The US State Department appointed a high-ranking official as its special coordinator for Tibetan issues on Monday, as Washington seeks to restart long-stalled talks between Beijing and the Dalai Lama and gain US diplomats greater access to the region.
Han Chinese now hold most government posts in Tibet as Beijing extends control rfa.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rfa.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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A controversial 17-Point Agreement between China and Tibet leading to Beijing’s takeover of the independent Himalayan country was signed by Tibet in 1951 under duress, and was quickly followed by violations of its terms by China, rights groups and experts said on the 70
th anniversary of the document’s signing.
Writing in a government White Paper released on May 21, two days before the 70
th anniversary of the document’s May 23, 1951 signing, China said the agreement had freed Tibet to move forward on a “bright road of unity, progress and development with all the other ethnic groups of China.”
Photo from Tibet
Chinese authorities in Tibet’s regional capital Lhasa have sharply cut visiting hours to just three and a half hours for Buddhist devotees at the city’s Jokhang temple, while leaving the temple complex and major pilgrimage site open twice as long for tourists, according to a public notice this week.
Beginning Wednesday, Buddhist worshippers may enter the Jokhang from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., while tourists coming mainly from China may visit from 12:00 noon to 7:30 p.m., the May 17 notice issued by the Tsuglakhang Temple Management group says.
Tsuglakhang is the name of the larger temple and administration complex in Lhasa of which the Jokhang is a part.