Han Chinese Now Hold Most Government Posts in Tibet as Beijing Extends Control

Tibet’s status as an ‘autonomous region’ of China has no meaning for Beijing, a Lhasa resident says.

By Lobsang Gelek

Han Chinese now outnumber Tibetans in top government posts in Tibet by more than 2-to-1, an indication, Tibetan sources say, of China’s push to dominate the region.

Following Beijing’s installation of Wang Junzheng as Tibet’s party secretary on Oct. 19, only four out of fifteen chief and vice-chief administrative positions in the capital Lhasa are now held by Tibetans, according to Chinese government figures.

This lack of representation in government shows that Tibet’s status as an Autonomous Region of China has no meaning for Beijing, a Tibetan living in Lhasa told RFA.

“They are starting to use Chinese now as the official language in all the administration offices in Lhasa, and 70% of the individuals holding higher positions there don’t know how to read or write in Tibetan,” RFA’s source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“Even more concerning is the fact that 60% of Lhasa’s population are now Chinese,” he added.

Tibetans were better represented in leadership positions in Tibetan areas in the 1970s and early 1980s, said Dawa Tsering, director of the Dharamsala, India-based Tibet Policy Institute.

“Except at the most senior levels, Tibetans held many different official positions, with about 70% of these jobs taken by Tibetans and 30% taken by Chinese,” he said. “But China’s policies in connection with this have changed drastically in recent years.”

“The Chinese government is replacing Tibetans with Chinese in an attempt to create an environment where they only use and speak the Chinese language in these offices. And all these policies enable the Chinese government to pursue its political agenda of destroying Tibetan identity,” he said.

In an Oct. 20 statement, Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet called for strong international pressure against newly appointed Tibet party boss Wang Junzheng, who has already been sanctioned by the European Union, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom for human rights abuses in northwestern China’s Xinjiang region.

China has never appointed a Tibetan to the top post that Wang now holds, the advocacy group said.

“This reflects the reality that despite over 60 years of occupation, the Chinese Communist Party has not been able to win over the hearts and minds of the Tibetan people,” the group said in the statement.

Formerly an independent nation, Tibet was invaded and incorporated into China by force 70 years ago.

Chinese authorities maintain a tight grip on the region, restricting Tibetans’ political activities and peaceful expression of cultural and religious identity and subjecting Tibetans to persecution, torture, imprisonment and extrajudicial killings.

Translated by Tenzin Dickyi. Written in English by Richard Finney.

Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. https://www.rfa.org

Popular Cat Breeds in India

The Bengal, Persian, Siamese, and British Shorthair are among the most popular cat breeds in India.The Persian stands out by its long fur and lean physique.The Siamese draws are well known for their their enormous ears and sleek body.Bengal cats are especially eye-catching because of their distinctive patterns, which include stripes on their backs and chestnut coats with white tiger stripes.

Read More

Some Cyber Security Softwares

Technological tools and services known as cyber security solutions aid in defending businesses against cyber attacks, which can lead to detrimental outcomes such as application downtime, sensitive data theft, reputational damage, fines for noncompliance, and much more.

Read More

UN Security Council Meets on Situation in Middle East, Including Palestinian Question

Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France and President of United Nations Security Council for the month of April, chairs the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.

Read More

Remote Island’s Brain-Damaged Seabirds Show Far-Reaching Impact of Plastic Pollution

Promoted as “Just Paradise,” Lord Howe Island hundreds of kilometers east of Australia is a unique environment home to plants and fauna found nowhere else in the world.

Read More

New Zealand Police Stopped Naked Driver

Some residents called New Zealand’s Queenstown police to report a naked man driving slowly and erratically on Morven Ferry Road, close to the interchange of State Highway 6. Earlier, he was spotted using a golf club to smash golf balls into the adjacent Arrow River before he got into his vehicle.

Read More

Dog Stories

Humans love dogs, and we have some of the best dog-related content on our website.Here some selected stories.

Read More

They Are Not Journalists But Propagandists

Politicians should remember that journalists have the  right to act as eyes and ears of the public.Hostile attitudes towards media is a dangerous and alarming trend.Polarization even in media, saddens us the most.After all nationalist and popular leaders and their cronies use powerful instrument like television news to influence public opinion by controlling them.

Read More

Cryptojacking

An online threat known as cryptojacking, or malicious crypto mining, sneaks onto a computer or mobile device and uses its resources to ‘mine’ cryptocurrencies, which are virtual monies.

Read More