The Wire

This week China is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Tibet’s so-called autonomy with parades of singing and dancing Tibetans. Beijing says Tibet has developed considerably under its rule, but rights activists are accusing China of politcal and religious repression. Now the Chinese are building a railway from Western China to Tibet’s capital Lhasa to be finished in 2007, saying it will boost economic expansion. But most likely the railway will increase the flood on Han Chinese immigrants and further erode Tibetan culture. Executive officer of the Australia Tibet Council Paul Bourke is highly critical of the new railway.

Australia Tibet Council