Tibetan People Fully Exercise Their Rights Within the Chinese Nation

The Tibetan delegation to the 17th CPC National Congress met dozens of reporters from home and abroad on October 16.

Delegation members were impressed with President Hu’s comments in his speech that all ethnic groups in China are entitled to equal rights and that ethnic autonomous regions are guaranteed autonomy according to the law. “This is a solemn pledge of the CPC Central Committee to all ethnic autonomous regions across China,” said Qiangba Puncog, a congress delegate and chairman of the Tibetan Autonomous Region government. “With the improvement of the regional ethnic autonomy system and its full implementation in Tibet over the past 20 years, the rights of Tibetan people to be equal masters within the Chinese nation has been given a solid guarantee and brought into full play.”

During the reelection of the people’s congresses at regional, municipal, county and township levels in 2002, 93.09 percent of electorates in Tibet participated in direct elections at county and township levels. The turnout rate reached 100 percent in some areas.

According to Legqog, a congress delegate and director of the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress of Tibet Autonomous Region, Tibetans and other ethnic minorities of the region now account for 87.5 percent of the directors and deputy directors of the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress of Tibet, and 69.29 percent of the committee members. Their presence in the people’s congresses at regional, municipal, county and township levels stands at above 70 percent, 65 percent, 85 percent and 95 percent respectively. Furthermore, most of these representatives are the descendants of slaves and serfs.

Among the 10th National People’s Congress deputies are 21 from Tibet Autonomous Region; 13 of these are Tibetan. Five Tibetans have held the post of deputy chairman of the NPC Standing Committee in the past.

In addition, 29 ethnic minority people from Tibet, including Tibetans, have been members of the CPPCC and its Standing Committee. Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme and Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai from Tibet Autonomous Region are the incumbent vice chairmen of CPPCC National Committee.

Since the CPPCC Tibet Committee was established, the chairmen of all five sessions have been Tibetans. Ethnic minorities, including Tibetans and religious figures, account for 89.4 percent of the members of the CPPCC Tibet Committee, and 90.42 percent of its Standing Committee.

Meanwhile Tibet’s crop of ethnic minority cadres has been steadily growing. Since the foundation of the Autonomous Region, all its chairmen have been Tibetan. Ethnic minority people, including Tibetans, account for 77.97 percent of government staff in the region.

According to China’s Constitution and relevant laws, Tibet’s organ of autonomous government exercises powers equal to the functions and powers of local organs of state administration of the same level, exercises autonomy rights as prescribed by law, and executes the laws and policies of the nation in light of the local situation. Since the foundation of the autonomous region the regional people’s congress and its standing committee have made more than 230 regional laws, regulations, resolutions and decisions of legal status, which have substantially safeguarded and protected the rights and interests of Tibetan people.