China vowed to severely punish officials in Tibet who support exiled spiritual leader and Nobel Laureate, the Dalai Lama, state run media reported Wednesday.
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, (CCDI), China's anti corruption watchdog had observed that some grass-root officials in Tibet were indulging in corruption.
Ye Dongsong, head of the inspection team of CCDI said that Tibet Autonomous Region was not exempted from the anti-graft campaign and asked the Tibetan officials to root out corruption and to take counter measures against the separatists. He also asked the official's to strictly supervise the government projects in the region.
Responding to the CCDI inspection team's report, Communist party chief of Tibet, Chen Quanguo, said that China would wipe out any separatist tendencies.
"As for cadres who harbor fantasies about the 14th Dalai Group, follow the Dalai Group, participate in supporting separatist infiltration sabotage activities, (they will be) strictly and severely punished according to the law and party disciplinary measures," Chen said, reports Reuters citing Tibet Daily.
Xiong Kunxin, professor at the Minzu University of China, said that some Tibetan officials support the Dalai Lama because of their religious beliefs. He said that the officials support the Dalai Lama's efforts for more autonomy in Tibet so as to expel the Han people, who are the major ethnic community of China. He added that such officials should not be put up with, reports Business Standard citing state run Global Times.
The Dalai Lama had fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed rebellion against the Chinese rule and sought refuge in India. India granted him refuge and since then he has been living in exile in Dharamshala in the state of Himachal Pradesh in northern India.
