Under Siege, Tibetans usher in a sombre New year

While issuing a statement urging Tibetans to abstain from festivities owing to the "grim news that continues to stream out of Tibet", the Tibetan Prime Minister-in-exile, Lobsang Sangay stated, "...observe traditional and spiritual rituals, making offerings and lighting butter lamps for all those who have sacrificed and suffered under the repressive policies of Chinese government."

 

China's security agencies are currently engaged in a noxious and prolonged crackdown against popular unrest and political discontent prevalent in Tibet, responding with a massive display of state force. The two regions in and around the Aba and Ganzi prefectures, have a heavy concentration of Tibetan population and are at the centre of the unrest, resulting in the steep rise of armed Chinese paramilitary presence all across the Tibetan Autonomous Region. In fact, ever since the ethnic violence in Tibet that occurred in 2008, increased force levels of paramilitary People's Armed Police, Chinese Frontier Guards and the Garrison Duty Forces have been stationed in the region.

 

A few weeks ago, thousands of Tibetans from inside Tibet attended a major religious ceremony called the "Kalachakra" presided over by the Dalai Lama, in Bodh Gaya, India. It was reported that upon their return, at least 700-800 of these Tibetans were detained by Chinese authorities for intrusive questioning. Besides, there is heavy Chinese police presence around the prominent monasteries with stringent checks on documents. The foreign media and tourists have been barred from visiting the region as the Chinese authorities seek to maintain tight control and prevent any outflow of information from the region.

 

However, the local Sichuan Daily newspaper reported the visit of the provincial Sichuan Chinese Communist Party Chief, Liu Qibao, wherein he warned Tibetan monks and residents to oppose separatism and obey the law, further asserting, "We should resolutely crack down on separatist activities, uphold state unification, ethnic unity and the normal legal order... This upholds the basic interests of the people and upholds their religious freedom." Further, TAR Party Secretary, Chen Quango described the "fight against the Dalai Lama clique" as "long-term, complicated and sometimes even acute".

 

China foresees maintaining effective control of the Tibet Autonomous Region as critical to enhance its security on its western frontier, given that Tibet comprises approximately one-fourth of China's land mass. It was during the decade of the 1950s that China coined what has become the present standard designation of Tibet, "Zhongguo de yi bufen" (one part of China). The description was precise enough for the political purpose at hand, that of affirming Tibet as firmly within the People's Republic of China.

 

The Hu Jintao administration has significantly tightened its policy over Tibet in an apparent attempt to ensure the proverbial "long reign and perennial stability" in the restive region. More hard line cadres have been appointed to run the TAR. In January 2011, it was announced that government cadres would be permanently stationed in the monasteries.

 

While unprecedented aid has been pledged for the estimated 6.5 million Tibetans living in the TAR as well as the neighbouring provinces of Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai, the bulk of the new infrastructure projects also serve to speed up Han Chinese migration — thereby altering the demography of the region and bringing in significant benefits for the Han Chinese populace settled in the region.

 

The Chinese Communist Party has accorded highest priority to internal security by reinforcing efforts towards strengthening the internal public security apparatus. The approach taken by China to "engineer internal peace" even at the cost of employing brutal use of force, may potentially manifest in the form of discontented factions emerging on the regional and local political scene.

 

In the given context, China's massive infrastructure build-up in Tibet, which includes rapid development of rail, road, airfield and telecom infrastructure and military camps, appears incongruent in so far as the genuine need of Tibet or the Tibetan people is concerned.

 

If China genuinely wants to "strengthen the building of China's socialist democracy, and advance political structural reform actively" as it claims, then it would be imperative to treat all ethnic groups as equals and practice the system of regional autonomy of ethnic minorities. The need for Beijing is to re-orientate its internal political and economic strategy to one that would bring about all-inclusive growth, political and religious emancipation, and prosperity not just for the Han Chinese, but for every single minority ethnic community residing in China.

 

 

Courtesy: The Sunday Guardian, 4 March 2012

 

http://www.sunday-guardian.com/analysis/under-siege-tibetans-usher-in-a-sombre-new-year