Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) [India], September 29 : The members of Tibetan parliament in-exile and ministers of Tibetan government in-exile have strongly condemned the Chinese style colonial boarding schools in Tibet.
All of them have expressed their great concern and appealed international community to pressurise China over this issue.
Speaking to ANI, an MP in-exile Dorjee Tseten, said, "We have been receiving very critical information where Tibetan traditional monasteries and traditional school has been shut down and children are forcefully put in these colonial boarding schools where they are treated in a very inhuman way and students try to run away in that process. We recently hear those concerning reports that is because China's grand policy in terms of assimilating Tibetan culture and identity into the larger Chinese society and the Communist regime with their objectives. We have categorically objected those policies and have appealed to the international governments. Many governments have make statements in terms of the abolition of these colonial boarding school so we are responding to that, we object and we further amplifying our voice for the Tibetans inside Tibet."
Thubten Wangchen, another Tibetan parliamentarian told ANI that the Chinese government is trying to diminish the language, political view and Tibetan identity.
He said, "This is a very important point to be discussed and to find out a solution and to have international support on that because of what the Chinese government is doing, the political view on that is to diminish the language and Tibetan identity. The Chinese government says that Tibet has been a part of China always and we say that this is a historical view that has no sense and no reason that Tibet is a part of China. Tibet is Tibet from thousands of years and China is our neighbour country and now the Chinese government took our land Tibet. But our culture, identity and Buddhist philosophy is also present outside than inside Tibet because of his Holiness' message of peace and non-violence. It has spread out in the whole world and they support us."
The Security minister of the Tibetan government in-exile, Dolma Gyari said that the Chinese government is committing a cultural genocide.
She said, "As we all know that there is an ongoing genocide. In a way we can also term it as a cultural genocide... Genocide policies are being carried on by the People's Republic of China on the Tibetan people with an intent to eliminate the Tibetan race, the Tibetan identity and the Tibetan culture. Even now what they are trying doing is because they have not been able to occupy the mind and the life of the Tibetan people that they have taken under their control. Though the concept of boarding school is not new... the one in the Tibet particularly is a matter of great concern because this is in direct contravention of basic human rights also. Because this policy is not only a for handful of us in-exile, it is largely the Tibetans in the Tibet who are not able to speak. We have seen video clips of young children crying... and that was an institute actually which was turning into a centre of Tibetan language and Tibetan learning."
She added, "A huge nation and the sinicization of Tibetan people is being carried out and now we're not able to speak up. Children from a tender age of four are being forcefully picked up, separated from the families and culture. It is a matter of great concern for all of us. It's not a question of whether China would listen to us or not... Revolutions have happened around the world in the past and it is important for us to be able to voice for justice, freedom and human rights. And whenever something is not right and we in-exile being the representative of those who are voices inside Tibet, we should continue to make our voice heard."