CHANDIGARH: Three days before China’s law on 'Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress' comes into effect on July 1, around 151 Tibetan organisations and Tibet support groups have appealed to the foreign ministers of 14 countries and the European Union to oppose this law.
They described this legislation as a 'direct assault on the fundamental rights, identity and future of the Tibetan people'.
The open letter addressed to the foreign ministers of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union reads, "The new law provides Beijing with a legal framework to intensify its campaign of forced assimilation by restricting the use of the Tibetan language, curbing religious freedom, suppressing cultural practices and penalizing peaceful expressions of Tibetan identity.’’
The letter has been sent to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar along with his counterparts, including Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, German Foreign Minister Dr Johann Wadephul and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas.
The groups expressed concern over provisions requiring parents to educate children to love the Communist Party of China. They alleged that the legislation prioritises Mandarin Chinese in education and public life, mandates state-led social integration and expands penalties for actions deemed to threaten ethnic unity.
They also argued that the law would enable authorities to regulate what Tibetan families teach about their history, culture, religion and identity.
The groups also highlighted that in China’s residential boarding school system, at least one million Tibetan children have been separated from their families and communities.
They also alleged that children in these institutions are educated primarily in Mandarin with limited access to the Tibetan language and are discouraged from practising their religion, subjected to political indoctrination, including military-style drills and patriotic programmes aimed at fostering loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party and President Xi Jinping.
Urging the foreign governments to use their diplomatic influence to press China to repeal the law and uphold the rights of the Tibetan people, the letter said, "Silence from the international community would amount to acquiescence in the erosion of Tibet’s distinct cultural, linguistic and religious identity, and call for coordinated diplomatic action before the law comes into effect on July 1.”
The letter also cited recent remarks by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, who expressed concern that the law could further restrict freedoms relating to language, education, religion, culture, expression and peaceful assembly.
Türk reportedly called for the legislation to be repealed and for assimilation policies affecting Tibetans and other ethnic minorities to end.
Also, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in exile convened a panel discussion to denounce what it described as China’s new ethnic law—a legal assault on the very survival of the Tibetan language, culture, and identity.
Elected political leader of the Tibetan people and Sikyong of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), Penpa Tsering said, “Within days, on July 1, China will bring into force its so-called Ethnic Unity Law, adopted by its rubber-stamp parliament, the National People’s Congress, on March 12. At first glance, the legislation appears benign. It speaks of unity, harmony, national cohesion, and the forging of a shared identity," Sikyong said.
"These are words that, in almost any society, evoke positive aspirations. Yet, history reminds us that some of the gravest injustices have been committed in the language of peace, order, and unity,” Sikyong added.
Sikyong further said, "This law is one such example. To the outside world, it is presented as a framework for strengthening ethnic solidarity. To Tibetans, however, it represents something fundamentally different. It represents the legal codification of a decades-long campaign aimed at transforming Tibetan identity, weakening Tibetan culture, restricting religious life, and replacing a distinct civilisation with a state-defined conception of national identity. In essence, this is tantamount to China committing a crime against humanity and legalising genocide in Tibet.”
Soon after the law was adopted, the 16th Kashag introduced a resolution during the budget session of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile in Dharamshala, which was unanimously passed.
The resolution rejected the legislation as illegitimate and, in seven points, condemned it as a tool of forced assimilation aimed at eroding Tibetan language, religion, culture, and identity.
It further stated that the law violates international human rights standards and contradicts provisions in China’s Constitution and its regional ethnic autonomy laws.