A Chinese Tibetologist has said in an article published on the website of the China Tibet Information Center that the national policy of regional autonomy implemented in Tibet over the past four decades has enriched the region's development.

The article, written under the pseudonym Yan Zheng - which means honest speech in Chinese - is a response to the Dalai Lama's comments made in an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel on March 26 in which he referred to himself as "the spokesperson of all six million Tibetan people" and talked of "greater autonomy" in Tibet and the Tibetan regions in neighbouring provinces.

The article said that the Dalai Lama was playing with words by adding "greater" to "autonomy" in an attempt to mislead people.

"It is actually another word for 'Tibet independence' sought by the Dalai Lama over the last few decades," the article said.

The following is an excerpt of the article:

As a country with 55 ethnic minorities, China has adopted a policy of regional autonomy for ethnic minorities in areas where these minorities live in compact communities.

Under the unified leadership of the central government, organs of self-government have been established to exercise autonomy. The implementation of this policy is critical to enhancing the relationship of equality, unity and mutual assistance among different ethnic groups, to upholding national unification and to accelerating the development of places where regional autonomy is practiced.

The Tibet Autonomous Region was established on September 1, 1965. Since then, Tibetans, under the leadership of the central government, have actively participated in the administration of national and local affairs, fully exercising the right of autonomy guaranteed by the Constitution and other laws.

The Tibetans have real autonomy, which they enjoy much more than anything "greater autonomy" could offer.

With the founding of the autonomous region, the Tibetans have exercised their right to vote and stand for election as provided by the Constitution. They participate in the election of deputies to national and local people's congresses.

Tibetan and other ethnic minority deputies account for more than 80 percent of the total number of deputies to the people's congresses at regional and prefecture levels. Tibetan and other ethnic minority people account for 87.5 percent of the chairperson and vice-chairperson positions of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of the Tibet Autonomous Region and 69.23 percent of the total members of the committee. They make up 57 percent of the governor and vice-governor positions of the region, 89.4 percent of the members of the local People's Political Consultative Conference and 90.42 percent of the standing committee.

Over the past 40 years, the Tibet Autonomous Region has exercised full economic autonomy. The region has drawn up 10 five-year plans for local economic and social development, arranging development projects on its own.

Farmers and herders in Tibet are exempt from all fees and taxes. In addition, farmers and herders enjoy free medical care and their children receive free food and board in schools.

In August 2005, a special document was issued by the central government to accelerate the economic and social development in Tibet by granting a series of favourable policies to the autonomous region.

As a result, the Tibet Autonomous Region saw a GDP of 29.03 billion yuan (3.72 billion U.S. dollars) in 2006, up 13.2 percent from the previous year.

The Tibetan language has been widely learned and used. People of Tibetan ethnicity account for more than 95 percent of the total population in the region. The Tibetan language and the national common language are used simultaneously at all important meetings. All documents from governments at all levels in the region appear in both languages.

The central government respects and protects the religious beliefs of Tibetan and other ethnic minorities. They are free to follow their traditional lifestyles and participate in social activities. They are also free to pray and make pilgrimages.

The central government and the regional government have earmarked a large sum of money to renovate monasteries and palaces of religious value as well as historic value.

Tibet has also seen huge progress in education in the last decades. The region had brought 95.9 percent of the children of school age into classrooms by 2006. It has four universities and colleges.

The status of women in Tibet in political, economic and cultural spheres as well as in families has been fundamentally improved.

The Tibet Autonomous Region has also done significant work in protecting the environment. A number of projects have been carried out under the sponsorship of both the central government and local government.

Source: Xinhua