Press Release
Contact Person: Tenzin Norgay (English)
Date: 17 May 2006
Jampel Monlam(Tibetan)
TCHRD/Eng/PR/171/2006
A meeting comprising of high-level Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members of the Tibet Autonomous Region (“TAR”) took place in Lhasa from 15-16 May 2006. The meeting saw gathering of all high-level party members in the “TAR” including those residing in Beijing according to Xinhua News Agency –the official press agency of the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). According to reports, the meeting focused on striking hard against the Tibetan freedom activists and intensification of “patriotic re-education” campaign in the monastic institutions in Tibet. Zhang Qing Ling, Acting “TAR” CCP Secretary – the region’s highest official- presided over the meeting and called for an intensification of “striking hard against the activities of the separatists”. The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) is disturbed at the conduct of the meeting and expresses its concerns about the Tibetan political dissidents, former political prisoners and religious figures in Tibet.
During the two day meeting, Zhang Qing Ling put forward six steps in striking hard against the political activities in Tibet: 1) Intensification of striking hard against the “separatist” and works against the “separatist” movement. 2) Intensification of “patriotic re-education” campaign in the monastic institutions 3) Strike hard against those violating state security 4) Work harder on social stability more than ever before and create socialist villages in the farming and nomadic regions in Tibet 5) Work harder on the grass root bodies and the Democratic Management Committees (DMC) in the monastic institutions 6) the leaders should carry out their works strongly, work against the separatist should be heightened and the publicity [about development in Tibet] should be carried out stronger.
Through out last year, the authorities in Tibet carried out intensive “patriotic re-education” campaign in the monastic institutions in the “TAR”. In November 2005, a young monk died during a session of the campaign in Drepung Monastery in Lhasa and later saw a mass sit-in protest by the monks demanding an end to the campaign. However, the peaceful protest was crushed rapidly and five monks were expelled from the monastery and were placed in detention centres in their respective places of origin. During the commemoration of 40th year of establishment of the “TAR” in September 2005, Tibetans with political background and former political prisoners were either expelled from Lhasa or placed under detention.
With an intensification of the government’s campaigns against the Tibetan dissidents, TCHRD fears about the well being of peaceful Tibetan activists and former political prisoners. The Centre is concerned that they might be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention, and constant harassment to them and their family members. The various campaigns implemented by the PRC leads to abuse of the Tibetan people’s human rights especially their civil and political rights and religious freedom. TCHRD condemns any further implementation of campaigns of various designs aimed at curbing Tibetan political activism and their religious rights.
