(TibetanReview.net, May24’26) – Accusing China of being totally out of sync with the desires and aspirations of the Tibetan people, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) of exile Tibetans has on May 23 reiterated its long-standing call for genuine autonomy for the Tibetan homeland. The call came as China celebrated the 75th anniversary of what was a brutally coerced annexation of Tibet in 1951, and then again in 1959, while calling it all a peaceful liberation.
The occasion marks the signing of a China-drafted 17-point “Agreement on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet” on May 23, 1951, in Beijing. The “agreement” essentially promised a sort of “one country, two systems” policy for Tibet. But, like in the case of Hong Kong more recently, China could not live up to its promises right from day one of the signing of that “agreement” and eventually launched a bloodbath in Tibet’s capital Lhasa in 1959 as it tore up that “agreement” with vengeance.
Criticising China’s forced annexation of Tibet, Mr Tenzin Lekshay, spokesperson for the CTA, has reiterated demands for freedom, human rights and genuine autonomy in and interview with the ANI news service May 23.
Tibetans continue to face restrictions on freedom and autonomy in violation of China’s own constitution even as Beijing claims to be building a “harmonious society”, he has said.
He has indicated that the Tibetan aspiration even under Chinese rule would stand fulfilled if genuine autonomy is granted.
Meanwhile, in Lhasa, China has held a series of events to commemorating the 75th anniversary of its “peaceful liberation of the Xizang autonomous region”, “Xizang” being China’s Sinicised name for Tibet Autonomous Region.
In particular, a symposium on “75 Years since the Peaceful Liberation: Achievements and Implications of Xizang’s Development” was held in Lhasa, drawing a diverse array of domestic and international experts, scholars, and researchers, as China’s official chinadaily.com.cn May 23 put it.
“The milestone event served as a platform to examine the region’s remarkable transformations and explore pathways for its progress in the future,” the report said.
However, the only experts named in the report are Krishna Prasad Oli, former Nepalese ambassador to China; and Michael Alan Crook, president of International Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives.
“So, these three things — longer, healthier, educated lives, infrastructure that respects the natural world, and a traditional culture that is not only preserved, but thriving — these are the true achievements of these 75 years,” Crook has said, essentially reading out China’s all too familiar propaganda on Tibet.
Likewise, Oli too has parroted China’s false propaganda, saying, “It (China) has followed a people-centric approach to development, prioritising eco-environmental protection, innovation, coordination, and green development” in Tibet.