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Tibet plans holiday for China's 'liberation of serfs': report
Beijing (AFP) Jan 12, 2009 Tibet may introduce a holiday to celebrate the "liberation of millions of serfs", an official and state media said Monday, in an apparent reference to China's crackdown on a rebellion five decades ago. The legislature of the region, the Tibetan region's People's Congress, will meet this week to discuss a proposal for the holiday to be every year on March 28, according to a legislative spokeswoman. "The standing committee has submitted a proposal to the People's Congress and it will be voted on at this year's Congress which starts January 14," the spokeswoman, giving only her surname Liu, told AFP. March this year sees the 50th anniversary of a failed Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule, ending with the escape of the Dalai Lama, the region's spiritual leader, into exile in India. In China, local parliaments are strictly controlled by the ruling Communist Party which results in the passage of nearly every proposal or piece of legislation placed before them. Liu refused further comment on the proposed holiday, but state-run Xinhua news agency said it would commemorate "the liberation of millions of serfs" and their transformation into the "socialist masters of new Tibet." It said 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of Tibet's democratic reforms. "Over the 50 years, Tibet's government, economy, culture and every other aspect has made earthshaking changes and all the people have been guaranteed their rights under the constitution and the 'law of the autonomous region'," it said. China has ruled Tibet since 1951, after sending in troops to "liberate" the Himalayan region the previous year. Beijing has long maintained that its rule ended a Buddhist theocracy that enslaved all but the religious elite, and that it allowed ordinary Tibetans to enjoy political autonomy under China's overall rule. Last year, widespread demonstrations and riots erupted throughout Tibet as Tibetans called for greater religious freedom and autonomy from Beijing's rule. Years of discussions between the Dalai Lama and Beijing over the parameters of "Tibetan autonomy" have not resulted in any significant changes in the nature of China's rule over the Himalayan region. Share This Article With Planet Earth
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