Special report: Tibet: Its Past and Present

    BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party of China (CPC), has published a signed article that said the Dalai Lama has no right to talk about human rights issues.

    The article, entitled "The 'Tibet Issue' has nothing to do with human rights," was written by the paper's columnist He Zhenhua, who has recently published numerous articles criticizing the Dalai Lama and supporting patriotism among Chinese readers.

    According to He, the old Tibet, under the rule of the Dalai clique, practiced the notorious political system of slavery, by dividing Tibetans into different classes. There was a small group of slave owners, who accounted for merely 5 percent of the total Tibetan population at that time, reigning over the rest of the Tibetans.

    In old Tibet, slave owners subjected slaves to economic exploitation, political oppression and spiritual control, according to the article. It quoted a French scholar on the study of Tibet as saying that there was absolutely no human freedom for Tibetan slaves in the past, and "the 1 million Tibetan slaves have enjoyed authentic democracy, freedom and human rights since the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet (in 1951)."

    It advised the Dalai clique to take care of its own human rights problems, referring to the living conditions of exiled Tibetans in India.

    Most exiled Tibetans live in the slums of Dharmsala, the "capital" of the "Tibetan government-in-exile," in India, and they have to hand over "independence donations" to the "government-in-exile," the article said, without elaborating.

    The exiled Tibetans, who are suffering from linguistic and emotional barriers, enjoy no human rights at all, it claimed.

    The article cited the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" to support its view, to deny the claims of the Dalai clique and assert that Tibetans have enjoyed their rights since the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet.

    According to the article, the Tibet Autonomous Region has for years maintained an average of 12 percent annual growth, while the government has provided free medical services to rural people and free education and food to their children. Tibetan residents are now experiencing fast growth in private housing, it said.

    In the early years of its exile, the Dalai clique disturbed the life of border residents in Tibet by force, the article said. In recent years, it tried to infiltrate or plot and stir up violence in Tibet, which has been detrimental to the lives and developing rights of Tibetans, the article said.

    The article concluded by saying that the Dalai clique has tried to stimulate ethnic sentiments and win support from the West, so as to realize the "Independence of Tibet" and split China.

Exhibition on Tibet's past, present held in Beijing

Jia Qinglin, member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau, visits a large-scale theme exhibition, "Tibet, the Past and the Present," on Wednesday. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun and Zhou Yongkang, members of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau, visited a large-scale theme exhibition, "Tibet, the Past and the Present," on Wednesday.

    During their separate visits, they were shown around the 160 material exhibits and more than 400 pictures. The exhibition is being held in two halls of the Nationalities Cultural Palace. Full story

Commentary: Dalai Lama is spewing lies

    BEIJING, April 30 -- The 14th Dalai Lama is adept at issuing appeals to his disciples, and several days ago in New York City, while meeting press, he distributed another appeal to all Chinese religious believers in the world. Dalai has urged Chinese government to stop "suppressing" local Tibetans, and release all criminal suspects who were arrested for the "March 14" violent and terrorist act in Lhasa.

    Dalai is spewing lies, rumors and hearsays again in this statement. Full story

Expert: Tibetan "government-in-exile" still a theocratic power

    BEIJING, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The Tibetan "government-in-exile" in fact is still a theocratic power, an integration of church and "state" with the Dalai Lama at the top, according to a senior Tibetologist.

    Under its claim of power division, the Tibetan "government-in-exile" sets up its legislative framework (the Assembly of Tibetan People's Deputies), executive body (the Kashag), and judiciary (the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission), but the Dalai Lama is still at the top with a firm grip on religious and executive power, said Bi Hua, senior researcher with China Tibetology Research Center.  Full story