Beijing, 9 Jul. (Reuters/EP) –
The head of the Communist Party on religious groups and ethnic minorities has assured that he will strengthen China's fight against the Dalai Lama, at the same time that an organization in defense of the rights of Tibet reported a shooting by security forces against monks who were gathering to celebrate the birthday of the religious leader.
Yu Zhengsheng's statements, el 'número cuatro' of the Communist Party, have shown China's intention to end speculation that the new leadership will relax its actions in the face of the demands of the Tibetan leader, exiled in India.
No es la primera vez que Pekín califica de "violento separatista" the Dalai Lama, who was forced to flee in 1959 after a failed uprising against the Chinese government. The Tibetan leader, who currently lives in India, He has said that the only thing he wants is the autonomy of the region.
After a trip to the Chinese province of Gansu, with a large Tibetan population, Yu has informed local authorities and their religious leaders that the Dalai Lama's separatist activities go against the interests of the Chinese country and Buddhist tradition..
"Por el bien de la unidad nacional y del desarrollo de la estabilidad en las regiones tibetanas, debemos posicionarnos de forma clara y endurecer la lucha contra la hermandad del Dalai", Yu has declared.
"Los líderes budistas deben oponerse al separatismo y a cualquier intento de perjudicar el liderazgo del Partido Comunista", Yu added. He has repeated that relations with the Dalai Lama will only improve if he openly recognizes that Tibet has been part of China since time immemorial and abandons his Tibetan independence activities., as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
CHINESE INTERVENTION
Despite the presence of Chinese security forces, protests and resistance against the Government in the areas of Tibet have not ceased.
last weekend, Police opened fire in Sichuan province, where a group of monks celebrated the Dalai Lama's birthday, which ended with at least two serious injuries, as reported by the NGO International Campaign for Tibet (ICT). As forces use harsh tactics to suppress protests in Tibet regions, monks rarely use weapons.
Both the authorities and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs have declared they have no knowledge of the events., although the Ministry has claimed that the Dalai Lama was using his birthday to promote his separatist activities.
At least 119 Tibetans have immolated themselves in protests against the Chinese Government since 2009, mostly in Sichuan provinces, Gansu y Qinghai. Most of them died.
