Dharamsala, 5 February: The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) officially unveiled its Annual Report 2003: Human Rights Situation in Tibet during the World Social Forum in Mumbai. The report focuses on five spheres of rights violation of Tibetans in Tibet: Civil Liberties, Religion, Development, Subsistence and Education. The 104 – page report was released here yesterday.
In a press statement issued at the release of the report, the only Tibetan organisation monitoring human rights situation inside Tibet appealed to the international community to maintain pressure on the PRC to improve its human rights record and demanded concrete results from China to implement its human rights treaties and obligations to the United Nations.
“With a new generation of Chinese leaders taking over the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) leadership, the year 2003 opened on note of great promise for Tibet. However, this was not to be,” said the statement.
TCHRD accused China of serious restrictions and repressions of the rights to freedom of expression, association and religion.
It told reporters here that arbitrary arrest and imprisonment, unfair trails, torture and execution continued to remain prominent during the year.
“The year 2003 opened with the summary execution of Lobsang Dhondup and upholding of suspended death sentence on Trulku Tenzin Delek on alleged charges of involvement in a string of bomb explosions. This judicial decision led to increased fear over China blurring the distinction between the global campaign against terrorism and peaceful Tibetan freedom struggle. The Kardze Tibet Autonomous Prefecture (“TAP”) of eastern Tibet in present-day Sichuan Province remained the plateau’s most volatile region in terms of peaceful political protests and cases of arrest and detention,” said Ms. Norzin Dolma, the senior programme officer at the centre.
Referring to the anti-Dalai Lama campaign in Kardze and Lithang areas of Tibet, the centre said that restrictive measures were imposed on observance of traditional religious practices and belief.
“Indoctrination of monks and nuns continue to take place under the aegis of “patriotic education” campaign. Four monks from Khangmar Monastery were sentenced to lengthy imprisonment terms ranging from eight to twelve years for conducting prayer ceremonies for the Dalai Lama. The residents of Kardze and Lithang counties were threatened with land confiscation if they fail to hand over portraits of the Dalai Lama to the local authorities within a month. Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the XIth Panchen Lama recognized by the Dalai Lama in May 1995, continues to be detained by the Chinese authorities for the eighth consecutive year”, Ms. Norzin added.
Press Release
2003 Annual Report: Human Rights Situation in Tibet
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) Annual Report 2003: Human Rights Situation in Tibet was officially released during the World Social Forum in Mumbai. The report focuses on five spheres of rights violation of Tibetans in Tibet: Civil Liberties, Religion, Development, Subsistence and Education.
With a new generation of Chinese leaders taking over the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) leadership, the year 2003 opened on note of great promise for Tibet. However, this was not to be. Throughout 2003 serious restrictions and repressions of the rights to freedom of _expression, association and religion occurred. Arbitrary arrest and imprisonment, unfair trails, torture and execution continued to remain prominent during the year.
The year 2003 opened with the summary execution of Lobsang Dhondup and upholding of suspended death sentence on Trulku Tenzin Delek on alleged charges of involvement in a string of bomb explosions. This judicial decision led to increased fear over China blurring the distinction between the global campaign against terrorism and peaceful Tibetan freedom struggle. The Kardze Tibet Autonomous Prefecture (“TAP”) of eastern Tibet’s present-day Sichuan Province remained the plateau’s most volatile region in terms of peaceful political protests and cases of arrest and detention. Of the 27 known arrests that TCHRD has documented in 2003, more than 80 percent occurred in and around this region. Such a rise in arrests outside the “Tibet Autonomous Region” (“TAR”) indicates Chinese leaders’ determination in heightening surveillance and suppressing Tibetans outside the “TAR” who enjoyed relative freedom.
In May 2003, the Nepalese authorities under pressure from China deported 18 Tibetans. The Tibetans were deported inspite of UNHCR appeal and international protest. Three of the deportees were minors below the age of 18. Every year, thousands of Tibetans escape into India with Nepal as the transit point.
In the sphere of religion, the anti-Dalai Lama campaign was intensified and restrictive measures were imposed on observance of traditional religious practices and belief. Indoctrination of monks and nuns continue to take place under the aegis of “patriotic education” campaign. Four monks from Khangmar Monastery were sentenced to lengthy imprisonment terms ranging from eight to twelve years for conducting prayer ceremonies for the Dalai Lama. The residents of Kardze and Lithang counties were threatened with land confiscation if they fail to hand over portraits of the Dalai Lama to the local authorities within a month. Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the XIth Panchen Lama recognized by the Dalai Lama in May 1995, continues to be detained by the Chinese authorities for the eighth consecutive year.
In the sphere of development, China’s development plans to modernize Tibet are devoid of Tibetan participation thereby denying the “right to self-determination” of the Tibetan people. These economic and development projects do not respect the sentiments of the Tibetans with regard to their land, culture and religious identity. In the name of ‘environmental protection’ under the Western Developmental Program, many local Tibetans are forcibly evicted and resettled against their will. Serious concerns raised by Tibetans, and critiques on development projects that could have disastrous impact on the environment and ecological balance of the region, have been ignored. The influx of ethnic Chinese settlers into Tibet creates huge livelihood problems for the indigenous Tibetans.
In the sphere of subsistence, Tibet remains one of the poorest regions in the world. The much-hyped Beijing’s subsidy into Tibet is channelled in the tertiary sector of occupation. Tibetans dominate the primary sector where government subsidy is minimal therefore Tibetans continue to live in abject poverty. Tibetans in Tibet have very limited or no access to healthcare facilities because of which they are dying from illnesses that could be easily treated. Although no single case of “SARS” was reported in Tibet according to the government officials, SARS exposed the simple truth that China hides reality when the outbreak gained global epidemic proportion.
In the education sphere, the UN Special Rappoteur on Education, Katarina Tomasevski, in a report after her official visit to China, gave a harsh critique of the country’s education policies, blasting the government’s ban on religious schooling and a system of arbitrary school fees that force many families into debt. The Special Rappoteur was very critical of the role of “minority education” in Tibet, stating that education imposed upon minorities violates their human rights when it denies their religious and linguistic identity. The Chinese authorities fear religious schooling and as a result ordered the closure of Ngaba Kirti Monastic School which imparts monastic education to 800 novice-monk students. Education policies in Tibet are used as a means to indoctrinate communist ideologies. Students are forced to denounce the Dalai Lama, taught Chinese version of history, and the medium of instruction in most schools are Chinese.
TCHRD calls upon the international community to maintain pressure on the PRC to improve its human rights record and demands concrete results from China to implement its human rights treaties and obligations to the United Nations. TCHRD urges PRC to release all prisoners of conscience held in prisons and detention centres in Tibet, to improve the domestic legal system and to allow the free movement of Tibetans within and outside Tibet.
Contact Person: Norzin Dolma/Tenzin Norgay
Phone no: 91 1892 223363/225874/229225
E-mail: dsala@tchrd.org
