Latest news with #FreeTibet
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First Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
Chinese colonialism? Beijing forcing 1 mn Tibetan children into boarding schools, erasing cultural identity
At least 100,000 are preschoolers between the ages of 4 and 6, and over 900,000 older children from Tibet have been forcibly placed in Chinese government-run boarding schools read more China is putting Tibetan children in boarding schools where they are denied knowledge of their mother tongue. Image courtesy: Free Tibet More than one million Tibetan children and adolescents have been forcibly placed in Chinese government-run boarding schools across Tibet, where they are subjected to abuse, neglect and political indoctrination, according to a new report released Friday by the Tibetan Action Institute (TAI). Among them, at least 100,000 are preschoolers between the ages of 4 and 6, the report said. Citing interviews with Tibetan parents and fieldwork conducted by researchers, the report accused Chinese authorities of using the boarding school system to carry out what it called 'student colonisation' and erase Tibetan cultural identity. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'As the Chinese govt manoeuvres to co-opt the institution of Dalai Lama by interfering in the reincarnation process, it is simultaneously targeting Tibetan children through assimilationist policies that threaten Tibet's survival as a distinct people,' TAI said in a statement. Dr. Gyal Lo, a Tibetan sociologist who contributed to the report, said the initiative is part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's strategy to undermine Tibet's 4,700-year-old civilisation. Gyal Lo, who fled Tibet in 2020, said he personally visited more than 50 residential preschools in the Tibetan provinces of Amdo and Kham, estimating that around 100,000 Tibetan children in the preschool age group have been separated from their families and housed in these institutions. In addition, the report estimates that another 900,000 children and adolescents aged between 6 and 18 are also being kept in similar residential schools. TAI said the children are prohibited from speaking Tibetan, taught exclusively in Mandarin, and instructed using only government-approved history and ideology. 'In boarding schools, the indoctrination process begins from a very young age. The children are restricted from speaking their mother tongue - Tibetan - taught in Chinese language, forced to learn and speak Chinese and taught only state-approved history,' the report said. The schools also subject children to constant messaging emphasising the centrality of Chinese identity and culture, and loyalty to the Communist Party of China, the report said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The group also highlighted that monks and nuns under the age of 18 have been forcibly transferred to these institutions in recent years, contributing to the Chinese government's broader crackdown on Tibetan religious and cultural life. There was no immediate comment from Chinese authorities on the findings of the report. Beijing has previously denied allegations of cultural repression in Tibet, saying its policies have improved economic development and education access in the region.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bidding war erupts over document that ‘proves Tibetan independence'
When Sir Basil Gould attended the enthronement of Tibet's new Dalai Llama in 1940, it was obvious history would be unfolding before his eyes. But 85 years later, the British diplomat's own papers are at the centre of a purported attempt to control the past. Documents written by Sir Basil that are said to prove the independence of Tibet became engulfed in a bidding war in London this week, as followers of the Dalai Llama sought to keep them out of Chinese hands. The document was part of a cache sold by Sir Basil's family at Bonhams on Thursday. It described how Tibet exercised 'de facto independence in internal and external affairs' before China tightened its grip in the 1950s – a claim seized on by campaigners, who say it runs counter to the Chinese narrative that the region has never been free. Among the bidders was a former representative of the Dalai Llama, who wanted to preserve the documents for the region's historical record. But the lot ultimately sold for more than £14,000 to an anonymous buyer. It came amid fears from Tibetan campaigners that Chinese buyers could be trying to snap up Sir Basil's estate and keep parts of it from the public eye. Tenzin Rabga Tashi, from the London-based campaign group Free Tibet, said: 'This is what it means when not only have you lost your country, but your history is sold to the highest bidder. 'In telegrams, letters and photos, the Basil Gould collection documents vividly the gathering darkness of 1940s Tibet before China's invasion. 'Even so, the sale to unknown bidders online does not negate the irrefutable evidence of Britain's unique connection with Tibet as an independent country.' Serving as a British trade agent in Gyantse, Tibet, from 1912 to 1913, Sir Basil went on to become a British political officer in Sikkim, Bhutan and Tibet for a decade from 1935. He attended the enthronement of the Dalai Llama, taking a young artist called Kanwal Krishna with him who captured the event with a series of watercolours. Other lots sold on Thursday included a portrait of the Tibetan leader during the ceremony. The painting, which sold for £152,800, was also among those that Tibetans were keen to keep from Chinese hands ahead of the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday next month. Another lot – a collection of 40 watercolours from Krishna's 1939 to 1940 visit to Lhasa with Sir Basil – sold for £457,600. In a video promoting the sale, Giles Peppiatt, head of fine art at Bonhams, said: 'These are extraordinarily rare images and to have these images from a first-hand source is unprecedented. 'The Gould collection shows a remarkable insight into Tibet in the 1940s and most importantly shows us the principal characters in the divination, in the search and the enthronement of the 14th Dalai Llama.' Today Tibet is recognised as part of the People's Republic of China, known as the Tibet Autonomous Region. China claims to have held control over Tibet since the 13th century. However, many dispute this narrative, with independence advocates arguing the country in fact had long periods of freedom to run its own affairs. The document in question, which archivists understand was written by Sir Basil, appears to support this view. The Telegraph understands that it describes how '... since 1912 the Tibetan government… continuously exercised de facto independence in both internal and external affairs'. The paper goes on to say that the Chinese Republic declared that Tibet was part of China. It added that the British took a 'middle line' and informed the Chinese that they upheld the autonomy of Tibet 'while admitting the suzerainty of China'. The writer then goes on to describe how a compromise was later reached in which Tibet was divided into Inner and Outer Tibet –with some degree of Chinese control 'contemplated for Inner Tibet', while Outer Tibet was to be autonomous. The document was auctioned off as part of a larger lot described as 'a large box of papers, letters, manuscripts and other ephemera relating to Tibet'. A proof copy of Sir Basil's 1957 book, The Jewel in the Lotus: Recollections of an Indian Political, which detailed his time in Tibet, was also included in the lot. After a bidding war that lasted more than five minutes, the item was eventually won by an anonymous online bidder – for a final total of £14,080 once auction charges were added. Sonam Tsering Frasi, a former representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration to the UK and northern Europe, was among those who unsuccessfully attempted to secure the lot. Speaking to The Telegraph following the auction, Mr Frasi, 70, said: 'All of these archive materials are important to us as Tibetans because they belong to the Tibetan people and it relates to what happened before the Chinese people [came]. 'So this paper has an independent British government's thinking [and] attitude [about] what was happening on the ground in Lhasa.' He added: 'Tibet was an independent country. But that doesn't fit with the Chinese narrative.' Mr Frasi said: 'There was definitely a concern about trying to keep these out of Chinese hands because we don't know who is online bidding. 'My suspicion is that there were Chinese bidders and there might be lots of records in there that will show the thinking of British-India with regards to Tibet autonomy.' He added: 'These papers – the danger is that they would not surface at all or they would be spun around to say something else.' Bonhams does not reveal whom successful bidders are. A spokesman would not approach the winner on The Telegraph's behalf, saying this would have gone against its privacy rules. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Bidding war erupts over document that ‘proves Tibetan independence'
When Sir Basil Gould attended the enthronement of Tibet's new Dalai Llama in 1940, it was obvious history would be unfolding before his eyes. But 85 years later, the British diplomat's own papers are at the centre of a purported attempt to control the past. Documents written by Sir Basil that are said to prove the independence of Tibet became engulfed in a bidding war in London this week, as followers of the Dalai Llama sought to keep them out of Chinese hands. The document was part of a cache sold by Sir Basil's family at Bonhams on Thursday. It described how Tibet exercised 'de facto independence in internal and external affairs' before China tightened its grip in the 1950s – a claim seized on by campaigners, who say it runs counter to the Chinese narrative that the region has never been free. Among the bidders was a former representative of the Dalai Llama, who wanted to preserve the documents for the region's historical record. But the lot ultimately sold for more than £14,000 to an anonymous buyer. It came amid fears from Tibetan campaigners that Chinese buyers could be trying to snap up Sir Basil's estate and keep parts of it from the public eye. Tenzin Rabga Tashi, from the London-based campaign group Free Tibet, said: 'This is what it means when not only have you lost your country, but your history is sold to the highest bidder. 'In telegrams, letters and photos, the Basil Gould collection documents vividly the gathering darkness of 1940s Tibet before China's invasion. 'Even so, the sale to unknown bidders online does not negate the irrefutable evidence of Britain's unique connection with Tibet as an independent country.' Serving as a British trade agent in Gyantse, Tibet, from 1912 to 1913, Sir Basil went on to become a British political officer in Sikkim, Bhutan and Tibet for a decade from 1935. He attended the enthronement of the Dalai Llama, taking a young artist called Kanwal Krishna with him who captured the event with a series of watercolours. Other lots sold on Thursday included a portrait of the Tibetan leader during the ceremony. The painting, which sold for £152,800, was also among those that Tibetans were keen to keep from Chinese hands ahead of the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday next month. Another lot – a collection of 40 watercolours from Krishna's 1939 to 1940 visit to Lhasa with Sir Basil – sold for £457,600. In a video promoting the sale, Giles Peppiatt, head of fine art at Bonhams, said: 'These are extraordinarily rare images and to have these images from a first-hand source is unprecedented. 'The Gould collection shows a remarkable insight into Tibet in the 1940s and most importantly shows us the principal characters in the divination, in the search and the enthronement of the 14th Dalai Llama.' Today Tibet is recognised as part of the People's Republic of China, known as the Tibet Autonomous Region. China claims to have held control over Tibet since the 13th century. However, many dispute this narrative, with independence advocates arguing the country in fact had long periods of freedom to run its own affairs. The document in question, which archivists understand was written by Sir Basil, appears to support this view. The Telegraph understands that it describes how '... since 1912 the Tibetan government… continuously exercised de facto independence in both internal and external affairs'. The paper goes on to say that the Chinese Republic declared that Tibet was part of China. It added that the British took a 'middle line' and informed the Chinese that they upheld the autonomy of Tibet 'while admitting the suzerainty of China'. The writer then goes on to describe how a compromise was later reached in which Tibet was divided into Inner and Outer Tibet –with some degree of Chinese control 'contemplated for Inner Tibet', while Outer Tibet was to be autonomous. The document was auctioned off as part of a larger lot described as 'a large box of papers, letters, manuscripts and other ephemera relating to Tibet'. A proof copy of Sir Basil's 1957 book, The Jewel in the Lotus: Recollections of an Indian Political, which detailed his time in Tibet, was also included in the lot. After a bidding war that lasted more than five minutes, the item was eventually won by an anonymous online bidder – for a final total of £14,080 once auction charges were added. Sonam Tsering Frasi, a former representative of the Dalai Lama to the UK and northern Europe, was among those who unsuccessfully attempted to secure the lot. Speaking to The Telegraph following the auction, Mr Frasi, 70, said: 'All of these archive materials are important to us as Tibetans because they belong to the Tibetan people and it relates to what happened before the Chinese people [came]. 'So this paper has an independent British government's thinking [and] attitude [about] what was happening on the ground in Lhasa.' He added: 'Tibet was an independent country. But that doesn't fit with the Chinese narrative.' Mr Frasi said: 'There was definitely a concern about trying to keep these out of Chinese hands because we don't know who is online bidding. 'My suspicion is that there were Chinese bidders and there might be lots of records in there that will show the thinking of British-India with regards to Tibet autonomy.' He added: 'These papers – the danger is that they would not surface at all or they would be spun around to say something else.' Bonhams does not reveal whom successful bidders are. A spokesman would not approach the winner on The Telegraph's behalf, saying this would have gone against its privacy rules.
