Evidence of meeting #21 for Subcommittee on International Human Rights in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chinese.
A video is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Tamara Kronis Conservative Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
Dr. Lo, based on your research, what are the goals of these schools? Let me be very specific. Will there be any Tibetans if these schools are successful?
Tibet Specialist and Educational Sociologist, Tibet Action Institute
It's clear, with my almost nearly 30 years of experience with Tibetan education inside Tibet, that they want to completely erase the culture and the language capacity that possibly could empower the Tibetan people to resist in future the Chinese rule.
Conservative
Tamara Kronis Conservative Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
What will the identity of a graduate of these schools be? Will it be Tibetan, or will it be Chinese?
Tibet Specialist and Educational Sociologist, Tibet Action Institute
China carried out three types of boarding schools inside Tibet. The previous boarding school is almost 47 years old, and the result of that type of school is they turn our young generation to fit neither Tibetan society nor Chinese society. They are situated now as cheap labourers who are working in many Chinese cities now.
The second type of boarding school we haven't reported yet.
The third type of boarding school is way more serious and dangerous. This is a colonial boarding preschool for four-to six-year-old kids that's completely, as I mentioned previously, rebuilding the Chinese culturally based psychological foundation.
The psychologists already did the research. Their finding is that ages four to six is the key period for informing the psychological foundation, so the Chinese intentionally target kids ages four to six, and they put them into the boarding preschools. That's very clear.
Conservative
Tamara Kronis Conservative Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
Is the intention that when these children grow up they will no longer identify as Tibetan?
Conservative
Tamara Kronis Conservative Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
Then there will be no Tibet. If these schools are successful, if China is successful with these schools, will there be a Tibet?
Tibet Specialist and Educational Sociologist, Tibet Action Institute
As I mentioned, in the future, if we let them continue this policy, then within 15 or 20 years those kids who've been in the colonial boarding preschool, who were socialized, won't be able to practise the language and culture. Even worse, the children won't want to practise the language and culture. That is a clear indication that there won't be any Tibetan identity with them.
Conservative
Tamara Kronis Conservative Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
Ms. Tethong, will there be a Tibet at the end of this journey?
Co-Founder and Director, Tibet Action Institute
There will be. It will be in spite of the Chinese authorities. The foundation of Buddhist culture and the mindset of Tibetans are what I think you understand as embodied in the Dalai Lama and Buddhism of non-violence, compassion, inner work, meditation, mindfulness and all of these incredible discoveries now coming from Tibetan culture. These kids won't have that foundation.
They'll still be Tibetan, though. In the end, I think they won't have those features. They will have command of the Chinese language and culture to some degree, but, no matter what, in China you're still an outsider. All these people who aren't Han are absolutely outsiders.
In terms of what will happen, I think the future we're looking at is one where these Tibetans, Uyghurs, southern Mongolians and you name it are going to have an intense idea of nationalism as a blueprint from the Chinese state. They won't be accepted into mainstream Chinese society. They will have to search for their Tibetan identity, and there will probably be an intense amount of resistance in the not-too-distant future.
Tibet, as we know it, faces damage but not beyond repair. I absolutely do not believe that. Tibetans are strong. People are strong. We've seen this in other places.
Conservative
Tamara Kronis Conservative Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
My question was about China's goals. What does China want to do with these folks?
Co-Founder and Director, Tibet Action Institute
Ultimately, with Tibetans and with everyone, it is to eliminate Tibetan identity, to eliminate the Uyghur problem and to eliminate the southern Mongolian problem so that there is nothing left. It is genocide.
Conservative
Tamara Kronis Conservative Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
To what degree are these children now being indoctrinated and being made to deny their identity and their history? What is the forced labour situation? Are the things they produce finding their way to places like Canada, and what can we do about it?
Co-Founder and Director, Tibet Action Institute
To the schools question, the political indoctrination is intense, even for the youngest children. Beyond that, I think life for the kids in the schools is to the point where children.... We've had so many people describe this to us. The schools are more like a prison. It's not about education; it is about indoctrination.
For all the border regions of the People's Republic of China, this is a threat for the rest of the world. This is a geostrategic question as well. This is not just about Tibetan culture and language, though, of course, that's of core importance to us.
Conservative
Tibetan-Canadian Human Rights Activist, As an Individual
I just want to quickly add to that.
Tibetan-Canadian Human Rights Activist, As an Individual
When their children are being taken away, young parents face depression. We've seen cases. Parents are even moving near the school to be able to see their children. Mind you, when there's forced labour added to this, what are the parents supposed to do to make a living? They're being shipped off to places where we haven't even started tracking the numbers. I hope we get to come back to tell you about the reality of that as well.
Liberal
Liberal
Sameer Zuberi Liberal Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to all the witnesses for joining us.
We saw a photo earlier from Ms. Gyatso. It showed very young children in uniform with mock weapons.
Ms. Tethong, you also reminded us about Tibetan values of non-violence and compassion. This photo of such young children is such an affront. It could be in any society. What message is being sent through this type of imagery, and why is it going out there? Is it deliberate to intimidate the Tibetan people? What do you take out of this?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Fayçal El-Khoury
I'm sorry. I would like to remind all of the witnesses that showing a photo is not allowed in the subcommittee.
Thank you.
Co-Founder and Director, Tibet Action Institute
I think it's state power. It's a show of force for Tibetans, even with these tiny children, but it's a show for the world, really. Fundamentally, I think the Chinese Communist Party and Xi Jinping are showing us who they are time and time again, and we should believe them when they are treating these tiny little children to think in this hyper nationalistic way and hyper violent way.
Some of the curriculum materials we've seen—and we haven't seen many because it's so tightly controlled—show unbelievable hatred targeting certain populations, including Japan.
They're showing us who they are in the way that they treat these youngest, most vulnerable members of society. These are the ways that we are not the same in terms of our government and our open and free society versus the Chinese Communist Party ruling the PRC.
Liberal
Sameer Zuberi Liberal Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
I often think of the advocacy that happens in the west, how it's clear it focuses on individual liberties and individual freedoms, and how that contrasts with the Government of China's approach, which is much more collective. How do we plead our case in a way that can convince the Chinese government and deciders to respect the freedoms and wills of people and show that it's not an affront to the collective the Chinese government cares so much about.
Do you have any thoughts on that?
Tibetan-Canadian Human Rights Activist, As an Individual
First and foremost, we should be reminded that the Chinese government has to comply with international law, because it continues to be a player in the international community. If you do not want to play in the playground of democracies and free societies, then you can step out. China has consistently blurred the lines when it comes to being able to play while being determined that it wants to play by its own rules in the international community.
We've seen this time and time again in the United Nations. Right now, as we mentioned in the recommendations, China is actually a signatory of the child rights committee as well. They're due for a review. Here is a perfect opportunity for them. This is not us entering China and talking about their internal matters. We're talking about occupied nations like Tibet and talking about the rights of a child. We're talking about preventing a genocide from happening.
This Canadian government has already recognized the genocide against Uyghur people. We have known that the situations of the Uyghurs and the Tibetans are very similar. If that's the case, we actually, not even as Canadians but as humans and a part of this global society, have a responsibility to ensure that that is prevented.
Liberal
Sameer Zuberi Liberal Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
You raised a very important point about the rights of the child and how China is a signatory and part of the international community and therefore must be respecting them.
If anybody would like to add to my question, feel free; otherwise, I'll continue on.