China on Thursday commemorated 60 years of Communist Party rule in Tibet with speeches and a parade at the 17th-century Potala Palace, the former residence of the Dalai Lama before he fled to India in 1959, with President Xi Jinping attending the event.
Officials praised economic progress in the Himalayan region and emphasized the fight against separatism. Decades of government suppression have largely eliminated opposition, with monks imprisoned and some monasteries demolished.
“Tibetan affairs are China’s internal matter, and no external interference will be tolerated. Any attempts to split the nation or destabilize Tibet will fail,” senior party leader Wang Huning told 20,000 flag-waving attendees.
China’s forces took control of Tibet in 1951, two years after the Communist victory in the civil war. The anniversary also marks the 1965 establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region, known as Xizang in Chinese.
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The celebrations featured floats representing Tibetan regions, dance performances, and military and police formations carrying banners with party slogans. Wang said the achievements over the past six decades show that only under Communist Party leadership can Tibet prosper and its people enjoy a happy and healthy life.
The 13-story Potala Palace, now a tourist attraction, formed a dramatic backdrop. The Dalai Lama, who recently turned 90, remains in India, where a government-in-exile operates in Dharamshala, while China asserts the right to appoint his reincarnation.
Source: Agency