Beijing: Tibet's top leader has fired three
officials for failing to crack down on unrest in the region,
state press said on Thursday, a day after another Tibetan set
himself alight to protest China's rule.
Chen Quanguo, Communist Party head of Tibet, announced the
sackings in yesterday's meeting at which he also called for
increased pressure on Tibetan separatists led by what he
called the "Dalai clique", the Tibet Daily reported.
Beijing has blamed the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled
spiritual leader, for unrest in Tibet and nearby areas in
recent months in protest against what many ethnic Tibetans see
as religious and cultural repression by Beijing.
The official Tibet Daily said the three officials were
fired for leaving their posts during last month's Lunar New
Year celebrations, in violation of orders.
The sackings come after an official in Tibetan areas in
neighbouring Sichuan province pledged this week to fire any
official found lacking in efforts to "safeguard stability," a
term that routinely refers to stamping down on unrest.
"We must deeply recognise that the fight against the Dalai
clique is a long-term, complicated, and at times a very sharp
struggle," the paper quoted Chen as saying.
"We must thoroughly... and completely grasp and implement
every measure aimed at safeguarding social stability and
firmly take the initiative in the struggle against
separatism."
The three fired officials worked for the region's human
resources department, a government organ responsible for job
placement.
Yesterday, a Tibetan set himself alight in Sichuan,
bringing to at least 20 the number of people who have
attempted suicide in the past year in protest of China's
policies, the International Campaign for Tibet said.
Tibetans have long chafed at China's rule over the vast
Tibetan plateau, accusing Beijing of curbing religious
freedoms and eroding their culture and language, and these
tensions have intensified over the past year.
Beijing insists that Tibetans enjoy religious freedom and
have benefited from improved living standards brought on by
China's economic expansion.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, February 09, 2012, 23:54