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.
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