THE DALAI Lama has accused China of turning Tibet into a “hell on earth” as Tibetans mark the 50th anniversary of an uprising against Beijing rule, while President Hu Jintao has called for the construction of a “Great Wall” to protect the country against Tibetan separatism.
Speaking before some 10,000 Tibetans from around the world in the north Indian hill station of Dharamsala, the 73-year-old Dalai Lama, who is a god-king to many Tibetans, yesterday slammed China for inflicting “untold suffering and destruction” during a series of campaigns of repression in Tibet since 1959.
“These thrust Tibetans into such depths of suffering and hardship that they literally experienced hell on earth,” he said in an emotional address in the main Buddhist temple, not far from where the Tibetan government-in-exile is based.
“The immediate result of these campaigns was the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Tibetans,” he said, going on to say that he feared the imminent extinction of Tibet’s religion, culture, language and identity.
“In short, the Tibetan people are regarded like criminals deserving to be put to death.”
In China, which believes that Tibet has been part of its territory for hundreds of years, the picture is very different. Authorities have sent detachments of troops to the Tibetan plateau to quell any possible unrest and make sure there is no repetition of last year’s disturbances, in which Buddhist monks took part in anti-China protests.
“We must reinforce the solid Great Wall for combating separatism and safeguarding national unity, so that Tibet, now basically stable, will enjoy lasting peace and stability,” Mr Hu said during a panel discussion at the National People’s Congress.
The lockdown is thorough. Monks are being closely watched, riot police have blocked roads, and foreign journalists are barred from potential hotspots in Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai provinces, places with large Tibetan populations.
The Dalai Lama is seeking autonomy for the territory, but China believes he is secretly pushing for independence and blames him for unrest in the region in recent years.
A meeting of exiles in Dharamsala last November reaffirmed the Dalai Lama’s “middle way” path, but many younger Tibetans say their patience with Beijing may not last.
The Chinese media is full of editorials saying how the Communist Party has brought prosperity to Tibet and liberated slaves forced to work under the feudal system, overseen by the theocracy.
The Xinhua news agency reported that the holy city of Lhasa was “quiet and peaceful”.
Supporters of Tibetan independence around the world demonstrated to mark the anniversary.
In Nepal, police blocked the progress of about 100 Tibetans who demonstrated on the outskirts of the capital, Katmandu, chanting, “Stop killing in Tibet! Free Tibet!”