Tibetan legislators shrug off Dalai Lama's 'political show'
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-03-10 22:35
BEIJING - Tibetan legislators shrugged off the Dalai Lama's talk of "retirement" Thursday, saying it was merely his another lie, trick and "political show" that would not exert any impact on the stability of Tibet.
|
||||
"Like past, that is merely another political show of Dalai Lama who attempts to arouse the attention of the international community and mould public opinion," said Qiangba Puncog, chairman of the Standing Committee of Tibet Autonomous Regional People's Congress, while attending the annual parliamentary session in Beijing.
"But that will not exert any impact on the stability of Tibet," he said.
Qiangba Puncog said the so-called Tibetan "government-in-exile" is an illegal political organization that has not been recognized by any country in the world.
"Whatever moves they take - Dalai Lama's 'retirement' or electing a successor, they will be all illegal and will not be recognized," he said.
He said the Dalai Lama has talked about his "retirement" or "semi-retirement" on many occasions over recent years.
"No matter whether he retires or not, his political attempt will not change. His speech is to declare publicly that he will not give up his attempt to sabotage unity and split China using any methods," he said.
On March 10, 1959, the Dalai Lama and some of the serf owners instigated an armed rebellion to postpone a democratic reform which was aimmed at abolishing the thousand-year-old serf system in Tibet.
Serfs, who accounted for more than 90 percent of the population of old Tibet, were treated as private property by their owners, including the family of the Dalai Lama, the paramount leader of Tibet. The latter owned some 80 percent of production materials - farm land, pastures and livestock.
Serfs were classified into three categories in accordance with their possessions - Tralpa, Duchung and Nangsan, with the third one being the most miserable who could be sold by his owner as cattle.
The People's Liberation Army soon quelled the rebellion and the Dalai Lama fled to India, where he established a "government in exile". Later, democratic reform was introduced to free the serfs and end their misery.
In his annual speech, the Dalai Lama once again claimed that "the ongoing oppression of the Tibetan people has provoked widespread, deep resentment against current official policies" and "Tibetans live in constant fear and anxiety."
"It is very funny to say that," said legislator Kelsang DrolKar from the Tama Village on the outskirts of the Tibet regional capital of Lhasa.
She said her fellow villagers have been immersed in festival joys these days as they greeted the traditional Tibetan New Year Saturday, which coincided with the opening of this year's session of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature.
"I telephoned my mother on New Year's Eve and she told me that all villagers had their families adorned with the five-star red flag (the national flag), a usual practice in our village to celebrate the New Year and other festivals," Kelsang DrolKar said.
Actually, Tama means "red flag" in Tibetan language, she said.
Local villagers demanded the name of the village changed from the former "Chomla" to "Tama" several years ago after they had benefited from the government's policies and become wealthier, she said.
"The common people are clear-minded," she said. "During the March 14 riot in 2008, no one in the village was involved in the violence."
The March 14 riot in Lhasa resulted in the deaths of at least 18 civilians and one policeman. It also left 382 civilians and 241 police officers injured, businesses looted and residences, shops and vehicles torched. The unrest was believed to have been organized by the supporters of the Dalai Lama and Tibetan "independence" forces.
