'No progress in talks between Dalai Lama's envoys and China'


There was no progress of formal negotiations between the Dalai Lama's envoys and China and the religious freedom continues to deteriorate in Tibet, the 2020 annual report by the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) has said.

The report, released this week and based on the events between July 1, 2019 and July 1, 2020, details its recommendations to Congress and the US President based on the human rights conditions and rule of law developments in China.

The CECC, which favoured enactment of the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020 that was passed at the end of December of 2020, highlighted their concerns of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) increasingly repressive tactics, such as intimidation of critics, censorship and interference in foreign governments and citizens.

Along with Tibet, freedom of expression in Hong Kong, East Turkestan (Xinjiang), and Taiwan are curtailed because of China's concerted efforts to influence foreign corporations, said the report of the CECC that has been monitoring Beijing's compliance with international human rights standards since 2000.

Like the past decades, the CECC observed that there has been no progress of formal negotiations between the 14th Dalai Lama's representatives and the CCP.

Religious freedom continues to deteriorate in Tibet as the CCP asserts their claim over the Dalai Lama's and other lamas' reincarnation.

The CCP imposes sacrilegious credentialism methods to Tibetan Buddhist members in monasteries.

The government of the so-called Tibet "autonomous" region passed ethnic unity regulations that impose more harsh measures to stifle Tibetans in the name of containing separatism.

Ethnic unity provisions, as described by the report, entails: "sinicizing religion", increased propaganda by media organizations, implementation of ethnic unity propaganda in museums and educational settings, and criminalizing expression that may disrupt ethnic unity aims.

Arbitrary detainment of Tibetans continues to be common under Chinese controlled Tibet, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) said on Saturday citing the report.

Less than a week after the US Senate unanimously passed the Tibetan Policy and Support Act (TPSA) of 2020 despite China's protest, President Donald Trump last month signed it into law, a decision that strengthened the American policy on Tibet and reaffirmed the government's steadfast support for the Dalai Lama and the CTA.

Welcoming the historic legislation, CTA President Lobsang Sangay had said: "This legislation sends a powerful message of hope and justice to the Tibetans inside Tibet and bolsters US support for the protection of Tibetan people's religious freedom, human rights, environmental rights and exile Tibetan democracy like never before."

The Dalai Lama has lived in India since fleeing his homeland in 1959.

The Tibetan exile administration is based in Dharamsala Source: https://southasiamonitor.org
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Indian Army on high alert along border with China: Army Chief


Indian Army is on high alert not only in Eastern Ladakh but across the Northern Border with China, Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane said on Tuesday.

In an annual presser, General Naravane said: "We have gone into a winter deployment situation... We (India and China) will reach amicable solutions. However, we are ready to meet any eventuality."

General Naravane said that last year the Army had to walk the talk to meet the challenges and the force did so successfully.

"First biggest challenge was Covid and the next was the situation at the northern border," he said.

He also said there was no cause of concern on the logistical issues and the force's operational preparedness is of high order. "Morale of the troops is high," General Naravane said.

"The situation at the Line of Actual Control is the same as it was last year. The status quo remains the same. We have received directions from the government to remain in the same position where we are deployed at the friction point.

"There is no change in the deployment in the friction area in Eastern Ladakh," said the Army Chief.

"There is no decrease in the number of troops in the friction areas," said the Army Chief

"In-depth area of the Tibet region, every year Chinese People's Liberation Army troops come for training and after training they leave. Troops from some training areas have been vacated.

India and China are engaged in a nine-month-long standoff at the LAC in Eastern Ladakh. Despite several levels of dialogue, there has not been any breakthrough and the deadlock continues.
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Political dynasts weakening democracy: PM


Without taking names of political rivals, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday said that political dynasts posed the biggest threat to democracy and appealed to the youth to enter politics to redress the situation.

"There are still people who want to do politics only to save their family's name in politics. This sort of politics keeps 'nation first' at second place and 'my family and my benefits' as first priority.

"The youth need to enter politics to end this practice of family-based politics. It is important to save our democratic practices," he said at a valedictory function of the second Youth Parliament here.

"Dynasts are the biggest threat to democracy and this leads to social corruption; more youths should come forward to curb this problem."

Modi maintained that people nowadays supported those who worked with honesty and sincerity.

He said that politics of nepotism was nearing its end, adding that it hadn't ended completely though.

"Those who have corruption as part of their legacy now are not able to come out of that burden."

Invoking Swami Vivekananda, Modi advised the youth to believe in themselves and take the nation forward. The new National Education Policy 2020 will take the youth towards modern education and learning, he added. Source: : https://southasiamonitor.org
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