Tibetans in exile accuse China of destroying their identity in Tibet under its rule

The President of the Tibetan government-in-exile on December 10 accused China of denying the most fundamental human rights to people in Tibet and vigorously carrying out the extermination of the Tibetan identity.

The President of the Tibetan government-in-exile on December 10 accused China of denying the most fundamental human rights to people in Tibet and vigorously carrying out the extermination of the Tibetan identity.

Penpa Tsering, in a statement marking Human Rights Day, also took exception to China last month releasing a “white paper” — or policy document — on Tibet.

China claimed that its rule of Tibet marked "outstanding achievements in development, created on the roof of the world through the Chinese path to modernisation." The report extolled progress in economic development, social stability and environmental protection under Communist Party rule. China has built highways and high-speed railways through the mountainous region and promoted tourism as a way to boost incomes.

Mr. Tsering said the Chinese Communist Party was “forging a strong sense of the Chinese national as one single community, promoting the Chinese language, the Sinicisation of Tibetan Buddhism and developing socialist values.”

"Such infliction of suffering and oppression on the Tibetan people by the Chinese Communist Party authorities is unparalleled and unprecedented," he said.

Mr. Tsering addressed a group of Tibetans at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, the headquarters of the Tibetan government-in-exile in northern India, on the 34th anniversary of the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. Tibetan schoolchildren and artists performed dances at the cultural event.