Tibetan-in-exile politician Sikyong Penpa Tsering on Saturday said the Chinese government spends more money on internal security than external security.
“Chinese government spend more money on internal security than external security. China is the only government that does that. They invest in artificial intelligence whether it’s electronic identification where they watch your movement including geolocation,” Penpa Tsering said.
Tsering was speaking at the University of Westminster, London.Tsering further said: “We hear it only now about DNA profiling of the Tibetans and some people ask us what the Chinese government does with all this DNA profiling. The worst case scenario is Chinese scientists have managed to change DNA so if they change DNA of all the seven million Tibetans, another 20-30 years down the line, they can claim that there was never ever a Tibetan race.”
“I don’t know whether it will go to that level or not but now we hear about Iris scanning of people so all these are aimed at control and more control and less and less and less freedom for people,” he said.
The Tibetan-in-exile politician said “Tibetans have self-immolated so far hoping that the Chinese government will pay some attention or that the International Community will come to their rescue but to no events so far.”
“But I keep reminding our people that their efforts will not go in vain, it will be cumulative effort of all of us past and present and future that will bring result to the silent Tibetan conflict,” he said.
A high-level Tibetan delegation, comprising Sikyong Penpa Tsering, Zeekyab Rimpoche, abbot of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, Bylakuppe, Venerable Khelkhang Rimpoche, General Secretary, visited the British parliament on April 25 that coincided with the 34th birthday of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima(GCN) 11th Panchen Lama, Tibet’s highest spiritual leader missing for the last 27 years.
The All Party Parliamentary Group on International Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) held a special hearing on Religious Freedom in Tibet chaired by Lord David Alton and attended by members of parliament named Jim Shannon, chair of FoRB, Fiona Bruce, Prime Minister’s special envoy for freedom of religion or belief, Tim Loughton, co-chair All Party Parliamentary Group on Tibet (APPGT), Parliamentary staff, NGOs and representatives from different faith groups.
Both the Tibetan leaders highlighted the continued lack of religious freedom in Tibet particularly with reference to GCN. The Tibetan delegation thanked Wera Webhouse MP, who initiated the drop-in session to highlight the plight of GCN.
