Damdul, Tibbetan Scholar.
A webinar, titled “71 Years of China’s Colonial Rule in Tibet” washeld on 8th March, to mark the63rd anniversary ofTibetan people’s uprising against China in 1959. The webinar was jointlyorganized by the Centre for Himalayan Asia Studies and Engagement (CHASE) andTibetan Youth Congress (TYC). The main panelists included two internationallyacclaimed scholars on China and a prominent Tibetan member of exile Parliament.It was moderated by Vijay Kranti, a senior journalist, Tibetologist andChairman of CHASE. The main focus of the webinar was to highlight the colonialoccupation of Tibet by China and the sad status of human rights inside Tibet.
First panelist Mr. Pierre-Antoine Donnet, was a veteran Frenchjournalist and expert on China who has authored two books on China and Tibet.His first book was on Tibet titled “Tibet Dead or Alive” (1990) and thelatest book is “China the Great Predator” (2021). He has beenposted in Beijing from 1984 to 1989 as a correspondent in the news bureau ofAgence France-Presse (AFP). He studied Chinese language in Paris, Taiwan andHong Kong, back in the 1980’s. He also served as AFP’s global chief newseditor.
The main thrust of Donne was that the western countries,especially the Unites States are now becoming more aware of the dangers fromChina and in near future their stand towards China is expected to bestronger. Tracing the evolution of democracy in Taiwan from the early days ofdictatorial rule of Chiang Kaishek, Donnet said that it has gradually evolvedto a strong democracy. “Taiwan’s present President Ms. Tsi Ingwen has woninternational appreciation and support due to her strong faith in democracy andresolute stand against China,” he said. “In current international situation Ibelieve that if China’s PLA ever decides to invade Taiwan then many countriesincluding America, Japan, Australia and India are going to join hands insupport of Taiwan,” he added.
Sharing his experience of his first visit to Tibet as an AFPcorrespondent in Beijing in 1985 he said that the Chinese authorities hadwarned him in advance that he was being taken to Tibet only on the conditionthat he would not write about what he sees inside Tibet. “But I was so moved bythe stories of suffering by those Tibetan monks who had served in Chineseprison that I wrote all that in my news report on my return to Beijing.Following this the Chinese government banned my future visits to Tibet,” saidDonnet.
Dr Chin Jin is a well-knownpersonality among the democracy supporting community of Chinese Diaspora.Currently he lives in Sydney in Australia and is the Chairman of the“Federation of a Democratic China” which is a joint platform of some Chinesegroups striving for democracy in China. Earlier he was the Secretary General ofThe Joint Working Committee for the Chinese Democratic Movement, which includesthree traditional democratic organizations: the Chinese Alliance for Democracy(founded in 1983), the Federation For A Democratic China (founded in 1989) andthe Alliance For A Democratic China (founded in 1993). He has written widely onHuman Rights inside China and the political structure of China. His book ‘MYQUEST FOR DEMOCRACY IN CHINA’ was published in Taiwan in late 2012.
In his presentation Dr. Chin Jin said that he was shocked to seethe indifference of western media about its reporting on China and Tibet. Hepointed out that the recent self-immolation by a Tibetan musician was the 158know case in recent years but the western media and governments have adopted anindifferent attitude towards China’s acts in Tibet. Claiming that the desirefor democracy inside China today isquite strong but the Chinese democratic movement inside and outside China lacksa charismatic leader like Dalai Lama. He regretted that western leaders’attitude like the US President Joe Biden’s indifference towards Ukraine isgoing to make China more adamant and powerful. During the question-answersession he asserted that “Now the only chance for the Chinese people to berelieved of the Chinese Communist Party is that this Party meets its end. It isonly when CCP is demolished and loses power in China that countries like Tibetand Xinjiang etc can hope of freedom and independence,” he said.
The Tibetan side was represented by Ms. YoudonAukatsang who is an elected 4th term Member of Tibetan Parliament in exile anda popular woman leader. Over past more than 15 years she has been associatedwith ‘Empowering the Vison Project’ as its Director and also the Secretary ofthe Trust. Her earlier associations included the Tibetan Women’s Association,Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy and Kredha.
Speaking about conditions inside Tibet she saidthat in seven decades of Chinese rule over Tibet no Tibetan was ever appointedas the Party Secretary of CCP in Tibet. “Absence of Tibetans in the decisionmaking system of today’s Tibet only proves that Tibet is treated as acolony by the Chinese masters of Tibet,” she said. “Indiscriminate exploitationof Tibet’s mineral resources and water resources by China is not only hurtingthe ecology of Tibet but also of countries around Tibet,” she added.
Speaking about the Chinese government’s policyabout reincarnations tradition of Tibet she said, “No one in the world,especially the Tibetan people, are going to accept China’s imposition of thenext Dalai Lama. Even if they decide to appoint one, their candidate will face thesame fate as met by their Panchen Lama whom Tibetan people have refused toaccept despite all efforts of Chinese government.”
Vijay Kranti, Chairman of CHASE and moderator of the webinarpointed out to Beijing government’s assertion and bullying of the world toaccept that Tibet has been always a part of China in history and that anycomment on Tibet would be treated as interference in China’s internal affairs.Referring to historic facts he said, “Before the establishment of China as the‘Republic of China’ in 1912, China remained a vassal of foreign Mongol andManchu rulers for 784 years and the last time when it existed as a country was268 years ago in 1644. China today claimsthat Tibet is part of China because the Mongols had ruled over Tibet and China.This claim is as absurd as India today claimingthat Australia is a part of India or New Zealand claiming that India is itsparts simply because all there countries were colonies of the British.”Commenting on world governments’ tendency to accept Chinese claims over Tibetand Xinjiang, Kranti said that, “No international law permits any country tocertify the occupation by any other country over a third country. So, if anygovernment tends to accept Tibet as a ‘part of China’ or as an ‘internal’ matterof China then that government is behaving like an accomplice in China’s crimeof colonialism.”
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