Australia Tibet Council Executive and Campaigns officer and human rights advocate Kyinzom Dhongdue Source: ATC
A local Tibetan human rights advocate is concerned Beijing’s newly enacted “Ethnic Unity Law” is just another outlet for the communist regime to extend its repression overseas.
The Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law came into effect on July 1 to promote a “shared” identity among China’s ethnic minorities, including mandating Mandarin be the primary language in Chinese schools.
Article 63 of the new law also states that individuals outside of China deemed to “commit crimes” aimed at undermining “ethnic unity and progress” can be pursued for “legal responsibility.”
Speaking to The Epoch Times, Australia-based Tibetan human rights advocate Kyinzom Dhongdue, says the law is aimed at “forced assimilation.”
“It is forcing Tibetans to adopt a single identity that is defined by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP),” she said.
Dhongdue says any attempt by the CCP to create a “shared identity” is an attempt to enforce loyalty to the party and will see further erasure of Tibetan culture.
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“When an authoritarian government like [the CCP] finds it really difficult to control the people, then they go after the culture, they go after the language, they go after erasing our history.”
“Under the language of ‘unity’ and ‘progress’—for Tibetans, unity meant loyalty to the CCP, stability means surveillance and more justification for repression.
“Progress means removing Tibetan nomads from the land, destroying Tibetan land and extracting Tibet’s natural resources.”
Amnesty International responded to the CCP law saying its so-called “unity” involved political and ideological alignment with the communist regime.
Dhongdue it meant even Tibetans in Australia were being barred from participating in protests, vigils, or speaking with politicians.
“It may even mean Tibetan children not being able to attend the weekend language schools,” she said.
Some community members may also self censor due to CCP-backed surveillance activities in Australia that could lead to persecution of family members in China.
Dhongdue, who is also an advocacy manager at Amnesty International Australia, said the group has urged the federal government speak directly with Beijing on the new law and publicly affirm the rights of Australians to peacefully advocate for human rights.
“We need a very clear public statement from the Australian government that there can’t be any threats to Tibetans, Uyghurs and Chinese who are citizens and residents of Australia,” she said.
Hailey Do contributed to the story.
