Reported By Palden
Edited By Choegyal Kyab
Translated By TenGyal
Gyaltsen Norbu, recognised as the Panchen Lama by China, asserted that national unity must be protected with unshakeable resolve through firm opposition to separatism.
On August 13, a so-called “ Education Counterpart Aid-Tibet Work Conference” was held in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. The meeting was attended by Wang Junzheng, Party Secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR); Huai Jinpung, Director and Secretary of ( the Communist Party Organisation of) Lhasa Municipal Education Bureau; and Karma Tseten, Deputy Party Secretary and Chairman of the TAR, among others. In the meeting, Wang Junzheng spoke on the necessity of integrating various ethnic groups and building a so-called “strong sense of community for the Chinese Nation.” He emphasised that the officials and intellectuals in the TAR must further step up their efforts regarding ethnic integration. At the conference, extensive discussions were held on how the 15th Five-Year Plan period serves as a critical timeframe for building an “Education Nation (/Powerhouse)” and modernising Tibet. It was emphasised that strict control and regulation must be maintained in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, a solid foundation must be laid for forging a so-called “strong sense of community for the Chinese nation,” and efforts on the “Aid-Tibet Work” must be further intensified.
A so-called symposium on the study, implementation, and promotion of the “Law on Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress” was convened in Lhasa on August 14, specifically targeting non-Party representatives of the Tibet Autonomous Region. At the conference, Gyaltsen Norbu—recognised by the Chinese government as the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama—stated that ethnic unity is the foundation of national unity and social harmony, as well as the root source of development and progress. He noted that as the first foundational and comprehensive law specifically standardising ethnic unity and progress efforts, the “Law on Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress” must be treated as a core mandate for ethnic work in the new era. He asserted that one must “100% unswervingly safeguard and promote” the so-called unification of the nation and “oppose separatism with clear banners raised.”Likewise, on August 8, Gyaltsen Norbu also attended a so-called study and implementation meeting on the “Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) Religious Affairs Regulations.”
On August 20, Chinese authorities declared Lhari County in Nagchu (Nagqu) City to be a so-called “model grassroots Party organisation for ethnic unity and progress,” a “most beautiful volunteer service village of TAR,” and an “exemplary village for ethnic unity in NagquCity,” while launching widespread campaigns for “ethnic integration.” In 2019, the Chinese government forcibly relocated nomadic herdsmen to the area, which currently houses over 800 families and 4,200 residents, including Tibetans, Han, Hui, and Tu. Furthermore, since around August 8, the Publicity Committee for the Law on Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress has initiated so-called “centralised lectures” across various regions of the Tibet Autonomous Region, with numerous “ethnic unity” meetings taking place throughout the region.
Likewise, starting last month, Chinese authorities mandated a symposium to be held in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa to study, publicise, and implement the “Law of the People’s Republic of China on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress.” Under the organisation of Qinghai Province, the United Front Work Department, and ethnic and religious affairs departments, a large-scale campaign was launched in Xining to conduct “concentrated publicity of the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress” and “promote contact, exchange, and integration among all ethnic groups.” Currently, so-called “Ethnic Work Standing Committees” across many areas of Tibet are enforcing measures like the“Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Standard Spoken and Written Language,” forcing monks, nuns, and elderly people in monasteries to attend Chinese language classes.
