HONG KONG—The representative of the Tibetan people to Taiwan has contradicted the official Chinese regime account of the protests in Lhasa on Friday in which an undetermined number of Tibetans were killed.
On Friday, China’s official Xinhua News agency reported that the Chinese regime claimed that 10 Tibetan civilians were killed in the protest against the rule of Tibet by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). According to the broadcast, the regime also accused the Dalai Lama of masterminding the protest.
Mr. Tsegyam Ngaba, the Chairman of the Tibet Religious Foundation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Taipei, in a telephone interview on Saturday rebuked the CCP for lying and condemned it for suppressing the Tibetans’ peaceful protest with violence. He claimed that the CCP is the culprit behind the deaths in the protest.
Beijing has denied firing at Tibetans during the suppression and claimed that the ten dead people were “innocent civilians,” implying the Tibetan protestors were responsible for the deaths.
Mr. Ngaba confirmed that the CCP did fire at the protesters and killed Tibetan monks and civilians.
“It is a clear fact that they fired at Tibetans. Foreign tourists and Tibetans have witnessed the shootings. Moreover, more than 30 or 40 people may have died as a result of the shootings, including Tibetan monks and civilians,” Mr. Ngaba said.
The Hindustan Times reported on Saturday that Tibet’s government-in-exile claims 100 Tibetans were killed in the protests.
The CCP leader in Tibet told a Xinhua reporter on Friday that “There is enough evidence that it is organized by Dalai Lama carefully and premeditatedly.”
Mr. Ngaba dismissed as “sheer nonsense” the accusation that the Dalai Lama masterminded a “violent protest.”
“This is a fabricated lie. This is a protest initiated by the Tibetan people. The CCP’s story is completely incredible,” Mr. Ngaba said.
He added that the Tibetan people chose to protest because they were enraged by the many years of persecution and ruthless suppression by the CCP.
“The Tibetan people have no other way to go. They decided to protest on the streets because they cannot take it any more. But the CCP cracked down on the protest with violence,” Mr. Ngaba said.
According a report by Xinhua News on Saturday, crowds of Tibetans monks and civilians smashed and robbed businesses and burned temples.
According to Mr. Ngaba’s sources, Tibetan protesters did burn police cars, military cars, and government agencies to express their resentment towards the CCP’s totalitarian rule, but would never have harmed any innocent people, because it was not the goal of the protest.
When asked who should be responsible for the deaths in the protest, Mr. Ngaba said, “Of course the CCP must be responsible. For many years the CCP has suppressed the Tibetan people’s freedom and rights and has ruled Tibet with high-pressure and coercion. The Tibetan people cannot breathe.
“This is because religion has been planted in the hearts of the Tibetan people, but look how much damage the CCP has done to the Tibetan people’s freedom of religion. The CCP will not allow any Tibetan to hang the Dalai Lama’s photograph on the wall. The CCP even checks Tibetan cadres’ homes for the Dalai Lama’s photographs.
“For the past one to two years, the CCP will not even allow a Buddha shrine in any Tibetan cadre’s home. The CCP spreads patriotism in every temple in Tibet and forces Tibetan monks to renounce the Dalai Lama. The CCP even forces Tibetan monks to sign on statements that condemn the Dalai Lama.
“These oppressive measures are very cruel forms of suppression for the Tibetans.”
Mr. Ngaba feels “heartbroken and disappointed” about the deaths in the protest. He strongly condemned the CCP for using the People’s Liberation Army to suppress the peaceful protest and called upon Beijing to use reason and to stop the violent suppression.
Tibet’s local court, prosecutor’s office, and police department issued a joint statement on Saturday that the “criminals”—the protesters—must deliver themselves to the police before midnight on March 17. News reporters are prohibited from entering Lhasa.
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