Tibetan exile Khedroop Thondop yesterday urged Taiwanese to boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics over the suppression of religious freedoms in Tibet.
Thondop, a nephew of the Dalai Lama, made the remarks at a conference hosted by Tibetan advocacy groups in Taipei that discussed Beijing’s political interference into the Dalai Lama’s succession.
The conference, titled “China’s ultimate solution in Tibet vs the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama,” marked the 62nd anniversary of the Tibetan uprising on March 10, 1959.
Photo: CNA
Gyaltsen Norbu, the 11th Panchen Lama selected and recognized by China, does not command legitimacy among Tibetans, Thondrop said.
Bejing’s attempt to undermine the will of Tibetans and the religious principles behind the rules of succession has not been effective, which is proven by Gyaltsen Norbu almost completely disappearing from public view, he said.
China will guarantee the recurrence of past failures if it again disregards the will of Tibetans and the Dalai Lama by appointing his successor, who most certainly will not enjoy the world’s respect or admiration, he added.
One of the ways in which China politically interferes in the Tibetan religion is demonstrated by the Chinese Communist Party’s (CPP) attempt to dictate the reincarnation of living Buddhas, said Johnny Chang (張家麟), professor of religious studies at Aletheia University.
For example, China’s Measures on the Management of the Reincarnation of Living Buddhas in Tibetan Buddhism establishes the preconditions for a living Buddha’s reincarnation and the guideline for their evaluation under the Chinese State Administration for Religious Affairs, he said.
“Even after the succession, a reincarnated Buddha’s education and training is subject to official approval, which gives China total control over the creation and education of a living Buddha,” Chang said.
Former Taiwan-Tibet Exchange Foundation deputy secretary-general Own Su-jei (翁仕杰) said that the legitimacy of China’s sovereignty claims over Tibet remains contested, because it rules the territory as a foreign occupying force.
That Tibetans residing inside and outside of China’s borders continue to launch political protests against Chinese rule and demand the Dalai Lama’s return shows that Bejing’s political legitimacy is not accepted by them, he said.
The US, through its Tibet Policy and Support Act, has adopted the position that only Tibetan Buddhists can legitimately appoint successors to lamas and has authorized sanctions against Chinese officials, said Dawa Tsering, chairman of Tibet Religious Foundation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Taiwan and the world’s democracies should put pressure on China over its behavior in Tibet by adopting measures similar to the “watershed” law, Dawa said.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard