Written evidence submitted by The Office
of Tibet
THE UNENDING
NIGHT OF
REPRESSION: A CASE
FOR CHINA'S
SUPPRESSION OF
POLITICAL AND
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
AND HUMAN
RIGHTS IN
TIBET
His Holiness the Dalai Lama's Middle-Way approach
attempts to peacefully resolve the issue of Tibet by taking into
account China's paramount interest to achieve unity and stability
as well as the Tibetan people's legitimate rights to preserve
and promote their unique Buddhist culture and identity.
Since 1979, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and
the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) have been sincerely pursuing
this mutually beneficial policy to achieve a genuine autonomous
status for Tibet. So far four rounds of talks have been held between
the representatives of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the leaders
of the People's Republic of China (PRC) since 2002. The CTA has
even appealed to all the Tibet Support Groups in the west and
the Tibetan people to refrain from engaging in demonstrations
against the visit of PRC leaders abroad. It has made every possible
effort to create a congenial atmosphere indispensable for the
start of negotiations on the issue of Tibet. Although PRC has
accepted Tibetan delegations to visit Tibetan areas and other
Chinese provinces for the past few years, its violations of Tibetan
people's fundamental human rights and religious freedom have continued
throughout the past one-year. This has been substantiated by His
Holiness the Dalai Lama's envoy Kelsang Gyaltsen during a briefing
on Sino-Tibetan dialogue at the third World Parliamentarian Convention
held recently in Edinburgh, Scotland from 18 to 19 November 2005.
The envoy lamented that there have been no positive changes inside
Tibet since the opening of direct contact with the Chinese leadership
and that there are no clear signs that Chinese leadership is genuinely
interested in beginning an honest dialogue.
Despite liberalisation in the economic and social
spheres, political and religious persecutions, especially in the
so-called minority areas continues with no indication of improvement.
China's current rulers, led by President Hu Jintao, give no indication
of straying from this seemingly inconsistent course, originally
set by Deng Xiaoping.
Although China's parliament, the National People's
Congress (NPC), adopted a constitutional amendment that included
a general provision regarding human rights, the situation inside
Tibet continues to deteriorate with no real improvement. Information
trickling from Tibet reveals a pattern of systemic violation of
Tibetan civil and political and religious rights.
For instance United Nations' torture investigator,
Manfred Novak, after having returned from a visit to China from
21 November to 2 December 2005, said that in Tibet sleep deprivation
was frequently used, in one case for 17 days. Authorities also
forced people to stay in one position for a long period of time.
He said that torture in China is used to extract confessions,
as punishment and as a form of re-education. In Tibet, he said
the victims were usually "monks and nuns who still uphold
their allegiance and support of the Dalai Lama and who are seen
as endangering national security because they are often seen as
separatists." Further he stressed that those who told him
the most serious cases made him promise to keep their identity
confidential due to fear of Chinese retribution, saying "in
my report you will find the much nicer cases".
Similarly a recent report received by the Tibetan
Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD), a non-governmental
human rights monitoring group based in Dharamsala, claims that
Lhasa's Drepung Monastery has been placed under curfew since 25
November 2005. According to the centre, during a patriotic re-education
campaign, the monks of the monastery were ordered to sign a document
denouncing His Holiness the Dalai Lama as "separatist"
and to pledge their loyalty to the Chinese government by accepting
"Tibet as a part of China". The monks refused to give
in because of which five monks, who reacted strongly against the
document, were expelled from the monastery and immediately handed
over to the Public Security Bureau (PSB) Detention Centres in
their respective places of origin. The arrests triggered more
than four hundred monks sitting on peaceful solidarity protest
in the monastery's courtyard, calling for the release of the five
monks. Fearing the protest might become widespread, the "TAR"
government dispatched a huge contingent of officers from the Army,
People's Armed Police (PAP) and PSB to the monastery to launch
a massive crackdown on the protesting monks. The ensuing crackdown
resulted in monks being severely beaten, and unconfirmed reports
had it that a monk was killed when the officers fired a warning
shot in the air.
China also launched the summer 2005 "Strike
Hard" campaign as a precautionary measure for smooth celebrations
of the 40th anniversary of the founding of the "Tibet Autonomous
Region" (TAR) on 1 September 2005. The campaign, which is
aimed to curb political activism in Lhasa and other areas in the
"TAR", resulted in the crackdown upon and arbitrary
detention of former political prisoners and Tibetans suspected
of political activity.
China has also continued in Sera monastery the
so-called "Love your religion, Love your country" political
campaign initiated first in 1996. The campaign began on 10 July
2005 by the Lhasa Religious Bureau in Sera monastery, because
of which the monastic studies of the monks have been hampered
and many monks were reported to have returned to their native
hometown when the notice for the campaign reached their monastery.
Contrary to China's claim in the white papers
and guarantees in the Chinese constitution, Tibetans do not enjoy
freedom to express their opinion. This has been corroborated by
testimonies of Tibetans who have arrived in exile. In fact severe
restrictions continue to be imposed on the freedom of assembly
and association and on the freedom of opinion and expression.
A case in point is the persecution, and eventually the house arrest,
of Tibetan writer Woeser for her devotion to His Holiness the
Dalai Lama and the Tibetan religion.
Similarly, Sonam Ngodup, 29, from Senge Chu,
Kardze County, Kardze "Tibet Autonomous Prefacture"
(TAP), Sichuan Province, was arrested and sentenced to seven years
of rigorous imprisonment for pasting pro-independence posters.
Before his sentence by the Kardze People's Intermediate Court,
he was detained in the PSB detention centre where the officials
tortured him to gain confession and to find out about his other
aides. It is reported that due to such torture and beatings, he
became unconscious on several occasions, and collapsed on the
ground.
TCHRD also confirmed reports that the Kardze
Intermediate People's Court sentenced Lobsang Khedrup, 22, and
Gyalpo, 26, to a term of 11 year's imprisonment in April 2004
for hoisting a banned Tibetan national flag. Both were arbitrarily
arrested and convicted without honouring them a free and fair
trial to defend their innocence in the court.
Kardze region has in fact become the focal point
of repression by Chinese authorities in recent years. This is
substantiated by the fact that most of the arrests, detentions
and other cases of human rights violations have been reported
in this region, outside of the "Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR)".
All these instances exemplify the extent of
control that is being exercised by the Chinese authorities on
the freedom of expression.
Although China has released high profile Tibetan
political prisoners in the past few years, notable among them
Phuntsok Nyidron and Takna Jigme Sangpo, these gestures no way
indicate that the situation inside Tibet has improved.
Amnesty International reports that there are
at least 145 known cases of political prisoners who are currently
being held for a variety of peaceful activities such as advocating
Tibetan independence and also for refusing to renounce their faith
in His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Nowhere China's repression is more prominent
than on Tibet's religion, the core of the Tibetan identity. According
to the Chinese authorities in Beijing, Buddhism is the biggest
threat to their so-called stability and economic development of
Tibet.
The persecution of the Buddhist community particularly
intensified since the so-called third Tibet work forum held 20
July 1994, by the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) and the State
Council of the PRC. The meeting reviewed the policy of "opening
up and liberalisation" initiated in 1979, and formulated
policy decisions with regard to politics, religion, culture and
economy for the next five years. During the meeting, the then
Secretary General of the Chinese Communist Party, Jiang Zemin,
said that the Communist Party would take responsibility for the
mistakes of the past in Tibet, implying the liberal policies Hu
Yaobang implemented in Tibet in the late 1980s as erroneous.
The immediate result of China's above decisions
is the suppression of Tibet's religious activities and the Tibetan
people's right to freedom of religion. On 14 June 1994, His Holiness
the Dalai Lama, in accordance with Tibetan religious traditions,
recognised Gendhun Choekyi Nyima, a boy born in Tibet's Nagchuka
region, as the reincarnation of the previous Panchen Lama, regarded
as the second highest Tibetan religious leader. The Chinese Government
not only refused to accept Gendhun Choekyi Nyima as the true incarnation
of Panchen Lama, but also detained him, his parents and Chadrel
Jampa Trinley Rinpoche, the abbot of Tashi Lhunpo monastery. Their
whereabouts are still not known in spite of their cases being
raised by several governments and the EU, parliamentarians and
various human rights bodies and Tibet support groups across the
world.
In April 1996, the patriotic re-education work
committees were established in Tibet's monasteries. These were
led by government cadres and permanently reside in the monasteries.
Besides, photographs of His Holiness the Dalai Lama were banned
from being displayed in homes and monasteries, and police stations
were especially opened in big monasteries. Thus, severe restrictions
and obstacles were imposed on daily religious activities, enforcing
once again an enormous repression in monasteries.
Since the unleashing of the "Patriotic
Re-education" campaign till date, the Chinese Government
made sure that the administrative powers of the monasteries rested
in the hands of those people who were loyal to them. As a result,
the so-called officials of the "Democratic Management Committees"
were mostly pro-Chinese. Thus, they were able to bring these monasteries
under the tight control of the Party workers. Moreover, it must
be pointed out that the religious figures—such as lamas
or tulkus, abbots, Geshes, etc, who are instrumental in the preservation,
management and promotion of Tibetan culture and religion—continue
to be estranged from their monasteries, disciples and devotees.
A campaign was also simultaneously launched to stamp out these
religious figures by levelling various kinds of criminal charges
against them or by isolating them. To cite a few examples:
After the mysterious death of the 10th Panchen
Lama in January 1989, the young Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima,
and Chadrel Rinpoche Jampa Trinley, the abbot of the Tashilhunpo
Monastery, were arrested in 1995. Their whereabouts are still
not known.
On 24 October 1999, the Chinese Government arbitrarily
arrested Geshe Sonam Phuntsok of Karze in Kham province. He still
suffers under critical conditions in a Chinese prison.
On 18 April 2001, the so-called "Work Teams"
of the Chinese Government raided Serthar Buddhist Institute. Khenpo
Jigme Phuntsok, the abbot of the Institute, was arrested on 24
May 2001. Strict restrictions were also imposed on him for carrying
out his regular spiritual activities. In June that year, the Chinese
Government destroyed more than 2,000 monastic dwellings of the
Institute, and out of more than 10,000 disciples, including Chinese,
8,400 were expelled from the monastery. On 7 January 2004, Khenpo
Jigme Phuntsok suddenly died under mysterious circumstances in
a military hospital in Chengdu.
On 7 April 2002, Tulku Tenzin Delek of Lithang
in Kham province was suddenly arrested and given a deferred death
sentence. His condition is very critical now. Many other high
lamas who have made tremendous contribution to Buddhism—including
Gungthang Rinpoche, Cheshoe Rinpoche and Alag Shardong from Amdo
province—died after suffering enormous hardships. As a result
of the continued suppression of religious freedom in Tibet, Agya
Rinpoche and the 17th Karmapa Rinpoche—on whom the Chinese
Government had placed high hopes—were compelled to flee
the country and seek asylum in the free world outside of the PRC.
In December 2001, the Chinese Communist Party
and the State Council convened a national-level meeting on religious
affairs. Speaking at the meeting about their future work, Jiang
Zemin emphasised that, for the stability of the country, it was
important to further tighten the control over religious affairs:
"Since earlier times, the religious issue was never an isolated
issue. It is intermingled with the history of politics, economy,
culture and nationality, and their actual contradictions. Therefore,
it is a very complex issue."
The religious policy of the new Chinese leadership
led by Hu Jintao states that "religion should be in conformity
with socialism". In other words, religious behaviour and
religion is only tolerated as long as it does not interfere with
or challenge the authority, legitimacy and status of the party.
Over the past 50 years, practical measures to handle religion
in Tibet have varied from a pragmatic tolerance to complete repression
and persecution. Current policy dictates that religion should
be accommodated and utilised, but kept firmly under the Party
control.
Because of the close link between religion and
Tibetan identity, the measures used to implement state religious
policy have been particularly harsh in Tibet. Tibetan Buddhism
continues to be an integral element of Tibetan identity, and is
therefore perceived as a threat to the authority of the state
and unity of the PRC. Being an authoritarian regime ruled by a
single party, Beijing could never imagine a chunk of its population
showing allegiance to Buddhism and its charismatic Lamas. Therefore,
systematic campaigns have been launched to target and eventually
eliminate these high profile Buddhist leaders, around whom Tibetans
and non-Tibetan Buddhists started mobilising in great numbers.
Today, Tibetan Buddhism is considered as an
important field of psychological study, having the potential of
competing with modern sciences. Buddhism's emphasis on compassion,
love and interdependence makes it extremely relevant at a time
when the world is under immense threat from terrorism and other
violent-ridden conflicts. This is evident from the burgeoning
interest in and attention paid by the western neuro-scientists
on the Buddhist psychology's potential to cultivate love and compassion
and eventually a calm mind through contemplative meditation. Particularly,
we believe that Tibetan Buddhism can play a constructive role
in achieving the present Chinese leaders' effort to create a "harmonious
society".
His Holiness the Dalai Lama's non-violent and
Middle-Way Approach is a pragmatic course to resolve the long-standing
issue of Tibet, a solution that guarantees China's unity and stability
and at the same time preserving the unique Tibetan identity currently
being diluted due to massive Chinese population settlement in
Tibet. A just and humane treatment of the Tibetan people's fundamental
rights and religious freedom will go a long way in creating the
trust and confidence necessary to resolve the long-standing issue
of Tibet. From its side, the Tibetan Administration in Exile under
the noble leadership and guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
will strictly adhere to its Middle-Way Approach and the principles
of non-violence in finding a viable solution to the Tibetan problem.
However, this effort requires the support of governments in the
free world who believe in democracy and human rights for all regardless
of caste, creed and colour.
Therefore, this evidence is being presented
to the Foreign Affairs Committee in the hope that the Committee
will effectively urge their government to take a more pro-active
action and support our efforts in getting China to stop the violation
of human rights in Tibet and to start genuine negotiation with
His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his representatives without further
delays.
Mrs Kesang Y Takla
Representative of His Holiness The Dalai Lama for
Northern Europe
12 December 2005
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