Laogai Museum

A recent meeting in Geneva between Uyghur Congress representatives and Chinese diplomats became understandably heated as China denied occupation of Uyghur, Mongolian, and Tibetan land under the notion that present day Xinjiang, Tibet, and Inner Mongolia have always been under the authority of China. Uyghur representative Rebiya Kadeer countered that statement with an eloquent yet forceful history lesson; “Historically imperial states such as Tsarist Russia and Britain will admit that they obtained colonized territories through occupation, but the Chinese will not accept it… We came here to discuss the issue of human rights, not land…History is to be written by historians. You are diplomats, not historians. You cannot write history. The Chinese Communist Party cannot write the history of my country….Occupied land never belongs to the occupier. Until the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese people never established a state named Cunggu. You did not have the strength for this. You invaded our territory in 1949.”

Please read the entire expanse of this story on World Bulletin

Despite the advent of a more “liberal” climate in China, little has changed in China’s stance towards its Catholics and the new leadership in the Vatican. Please read this article highlighting Chinese Catholics’ struggle for decency in a country where they are under constant suspicion.

Tibetan self-immolations have recently spilled over into Sichuan province. A Tibetan woman set herself ablaze in Aba county, Sichuan province in protest of China’s repression of Tibetans throughout the country. Self-immolations have become a sad reality of modern China. As China continues to oppress its people for practicing religions that “subvert state power”, protests via suicide have become commonplace. In response to the self-immolations, Chinese officials have recently made it a point to absolve any responsibility for the tragedies. According to “The Guardian” news agency, ”the authorities wanted Dolma Kyab [the husband of the deceased] to declare that she burnt herself as a result of a family conflict and when he refused to comply, he was detained and taken away.” To read the full article, please click here.

The United States and the United Nations have taken notable steps in illuminating religious intolerance in China. The most recent example is currently underway in Geneva, Switzerland. The U.N.’s Human Rights Council’s 22nd Session began on February 25 and will conclude on March 22. According to a delegate from the United States, “China continues to silence dissidents through arrest, conviction, forced disappearances, extra legal detention, and other forms of intimidation”. Perhaps more alarming are the amount of Tibetan suicides conducted as a form of protest against the Chinese government. “Since 2009, as many as 107 Tibetans living under China’s rule have set themselves on fire demanding freedom and the return of the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama from exile.” Please read the entire article here.

The modern day equivalent of the Maoist “Re-Education Through Labor” camp system is flourishing in the far reaches of Western China. In an effort to further modernize Xinjiang province, the Chinese government has forced an ethnic minority, the Uyghur people, to clear land and perform similar public works projects. Unlike the Uyghurs, Han Chinese, the major ethnic group in China, are compensated fully for their services. In a completely illogical justification statement, the Chinese government, which is viewed by most as a Han institution, states that the Uyghur forced labor is meant to create “national unity”. Please read the entire article: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/work-02082013180615.html

The history of the Chinese Communist Party is full of religious persecution directed towards the Uyghur people of Xinjiang province. The ancient Uyghur people are characterized by their docile nature and Islamic faith. The Chinese government’s treatment of the Uyghur people is nothing short of terrorism. Please read this shocking article concerning midnight raids directed towards Uyghurs in Xinjiang province for the purpose of quelling “religious extremism”:

https://www.eurasiareview.com/10032013-xinjiang-raids-point-to-religious-controls/

The Chinese Communist Party has traditionally been repressive to most religious groups, especially Catholics. This repression will more than likely carry over into another era…the era of the next pope. At any rate, please read this article explaining the issues surrounding Chinese hostilities toward the Vatican:

https://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3492228e-7b01-11e2-9c88-00144feabdc0.html