By Ngawang C. Drakmargyapon
Phayul Special Correspondent
United Nations, Geneva, 30 March – The International Fellowship of Reconciliation on behalf of four NGOs yesterday warned the UN Human Rights Council that cultural genocide was taking place in Tibet. This warning came through a statement delivered by Mr. Urgen Tenzin which said: “Mr. President what Tibetans are now confronted with is a form of “cultural genocide” that observers say is taking place on the roof of the world. Population transfer of Chinese settlers into the Tibetan homeland is energized by “development” projects which is not only destroying the environment of the Tibetan plateau but is at the same time exploiting and extracting the rich natural resource of the region on a massive scale.”
The statement highlighted that population transfer of Chinese settlers in Tibet was now becoming the biggest threat to the survival of the distinct national identity of the Tibetan people as a race. “Tibetans are fast becoming a “demographic minority” in their own homeland. Therefore, such a grave human rights situation requires an immediate joint fact-finding mission to Tibet by relevant Special Procedures of the Council,” the joint NGO statement told the Council.
On Monday, the human rights situation of “minorities” in present-day China became the focus of a panel at the United Nations, at which Ms. Tsering Jampa, International Campaign for Tibet-Europe Executive Director gave the Tibetan perspective. The panel, “Emerging human rights issues: ‘Minorities’ in China” was organised by Minority Rights Group International and the Society for Threatened Peoples in view of a new report on China to be released next month. Ms. Carol Wang, Programme Officer of Human Rights in China, Ms. Rabiya Kadeer, President of the World Uyghur Congress were the other speakers.
The report by Minority Rights Group International and Human Rights in China, titled, “China: Minority Exclusion, Marginalisation and Rising Tension” states: “As the object of integrationist policies, which are comprised of political, economic and social elements, minorities are under continual threat, both officially-sanctioned and otherwise. Han Chinese settlers now dominate the urban public sphere in autonomous regions, making it difficult for minorities to maintain distinct cultural identities.”
On 7 March 2007, the Human Rights Council released a written statement by a French NGO, Movement against Racism and for Friendship among Peoples on the Human Rights Dimension of Population Transfer in Tibet which stated. “…when China’s previous President called the railway line construction to Tibet as a “political decision”, the question now before the international community is how to take immediate measures to prevent cultural genocide in Tibet. Otherwise, the Human Rights Council will not be shouldering its responsibilities as the world’s highest human rights body. The world must now realize the human rights dimensions of population transfer of Chinese settlers into Tibet, before it becomes too, too late!”
The three week meeting of the UN Human Rights Council concludes today with the next session scheduled in June 2007. China is one of the 47 Members of the body which is at present struggling to finalise its future work plan, agenda and structure.
