Commentary: Social stability serves Tibet and its people

By Chinese media writers Zhou Yan and Niu Qi

LHASA, March 8 (Chinese media) -- Many people are straining

to learn what's going on in Lhasa and other Tibetan-inhabited regions in western

China almost a year after the violence that shocked the world.

As the first anniversary of March 14 Lhasa riots

approaches, the government has made it a priority to maintain stability in Tibet

and prevent a repeat of such a tragic history.

A girl of the Tibetan ethnic group picks

fruits in Nyingchi, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, July 9,

2008.(Chinese media/Purbu Zhaxi)
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In so doing, the government and the ruling Communist

Party of China are putting the livelihoods and interests of the Tibetan people

above all else.

In the riots last year, innocent civilians suffered

the most.

Tibetan businessman Losang still keeps photos of the

damage to his souvenir store near Lhasa's Jokhang Temple. "They broke the glass

and took away some of my most valuable items."

Losang feels easier seeing police and soldiers of the

People's Liberation Army patrolling Lhasa's streets. "Tightened security is a

good thing for business people and all residents."

"Who cares what other people think of the tightened

security in Lhasa?" said a Tibetan woman who was taking her preschool daughter

for a walk in a park near the Potala Palace.

"It's always easy to point a finger at others, but we

are the ones who actually went through the tragic experience last year," she

said. "If not for the police and PLA, I wouldn't have dared to take my daughter

out to the streets now."

Her four-year-old daughter, Tenzin Tsepel, recalls

nothing of the violence. "Fortunately she was too young to remember anything.

Otherwise, it could have traumatized her."

Like all parents, the lady hopes her child can grow

up in an environment free of violence and fear.

Is it not crucial for the central government to take

action to maintain social stability in Tibet, to protect the innocent from harm?

Social stability is undoubtedly crucial in promoting

Tibet's development and ultimately, improving the average Tibetan's quality of

life. No matter how hard some people have tried to maintain the status quo and

leave the plateau region a stereotyped cultural specimen for them to enjoy, the

trend of modernization and betterment of people's lives is irreversible.

Fifty years after feudal serfdom in Tibet was

abolished, the central government has built roads, schools and hospitals in

Tibet to shorten the distance between Tibet and the inland regions. The average

life expectancy of Tibetans has nearly doubled to 67.

Today, Tibetans are free to perform their religious

rituals while enjoying the convenience brought by new technologies. Most Tibetan

Buddhists bring their cell phones, alongside prayer wheels and yak butter, on

their pilgrimages.

This would be impossible without social stability.

A herdsman of the Tibetan ethnic group

talks on the mobile phone in northern Tibet Autonomous Region June 26,

2008.(Chinese media/Purbu Zhaxi)
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The 14th Dalai Lama has been trying to tell the world

that under him, Tibetans lived contentedly in a spiritual non-violent culture.

But history shows the old Tibet was a feudal society darker than medieval

Europe.

In addition, maintaining stability in Tibet is

crucial in safeguarding China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, which is

under threat unless the Dalai Lama and his supporters abroad give up their

secessionist activities.

Any other government in the world would be on alert,

too, had they been in China's shoes.

(Chinese media correspondents Hu Xing and Yan Yuanyuan

contributed to this story.)

Dalai Lama is not qualified for

talking about human rights

BEIJING, March 6 (Chinese media) -- As the most unstable element

for Tibet and representative of serf owners, the Dalai Lama is not qualified for

talking about human rights, said a senior official here Friday afternoon.

"There is no historical evidence or present ground for the

so called 'Greater Tibet' and 'high degree of autonomy', which are also against

the will of the Tibetan people," Qiangba Puncog, chairman of the Tibet

Autonomous Region, told a press conference on sideline with the annual session

of the National People's Congress (NPC).

Dalai Lama group's sabotage biggest

obstacle to Tibet's development

BEIJING, March 6 (Chinese media) -- Sabotage from the Dalai Lama

group remains the biggest obstacle in the way of Tibet's development, Lhasa

Mayor Doje Cezhug said Friday.

Doje made the remarks at a panel discussion of

lawmakers from Tibet.

White paper: 50 Years of Democratic

Reform in Tibet

A press conference is held in Lhasa,

capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 2, 2009, for

the white paper titled "Fifty Years of Democratic Reform in Tibet"

released by the Information Office of the State Council, or China's

Cabinet. (Chinese media/Chogo)
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