Tibetans protest over being forced to study in Mandarin

THOUSANDS OF Tibetans from six schools in western China have taken to the streets to protest against being forced to study in Mandarin Chinese, a move they see as an attempt to stifle their culture.

Chanting “We want equality of nationality, we want equality of culture”, up to 9,000 students took to the streets of Tongren in Qinghai province, the civil rights group Free Tibet said.

Many Tibetans accuse China of a concerted effort to water down their culture in a bid to increase its control over the remote Himalayan enclave, where there is widespread resentment of China’s rule despite major investment in Tibet by the Chinese authorities. China – which says it “peacefully liberated” Tibet in 1951 – says the region is, was and always will be Chinese. It has kept a tight grip on the region ever since.

“The Chinese are enforcing reforms which remind me of the Cultural Revolution. This reform is not only a threat to our mother tongue, but is in direct violation of the Chinese constitution, which is meant to protect our rights. For Tibetans the Chinese constitution is meaningless,” a former middle school teacher in Rebkong said in a statement from the group.

The protests were sparked by Chinese educational reforms in Rebkong which stipulate that all subjects will be taught in Mandarin Chinese and all textbooks will be in Chinese except for Tibetan language and English classes.

These reforms have already been implemented in other areas across the Tibetan plateau, including in primary schools and Free Tibet said it was part of a systematic attempt to wipe out the use of Tibetan to cement China’s occupation of Tibet.

Many people in Rebkong are chafing against what they see as Chinese rule and the area is home to three important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. In March 2008 there were violent protests there after riots that kicked off in Lhasa spread to Qinghai.

China says 21 people were killed during the 2008 unrest, while Tibetans in exile say more than 200 Tibetans died and that thousands have been rounded since.

Students from Rebkong’s National Senior Middle School marched from school to school, joined by many students from other schools, and then gathered outside the county government building.