China builds Tibet 'liberation' monument

The Potala palace, where the new monument is being built, dominates the Lhasa skyline

By CNN's Rose Tang
in Hong Kong

LHASA, Tibet -- China says it is building a monument in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, to mark the 50th anniversary of its "liberation" of the Himalayan kingdom.

The 35-meter tall structure, named "the Monument to Tibet's Peaceful Liberation", is being constructed near the Potala Palace, once the winter residence of the now exiled Dalai Lama.

The pale-colored monument, located in a square to the south of the palace, is to commemorate those who took part in "Tibet's liberation", especially members of the People's Liberation Army, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

The agency says the monument, to be accompanied by bronze statues depicting Tibetans welcoming the liberation, will serve as "another patriotic education base in Tibet".

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The move has angered overseas Tibetans who say the monument will be a symbol of suppression by China.

"This monument has no significance to Tibetans inside and outside Tibet," Migyur Dorjee, the Dalai Lama's representative in London told CNN.

He says the Potala palace has been the symbol of Tibetan sovereignty since the Tibetan Emperor Songtsen Gampo built it in the 7th century.

"The monument will be a daily reminder to the international community about the humiliation and sufferings that the Tibetan people have gone through under Chinese rule during the last 50 years," he said.

The new monument, he said, would symbolize "suppression of freedom, violation of human rights and destruction of Tibetan culture and civilization".

Invasion

Weeks of celebrations have been planned to mark the Chinese takeover

Chinese troops invaded Tibet in 1950, a year after the communist takeover of power, quickly defeating an 8,000-strong Tibetan force.

Shortly afterwards the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader fled to India, established the Tibetan Government in Exile in the northern town of Daramsala.

He won the Nobel Peace prize in 1989 and although he is calling for Tibetan autonomy instead of independence, he is still condemned by Beijing as a "separatist".

"What his holiness is pushing for is mutual interests for Tibetan and Chinese people," said Dorjee.

Since the Chinese takeover human rights groups say Beijing has been engaged in heavy repression of Tibetan activists or any activity that could be seen as opposing Chinese rule.

They say hundreds of Tibetans have been tortured or jailed merely for possessing photos of the Dalai Lama.

Anniversary celebration

The monument in Lhasa, to be completed in November, is being planned as the centerpiece of gala celebrations for the 50th anniversary of China's takeover.

Lhasa and several other Tibetan cities have been decorated with colorful banners and a series of public concerts and ceremonies have been held to mark the event.

Last week Beijing sent a team of top leaders including vice president Hu Jingtao to tour the region including visits to military and police barracks around the territory.

During the visit Hu, widely tipped as China's next president, attended a ceremony laying the foundations for the new monument.

Xinhua quoted Hu as saying that Tibetans had become their own masters after being slaves for hundreds of years.

He said the Chinese liberation marked the date when Tibet was freed from "the shackles of imperialist invasions".

"Today all groups of people in Tibet are fully enjoying their rights in politics, economy and culture, and are completely in charge of their own fate," Hu was quoted as saying.