Tibet’s culture dying slow death under China’s repressive policies: CTA President
DHARAMSALA, 22 Sept: The political head of the Tibetan people, Penpa Tsering has said that Tibet’s culture is dying a slow death under the repressive policies of the Chinese government.
The Central Tibetan Administration’s(CTA) President expressed grave concerns over the state of Tibetan culture, adding it was dying a slow death under the repressive policies of the Chinese government while addressing the All Party Japanese Parliamentary Support Group for Tibet in the Japanese parliament building in Tokyo on Wednesday, reports www.tibet.net, the Central Tibetan Administration’s(CTA) official website.
President Sangay has also expressed concern over “the boarding schools run by the Chinese government in Tibet” and “the speeding climate change in Tibet.”
While he declared the Chinese state-run schools as “the biggest threat facing Tibet” as these schools “forcibly separated 80% per cent of children from the age of 3 from their families and cultural roots”, he reminded the Japanese lawmakers that the environmental concerns of Tibet were not limited to Tibetans alone but of grave concerns for the whole of Asian subcontinent as 1.8 billion people in Asia dependent for freshwater on the ten major rivers originating from Tibet.
He has further urged the “Japanese government to specify the importance of Tibet’s environment and the detrimental impact of climate change in Tibet on Asia and the whole world at the international platforms like COP and in their bilateral and multilateral meetings” and extended an invitation to the Japanese lawmakers to visit Dharamshala and meet the Dalai Lama.
Ms Sakurai Yoshiko, president of Japan’s leading think tank has called out China for its policy to deliberately eradicate the culture, language and religion of the Tibetans, Uyghur and Mongolia and assured Japan’s continuous support for Tibet.
Mr Shimomura Hakubun, the Chairman of the All Parliamentary Support Group for Tibet has expressed grave concern over Tibet’s issue and offered support in strengthening Tibet’s struggle and preservation of Tibet’s cultural, linguistic and religious identity.
The CTA President is currently on a week-long official visit to Japan from 21- 27 September.
His itinerary will also see him meet a group of Tibet supporters and sponsors, address university students on the Tibetan cause and meet with the local Tibetan community.
He will also deliver a statue of Tara sent by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the late Japanese Prime Minister, Mr Abe’s family.
