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China blasts US accusation on response to Tibet strife
BEIJING -- China on Friday blasted a U.S. statement accusing Beijing of responding to a string of self-immolations by Tibetans with tightened controls over their freedom of religion, expression and assembly.
Maria Otero, a U.S. undersecretary of state and special coordinator for Tibetan Issues, said Wednesday that the U.S. government had consistently urged China to address policies in Tibetan areas, including "increasingly severe government controls" on Tibetan Buddhist religious practice, arbitrary detentions, and the use of force against Tibetans seeking to exercise their rights.
Her statement called on the Chinese government to allow Tibetans to express their grievances "without fear of retribution."
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei denied Otero's claims Friday and said that China had expressed its strong dissatisfaction to the U.S. over the statement, saying Washington should stop using Tibet to meddle in China's internal affairs.
"Tibetan people's rights to participate in political affairs, use the Tibetan language, maintain their traditional culture and religious freedom have all been duly protected like other people's in China," he said. "Tibetan people's freedom of expression and assembly and association are protected by the constitution."
Activists say at least 86 Tibetans have set themselves on fire since 2009 in dramatic protests against authoritarian Chinese rule. Tibet and surrounding ethnically Tibetan regions have been closed off to most outsiders, and firsthand information from the areas is extremely difficult to obtain.
Hong repeated China's position blaming the Tibetans' spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and his supporters for inciting the immolations and using it "as an opportunity to attack China's ethnic and religious policies."
"Inciting self-immolations is Dalai's way to realize his separatist political scheme," said Hong. "It's also the most cruel and inhumane criminal activity."
Hong said that in the past 30 years Tibetan areas had seen "leap frog development ... and a great improvement in human rights." He said Tibetans' political rights, language, religious freedom are fully protected.
China blasts US accusation on response to Tibet strife - The China Post
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Given the manner in which the Tibetans are defying all efforts of the Chinese to 'assimilate' them into the Han culture and becoming Chinese, the Chinese have no other option but to tolerate the Tibetan adamant attitude in preserving the Tibetan culture, customs, tradition. language, religion and so on.
The latest is that 90 Tibetans have burnt themselves up in protest to the Chinese atrocities being perpetuated on them to force them to become Han.
I wonder if such a powerful country as China should complain that a frail old man like the Dalai Lama can shake China or destabilise it. I don't think that the aged Dalai Lama can match the power and repression of the Han Chinese Govt and the ever increasing Han population in Tibet and Xinjiang.
In so far as the US comments, it is merely lip service.
If indeed China allowed "Tibetan people's rights to participate in political affairs, use the Tibetan language, maintain their traditional culture and religious freedom have all been duly protected like other people's in China," he said. "Tibetan people's freedom of expression and assembly and association are protected by the constitution", then there would be:
1. No reasons for protests.
2. No reason to quake and quail at the very name of the aged and frail Dalai Lama.
3. Sanitise Tibet whenever there are these incidents and not allow anyone to enter Tibet and force outsiders to leave!
BEIJING -- China on Friday blasted a U.S. statement accusing Beijing of responding to a string of self-immolations by Tibetans with tightened controls over their freedom of religion, expression and assembly.
Maria Otero, a U.S. undersecretary of state and special coordinator for Tibetan Issues, said Wednesday that the U.S. government had consistently urged China to address policies in Tibetan areas, including "increasingly severe government controls" on Tibetan Buddhist religious practice, arbitrary detentions, and the use of force against Tibetans seeking to exercise their rights.
Her statement called on the Chinese government to allow Tibetans to express their grievances "without fear of retribution."
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei denied Otero's claims Friday and said that China had expressed its strong dissatisfaction to the U.S. over the statement, saying Washington should stop using Tibet to meddle in China's internal affairs.
"Tibetan people's rights to participate in political affairs, use the Tibetan language, maintain their traditional culture and religious freedom have all been duly protected like other people's in China," he said. "Tibetan people's freedom of expression and assembly and association are protected by the constitution."
Activists say at least 86 Tibetans have set themselves on fire since 2009 in dramatic protests against authoritarian Chinese rule. Tibet and surrounding ethnically Tibetan regions have been closed off to most outsiders, and firsthand information from the areas is extremely difficult to obtain.
Hong repeated China's position blaming the Tibetans' spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and his supporters for inciting the immolations and using it "as an opportunity to attack China's ethnic and religious policies."
"Inciting self-immolations is Dalai's way to realize his separatist political scheme," said Hong. "It's also the most cruel and inhumane criminal activity."
Hong said that in the past 30 years Tibetan areas had seen "leap frog development ... and a great improvement in human rights." He said Tibetans' political rights, language, religious freedom are fully protected.
China blasts US accusation on response to Tibet strife - The China Post
***************************
Given the manner in which the Tibetans are defying all efforts of the Chinese to 'assimilate' them into the Han culture and becoming Chinese, the Chinese have no other option but to tolerate the Tibetan adamant attitude in preserving the Tibetan culture, customs, tradition. language, religion and so on.
The latest is that 90 Tibetans have burnt themselves up in protest to the Chinese atrocities being perpetuated on them to force them to become Han.
I wonder if such a powerful country as China should complain that a frail old man like the Dalai Lama can shake China or destabilise it. I don't think that the aged Dalai Lama can match the power and repression of the Han Chinese Govt and the ever increasing Han population in Tibet and Xinjiang.
In so far as the US comments, it is merely lip service.
If indeed China allowed "Tibetan people's rights to participate in political affairs, use the Tibetan language, maintain their traditional culture and religious freedom have all been duly protected like other people's in China," he said. "Tibetan people's freedom of expression and assembly and association are protected by the constitution", then there would be:
1. No reasons for protests.
2. No reason to quake and quail at the very name of the aged and frail Dalai Lama.
3. Sanitise Tibet whenever there are these incidents and not allow anyone to enter Tibet and force outsiders to leave!
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