China's Tibet policy in a nutshell

Fundamental human rights are flagrantly flouted in those areas, while the international community (mostly) watches in silence. Probably the fact that China is by now well on its way to overtaking the United States as the world's largest economy is partly in between....

Fundamental human rights violations

Since China's annexation in the 1950s, Tibetans have been systematically oppressed and discriminated against in their social, cultural, religious and political rights. All expressions of their Tibetan identity are construed as acts of separatism and punished as such, up to imprisonment and torture.

Some examples of this policy:

• Hundreds of Buddhist monasteries were demolished. The remaining monasteries are under the strict control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The monks still residing there function purely as 'museum pieces' for tourists. They are not allowed to open their mouths
• On the possession of photos or texts of the Dalai Lama is punishable by imprisonment.
• The typical multicoloured prayer flags are prohibited.
• In 1995, China kidnapped six-year-old boy Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, who a few days before had been designated by the Dalai Lama as the 11th Panchen Lama. The Panchen Lama is the second-highest religious leader after the Dalai Lama. Then the Chinese appointed a law-abiding Panchen Lama, who, however, is not accepted by any Tibetan.

Language murder

• All taught of and in the Tibetan is banned, even home instruction by a private teacher. Those who still dare to teach Tibetan risk being jailed for it.
• The Chinese already raised one million Tibetan children forced away from their parents and sent them to distant Chinese boarding schools where they are taught Mandarin. Thus, those children get fully estranged of their family, language and culture. A culture exists by grace of language. Language murder automatically leads to loss of identity and culture murder.
• Due to a policy of mass Han Chinese immigration, Tibetans are currently a discriminated minority in their own country become.

Ubiquitous surveillance system

• Sophisticated cameras, including with facial recognition, to monitor the doings of Tibetans.
• Social media and communication platforms become rigorous censored and access to Western platforms becomes blocked.
• Phones will be bugged, which prevents exiles from having an open conversation with their remaining relatives in Tibet.
• The activities of Tibetans in exilechap are also being monitored, with possible consequences for family members in Tibet.
• A snitch culture is encouraged and rewarded, even within families. Tibetans can't/don't trust anyone anymore

Despair

This severe repression for decades led in 2008 to new protests which were answered by China with killings and deprivation of liberty. Since then, more than 150 Tibetans committed suicide by self-immolation. Even those acts of desperation hardly make it into the Western media.