China must respect people’s freedoms to achieve genuine peace, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday in a rebuke of Beijing’s human rights record in Tibet.
The council made the remarks in a statement marking the 60th anniversary of National Uprising Day, which commemorates a peaceful revolt against China on March 10, 1959, that ended with the Dalai Lama and his government being exiled to India.
Although China signed a Sino-Tibetan peace treaty in 1951 — known as the 17-Point Agreement — Beijing has repeatedly used armed force to suppress dissidence in Tibet, which has consistently been ranked as one of the least free places in the world, the council said.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
The treatment of Tibetans proves that China is a dictatorship, and serves as a reminder that Taiwan’s freedoms and democracy are precious, it said.
“The path to genuine peace is not found in a honeyed tongue or hidden blade, but in sincere reform efforts,” the council said.
“We hope our counterpart across the [Taiwan] Strait will reflect on the lessons of National Uprising Day, and implement the human rights and religious freedoms promised to Tibetans,” it said.
While the Chinese government claims that infrastructure projects and economic development in the region have improved the material lives of Tibetans, Beijing continues to practice forced patriotic indoctrination, political repression and religious interference, the council said.
China should exercise compassion, justice and respect for ethnic groups and cultures, it said, adding that Beijing once touted “tolerate difference, respect diversity” as a regime slogan.
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