Open Forum
Open Forum is a platform for those interested in the issue of Tibet to air their views. It is a discussion forum that we hope will make our readers come to a more informed understanding of Tibet and the Tibetan people. Views expressed in Open Forum do not reflect those of the Central Tibetan Administration.
By Li Datong*
Beijing’s official doctrine and the political system built around it conspire to freeze progress on the Tibet issue, says Li Datong.
[openDemocracy.net]
(This article was first published on 16 April 2009)
China’s Tibet has been given a new holiday to mark the passing of a half-century since the events it commemorates: Serfs’ Emancipation Day. Several groups of senior politicians, including Hu Jintao – general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party’s central committee – have attended an exhibition marking these fifty years of democratic reform in Tibet. The official media have decried the evils of”serfdom” in historical Tibet, while trumpeting the accomplishments of today. China’s foreign minister and prime minister have presented criticisms of the Dalai Lama’s “independence stance” (one he has long since renounced) to reporters both foreign and domestic. Read the rest…