As China completes 70 years of its rule in Tibet, a former member of the Tibetan parliament in exile has asked what has Beijing got to show after seven decades of occupation of the region.
In an editorial published in Taipei Times, Khedroob Thondup said, "Today China is celebrating 70 years of the "peaceful liberation" of Tibet. Over 100,000 Tibetans died defending their country. One million Tibetans perished in the past seventy years."
Thondup recalled that China invaded Tibet in 1950 under the pretext of peaceful liberation. The Tibetan people were completely taken by surprise, and we were not prepared to defend ourselves, he added.
Even after 70 years of Chinese rule, Thondup said Tibetans in Tibet hate the Chinese. Likewise, he said Tibetan cadres are not trusted by the Chinese and are treated as second-class citizens.
"No religious freedom, absolutely no freedom of speech or movement. No Tibetan in the past 10 years has been able to get a Chinese passport. No Tibetan can travel to China without being questioned," he added.
Reiterating calls for the liberation of Tibet, the former member of the Tibetan parliament in exile said Tibetans deserve the right to choose their own destiny. "Tibet is now being flooded with Han Chinese settlers making Tibetans a minority in the big cities such as Lhasa and Shigatse."
He further asked what China has accomplished is the systematic degradation of Tibetan culture to the point where the Tibetan people are completely subservient to China.
Commenting on Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent visit to Tibet, Thondup said there was no mention of the 17 Point Agreement during Xi's visit to the region.
"However, his visit itself during this tense situation and his high-profile meetings with the military in Tibet certainly showed China's commitment to the defense of their strategic interest in Tibet," he added.
Asserting that Beijing has lost the race to control the minds of the Tibetan people, the former member of the Tibetan parliament in exile said the spirit of Dalai Lama lies in the minds of the Tibetan people.
"No Tibetan can be coerced to change their strong traditional religious beliefs. Beijing is trying to raise the image of their appointed Panchen Lama in front of the Tibetan people, thinking that one day he will be able to replace the Dalai Lama," he added.
( With inputs from ANI )
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