More than two million Tibetans have been resettled by the Chinese government over the last seven years, a new report by Human Rights Watch says.
Many, including hundreds of thousands of nomads, were forced into so-called "socialist villages", the group says. The aim is to exert tighter political control over ethnic Tibetans, says HRW.
China denies forced evictions. This comes amid reports that restrictions on the worship of the Dalai Lama have been eased in some areas.
But the BBC was unable to confirm claims that Buddhists in
China's Tibetan areas were able to openly worship their exiled spiritual
leader and that some temples were displaying portraits of him.
The beginning years were expectedly the most difficult. Many Tibetans,
coming from the high Tibetan plateau, succumbed to tropical diseases and
heat. They were divided into road construction groups and lived in
tented camps. With help from the Government of India and others, 54
agricultural and agro-industrial based refugee settlements were
gradually established. The idea was to resettle the Tibetans in compact
homogeneous communities where they would be able to preserve and
perpetuate their culture and traditions, while at the same time enabling
them to become self-sufficient in livelihoods.Credit for the success of the Tibetan community at Dharamsala and elsewhere indubitably goes to the democratic vision, foresight and leadership of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Today, the Tibetan issue is well known internationally. The Chinese Government demands that the refugees accept that Tibet was always an integral part of China as a precondition for negotiation for the future status of Tibet. While the influx of the Chinese population endangers the culture and identity of the Tibetan people in Tibet, those at Dharamsala continue to work for a peaceful settlement.
Tibetians
1959 Dalay Lama with Mao
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