Exiled Tibetans oppose 50th anniversary celebrations of TAR by China

Tibetans living in exile have opposed China's 50th anniversary celebration of the formation of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), saying Beijing has always denied basic human rights to the people.

This year marks several sensitive anniversaries for the remote region that China has ruled with an iron fist since 1950, when Communist troops marched in and took control of Tibet, in what Beijing calls a "peaceful liberation".

It is 50 years since China established what it calls the Tibet Autonomous Region and also the 80th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who has lived in exile in India since fleeing Tibet in 1959 following an abortive uprising.

China will wage an unceasing fight against separatism in its restive mountainous region of Tibet, President Xi Jinping said, as the government repeated it would never accept exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama's genuine autonomy proposals.

President of the Tibetan Youth Congress, Tenzing Jigme, said they were against such false celebrations as people lacked freedom of religion, freedom of speech and freedom of press.

"It is just another sign of Chinese's attitude and they are trying to show that all is well inside Tibet but which is not the case. The case is that Tibetans are still being denied basic human rights - freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of press and so we are totally against this kind of false celebrations," Jigme said in Dharamsala.

The TAR was established on September 1, 1965 after the People's Liberation Army invaded the region in 1949.

Tibet later signed an agreement with China in 1951 after which the Tibetan government was converted into a local government.

Tibet remains under heavy security, with visits by foreign media tightly restricted, making an independent assessment of the situation difficult.

Activists say China has violently tried to stamp out religious freedom and culture in Tibet. China rejects the criticism, saying its rule has ended serfdom and brought development to a backward region.

Vice president of Gu-Chu-Sum (Tibetan Political Prisoners Movement), Namgyal Dolkar, proposed a worldwide campaign to spread information about ground realities in Tibet.

"We are definitely going to try to let more and more people know about it. That is very crucial not for Tibet or China but the entire world," said Dolkar.