{"id":12405,"date":"2020-03-12T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-11T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/savetibet.nl\/nieuws\/massive-show-of-military-force-close-to-tibetan-uprising-day\/"},"modified":"2020-03-12T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-03-11T23:00:00","slug":"massive-show-of-military-force-close-to-tibetan-uprising-day","status":"publish","type":"nieuws","link":"https:\/\/savetibet.nl\/en\/news\/massive-show-of-military-force-close-to-tibetan-uprising-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Massive show of military force close to Tibetan Uprising Day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
As Tibetans looked ahead to the 61st anniversary of the Tibetan \nUprising, the Chinese government made its continuing domination of their\n Himalayan homeland clear with a massive show of military force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On March 6, a joint military drill in central Lhasa, the capital of \nTibet, brought out \u201ccombat-ready\u201d troops of the People\u2019s Liberation \nArmy, firefighters and officers from the People\u2019s Armed Policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The drill, which has almost become a ritual at this politically \nsensitive time of year, was held in the city despite almost empty \nstreets due to China\u2019s ongoing political lockdown in Tibet, which has \nbecome even worse this year because of the coronavirus (COVID19) \nemergency. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
March anniversaries<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
On March 10, 1959, Tibetans broke out in mass protests against the Chinese troops who had invaded their country and were apparently planning to harm their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Within a few days, the Dalai Lama was forced to flee into exile, and Chinese rule in Tibet, a historically independent country, officially began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2008, with the Olympics coming to Beijing, Tibetans again broke \nout in mass protests in the month of March, eventually leading to a \nmajor crackdown that has only gotten worse in the 12 years since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For this year\u2019s military drill, Chinese state media in the Tibet \nAutonomous Region, which includes Lhasa and much of western and central \nTibet, emphasized the \u201csensitive period of stability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Nagchu (Chinese: Naqu), a town in the TAR, Wang Weidong, member of\n the Standing Committee of the Autonomous Region Party Committee, told a\n meeting: \u201cOur district has entered a sensitive period of stability in \nMarch.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cStability maintenance\u201d<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Images and footage of the military drill that circulated in state media show the mechanisms of China\u2019s \u201cstability maintenance\u201d\u2014politically coded language for the crushing of dissent and enforcement of control\u2014in Tibet. These images provide a vivid demonstration of China\u2019s disproportionate use of force among a population where there is no violent insurgency and where Tibetan resistance has been overwhelmingly nonviolent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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