Cultural genocide? China orders Tibetan Buddhists to translate all class texts to Mandarin

Among the injustices faced by minorities in China, the Communist government has now imposed another mandate. It has said that the Buddhist monasteries in Tibet woild have to translate classroom texts from Tibetan into Mandarin. According to a report by Radio Free Asia, this latest decree was announced during a three-day conference held in Qinghai province last month. The report said that the Chinese officials noted that the decision taken by the government in order to invoke common language throughout the country. 

The Communist government also directed the monks and nuns to embrace the Chinese language for conversation instead of their native language, reported Radio Free Asia. "This policy is just an ignorant power play by the Chinese government," said Radio Free Asia, quoting a Tibetan Buddhist scholar, who added that "the question now is, who will translate these Buddhist texts, and what kind of job will they be able to do?"

"A few Tibetan scholars and researchers participated in this [Qinghai] meeting, they were forced to do so in spite of their reluctance," added  the Buddhist scholar. 

Reacting to the latest development, Human Rights Watch said that the recent announcement clearly indicates China's oppressive behaviour against minority languages. They termed the Communist government always prefer their oppressive policies over minority cultures and languages. "There is no good intention behind this plan," it said. Earlier in September, the Chinese government detained two Tibetan students who 'rejected' Beijing's plan to force the usage of the Chinese language as the single medium of education in Tibetan educational institutions. In another such episode, the Xi Jinping-led government had also warned that any Tibetan school will be closed if the implementation of classroom instructions is not done completely in Chinese language.

Tibet has been ranked as the second least free region in the world

According to human rights activists, the Chinese administration is forcing such measures on the independent territory of Tibet in an effort to stretch its grip over the region. According to a latest report "Freedom in the World 2021: A Leaderless Struggle for Democracy," the country has ranked second in the least free region in the world. It is pertinent to mention that the Communist Party of China has been ruling the Tibetan region since it has invaded the country in 1950. The local decision-making power is concentrated in the hands of Chinese party officials.

(With inputs from ANI)

Image: AP