddhist or person of faith, we pray for all those who have died, including the self-immolators. And as a Tibetan, we support the aspiration of the Tibetan people inside Tibet including the self-immolators.” The de facto Tibetan prime minister further pointed out that through the fiery protests, Tibetans are saying “occupation is unacceptable and repression is unbearable.” “There is political repression, economic marginalisation, environmental destruction, cultural assimilation, and denial of religious freedom (in Tibet) ... There is no space for any kind of protest and there is no freedom of speech for Tibetans. Hence tragically and sadly, they are resorting to self-immolation,” Sikyong Sangay said.