By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, May 5: Chinese human rights activist and lawyer, Dr. Teng Biao, today said that Middle Way Approach, despite being a great idea, should not be the only voice of Tibetan struggle. Biao was speaking to an exclusive audience at a talk, ‘China’s democratization and the future of Tibet’, organized by Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) and International Tibet Network (ITN) here.
The activist who had been arrested twice by the Chinese police said that Beijing is not serious about solving the Tibetan issue and that they do not mean what they say during the bilateral dialogue. “They never keep their promises. Moreover, they use this dialogue to justify their suppression and to show the world they are working towards a solution,” said the co-founder of the Open Constitution Initiative (Gongmeng).
Biao was critical about the Middle Way policy, the official policy of the Central Tibetan Administration, being presented as the only voice. He said he had shared this same thought earlier with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
“We should not suppress the voice of independence. It is good to have more voices, radical and independent voices, which would make China heed more carefully towards those seeking autonomy through middle way,” said the 43-year old lawyer.
Labeling Tibetan cause and Chinese democratization as complicated issues, he said that the Communist Party is very powerful and confident but that in reality they are not so powerful and confident. They fear human rights movements and revolutions, he said.
“There may be a moment, may be 5-10 years from now, where the CCP loses their power or on their way to losing their control and a new democratic government is formed. And when the democratic set up becomes stable in 20 -25 years, that would be the right time for Tibetans to decide independence or high level autonomy in peaceful manner,” he said, adding that only Tibetans have the right to decide their own future.
He also talked about how China is using economic growth as an alternative to obtain legitimacy over Tibet and how Internet and social media is aiding the human rights activists in organizing protest and human rights activities.
Members of Tibetan NGOs, dignitaries of Tibetan Parliament and CTA attended Biao’s talk.
Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok, Tibetan MP, said, “Since he has been through a lot, I found his talk not just sharing an opinion but his own experience of the real situation in China. I also appreciate his suggestions on our shortcomings, strong points and on how to continue with our freedom struggle.”
Biao was formerly a Lecturer in the China University of Political Science and Law and he is currently a visiting Fellow at Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, NYU and the Chinese University of Hongkong.
