Criticizing China for its allegedly repressive regime in Tibet, a senior US diplomat has urged other countries to pass their own versions of a US law that requires denying access to the US to Chinese officials known to be They are involved in restricting visits to the remote Himalayan region. .
Robert A Destro, Special Coordinator for Tibetan Affairs, said on Friday that, together with partners around the world, the United States has called and will continue to call on China to provide unhindered access to foreigners traveling in Tibetan areas, including diplomats and journalists. , like other countries give Chinese diplomats, journalists and citizens access to their respective countries.
“The United States adopted the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act to push for greater access and transparency. Today, I ask our like-minded friends and partners to adopt their own versions of the Law, “he said in his remarks at a virtual event:” Religious Freedom in Tibet: The Appointment of Buddhist Leaders and the Dalai Lama’s Succession. “The law, promulgated by President Donald Trump in December 2018, requires denying access to the US to Chinese officials known to be involved in restricting visits to Tibet.
The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, has been demanding significant autonomy for Tibetans.
The 85-year-old Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 after an offensive against an uprising by the local population in Tibet. India granted him political asylum and the Tibetan government-in-exile has been based in Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh ever since.
China views the 14th Dalai Lama as a “separatist” working to separate Tibet from China.
Destro said it is no coincidence that the Communist Party of China claims the right to lead the selection of the next Dalai Lama and, through that process, remake or, in his words, “sinicize” Tibetan Buddhism in its own communist image.
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“It is also not a surprise that the Chinese Communist Party is intensifying its efforts to eliminate the Tibetan language and culture. He is doing the exact same thing with our Muslim Uighur and Kazakh brothers and sisters in Xinjiang, and in his efforts to replace the teachings of Jesus and the Prophets with the state-inspired nonsense of a ‘patriotic’ church, ”he alleged.
“This is what information warfare looks like. In everything it says and does, the Communist Party of China aims to control not only the information landscape, but the very thoughts of all those whose perspectives and approaches to community life differ from those of the Communist Party, ”he argued. .
Consider the case of the Panchen Lama. It is no accident that he was kidnapped when he was six years old. What better way to sinicize Tibetan Buddhism by installing its own docile and false substitute that would promote the Communist Party and weaken the individuality of Tibetan Buddhism, while sinicizing the true Panchen Lama from youth, relegating his traditional roots to what Leon Trotsky called mockingly? dustbin of history ”? he said.
Unfortunately, Tibetan Buddhists are not alone, the US diplomat said.
“The Communist Party feels so threatened by faith in anything other than the Party that its leaders are bent on controlling every aspect of religion, from the selection of Catholic bishops and the training of monks, to the content of the scriptures and the succession of Buddhist spirituality. leaders, ”he said.
“Driven by the need to control anyone or anything that exists independently of the Party, Communist Party officials use force, intimidation, censorship and coercion to shape both the medium and the message,” he alleged.
He alleged that the Communist Party forces Chinese citizens to “re-education” and slave labor camps, threatens the families of critics of the regime, censures the brave scientists who tried to warn the world about Covid-19, and corrupts the myopic of the world. world with its bribes. And the Communist Party has the audacity to complain that we are interfering in its internal affairs. ”
The United States, he said, is committed to helping Tibetans safeguard their way of life, not just in Tibet, but also in India, Nepal, Bhutan, and everywhere it thrives.
“One day after announcing my appointment, the Chinese Foreign Ministry criticized the United States for interfering in China’s internal affairs, as if Tibetan Buddhism belonged to China. It’s not like that. Tibetan Buddhism belongs to Tibetans and their followers everywhere. If our commitment to human rights means anything, it is our collective duty to draw attention to this unfolding tragedy, for the good of Tibetans and for ours, ”he said.
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