Sunday, July 27, 2008

Truth vs Lies – Fact vs Fiction

TYC response to the Chinese Communist Party’s allegations

The Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) was founded by young Tibetans in exile in October 1970. The primary aim was to struggle for the restoration of independence for Tibet. At the time, China strongly criticised its very formation. And today, China not only condemns its very existence but also its policies and activities.

In the subsequent years, one of the most important campaigns spearheaded by the Chinese government has been to denounce and malign TYC as an organization fighting to ‘split’ China. Later with the evolution of a global anti-terrorism drive after the 9/11 terrorist crisis in United States, China started the malicious and baseless branding of TYC as a terrorist outfit without providing any evidence. In the run up to the much hyped Beijing Olympics, when China hopes to present itself as a modern nation achieving ‘grandeur and success’ even in the occupied countries of Tibet, East Turkistan, Manchuria and Mongolia; it hyped up its attack on the Tibetan people in general and His Holiness the Dalai Lama and TYC in particular.

The series of serious and baseless allegations by the Chinese Government and its State media intensified after the spontaneous peaceful protests that erupted in Tibet since March this year. These allegations range from masterminding the recent protests inside Tibet, using and preaching terrorism; founding a guerrilla movement with TYC spearheading violent activities inside Tibet.

Although most of these allegations were nothing new to be much perturbed about; the intensity and the extent of Chinese lies and concoctions need to be exposed in the interest of truth.

China's communist regime has lost the confidence of its own people - its communist ideology has long since been replaced by fascist capitalism. What is more, rampant corruption and high-handed nepotism has plagued its administration, its policies have resulted in gross human rights violations and social unrest.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has failed to learn from its own mistakes to make administrative amendments. As such, claims of self-analysis and taking responsibility for policy failures have been a far cry. Instead the CCP has consistently misused and abused the human tragedies that have beleaguered China and Tibet to flame nationalistic fervour amongst the Chinese in order to bolster the dictatorial regime of the party and to indict and alienate party colleagues emerging as possible power threats.

Mao Tsetung blamed the ‘weather’ for the death of over 30 million Chinese due to the failure of his Great Leap Forward campaign and went a step further when he launched the Hundred Flowers campaign to uproot all dissent against his rule. Deng Xiaoping rose to power by blaming the tragedies of the Cultural Revolution on the Gang of Four. And so it comes with no surprise when again the CCP is working overtime to hold everyone else but themselves responsible for the 50 years of tragedy and suffering that the Tibetan people have been subjected to.

On 30th March, the state-controlled Xinhua News Agency published an article hurling baseless allegations against His Holiness the Dalai Lama and TYC. Among other things, His Holiness and the TYC were accused of plotting and inciting the Lhasa demonstrations on March 14 and furthermore TYC was charged with setting up guerrilla force to infiltrate Tibet and start an armed struggle. It also insisted that to implement the "Tibetan People's Uprising Movement," TYC held training in guerrilla warfare and explosives use. The truth is that the Tibetan people inside Tibet do not need to be incited from outside. China’s illegal occupation of Tibet and the continuing oppression of the Tibetan people is the sole reason for their uprising. In fact, it is His Holiness the Dalai Lama who has been calling on His people to exercise patience and restraint.

On 2nd July, Xinhua released an article titled, "Tibetan Youth Congress - a violent spearhead” stating that TYC ‘though seemingly a civil organization, is a radical spearhead of violence supported and employed by the Dalai Lama clique’.

Similarly on 3rd July, Xinhua published a report titled, “Dalai coterie's conspiracy aimed at sabotaging Olympics, seeks Tibet independence” where it condemned TYC of launching “Marching into Tibet” movement from Dharamshala, India.

Again on July 6, Xinhua in an article titled, “Government officials urged Dalai Lama to respond with sincerity after recent contacts” quoted Mr. Du Qinglin, head of the United Front Work Department of the CCP Central Committee of stressing that His Holiness the Dalai Lama ‘must not support activities to disturb the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games, not to support plots to fan violent criminal activities, not to support and concretely curb the violent terrorist activities of the "Tibetan Youth Congress" and not to support any argument and activity to seek "Tibet independence" and split the region from the country’.

However, before one even begin to analyze and refute these weird and fanciful allegations, it is necessary to remember that this regime has orchestrated the worst holocaust in human history. Yes, we must remember that the present Communist Government of China is guilty of genocide causing the death of over 80 million Chinese and other people including 1.2 million Tibetans. It has employed all-out violence as a means to achieve victory at any cost and to rule through violence, repression and mass murder. As such, when the CCP is today the most brutal colonial regime in the modern era, one must ask what moral and political authority China has to make any accusations against the Tibetan people who are the real victims suffering in Tibet under their draconian and oppressive rule.

Despite China’s harsh and brutal rule in Tibet, it has failed to curb the genuine aspirations of the Tibetan people for independence and freedom. This failure has compelled it to label the peaceful Tibetan freedom movement as an act of ‘splittism’ and ‘terrorism’.

After the recent historic uprisings in Tibet, the Chinese Government claimed that it confiscated over 178 guns, 13,013 bullets, 359 swords, 3504 kilograms of dynamite, 19,360 detonators and two grenades from the Tibetans. But what made wonder everyone and what exposed the Chinese concoction is the fact that when the Tibetans came out openly to demonstrate all over Tibet for over a fortnight, how come not a single one of these weapons were used by Tibetans to kill Chinese in Tibet.

The Tibetan People’s Uprising Movement and the March to Tibet conducted a workshop for its participants. This was simply to train the marchers on Gandhian principles of Non-Violent actions and was observed, attended and documented by numerous independent international media including CNN, BBC, VOT, RFA, VOA, Italian TV Channel, Reuters, AFP etc. besides local Indian media. The trainers included respected Buddhist scholars, Gandhian activists such as Mr. Rajiv Vora from Swaraj Peeth, Non-Violent activists, Human Rights lawyers from the Human Rights Law Network, Media personals etc. A simple inquiry with these media and individuals listed above will make it clear whether the training sessions had anything even remotely to do with ‘terrorism’ and ‘guerilla warfare’ as claimed by the CCP.

As an organization committed towards peaceful endeavors in the face of violent Chinese repression, all TYC campaigns in the past have been peaceful. Likewise in its 38th founding anniversary statement last year and the recent guidelines and reminder notice issued to the various Regional Chapters on 25th March 2008, the Central Executive Committee of TYC reiterated the need and the importance of abiding by the principles of non-violence.

In its 39 years of existence, TYC has not been involved in a single incidence of resorting to terrorism. On the contrary, the support, recognition and the appreciation that TYC receives is welcomed with great love and recognition in various prestigious global conferences and Organizations like the United Nations, International Union of Socialist Youth, WOSY, World Social Forum, World Youth Buddhist Association and other renowned platforms. Furthermore TYC commands tremendous prestige and acceptance not only among the Tibetan people inside and outside Tibet but also amongst the international media and political circles in many countries as an important voice of the Tibetan people.

Clearly, the CCP has failed to understand the democratic relation that His Holiness The Dalai Lama shares with the Tibetan people. This is not surprising since the CCP does not believe in democracy. As in any other democracy, the Tibetan people have also agreed to disagree on various political issues while working towards the greater goal of amicably resolving the Tibetan issue. Communist China on the other hand, as history is witness, has never embraced democratic principles to heed to the aspirations of its citizens and genuinely work towards creating a forward looking harmonious society.

If CCP has even the slightest evidence of terrorist involvement by Tibetans, it must not refrain from presenting such evidence to the world and push for international investigations to prove these allegations. At the same time it would be morally binding on the Chinese government to accept and imperative for the world to impartially inspect the terrorist activities that CCP supports and nurses the world over. It is no secret that China today promotes and nurtures terrorism, despotic military regimes and indulges in proliferation of arms including nuclear weapons in scores of nations including Burma, Zimbabwe, Syria, Venezuela, Sudan, North Korea, Iran, Pakistan and Nepal among others.

TYC as a matter of principle is democratic and transparent in its functioning. This is evident from the way we conduct the various social, religious, humanitarian and political activities throughout the world. TYC, because of the complete support and love that it enjoys from all the freedom loving people at large and the Tibetan people in particular, can boldly declare that it is prepared for any fair and neutral independent scrutiny of its activities. We have nothing to hide. All further doubts can be put to rest if the CCP can also yield to a similar independent international investigation and furthermore prove its legitimacy as the true representative of the Chinese people through a popular referendum conducted by an independent body.

There is no denying the fact that the main goal of TYC is to regain Tibet’s Independence and restore the basic human rights and dignity of the Tibetan people. Like all other people, it is the legitimate right of the Tibetan people to struggle for their legitimate freedom and the independence of their country. We will struggle for Tibet’s Independence till our last breath.

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