CCP Utilizes Museums As Instruments Of Influence In Tibet



International Desk, Barta24.com
Photo: Collected

Photo: Collected

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Amid the increasing number of Tibetan museums and the flourishing preservation of plateau culture, China claims that these cultural institutions play a vital role in promoting education and cultural understanding among tourists, especially the younger generation. These museums have become affordable and culturally enriching attractions, drawing attention during the peak tourist season.

According to recent report, China is claiming that this cultural expansion showcases Tibet's rich heritage and offers a convenient way for people to connect with the region's history, culture, and customs, contributing to Tibet's social and cultural development.

Museums play a key role in the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage and help understand history better. However, the presence of museums & cultural institutions in occupied Tibet is striving to legitimize China's claim to authority over the region, as well as to promote a particular Chinese narrative about Tibetan history & culture.

The so called Ali Museum in Tibet claims to be 5956.34 square meters, was inaugurated as part of the 8th Xiangxiong Cultural Tourism Festival. While the festivities portray a vibrant celebration of local culture, a closer look reveals a deeper narrative of identity suppression. The museum, purportedly showcasing the history and culture of the region, instead presents a tailored version of Tibetan heritage that aligns with the Chinese narrative.

The most striking change is the name itself. The term "Ngari," which resonates with the Tibetan community in Tibet or in exile, has been replaced with the Mandarin name "Ali". This linguistic shift is not just a casual translation; it reflects the ongoing effort by the Chinese government to strip Tibet of its distinct identity and assimilate it into the broader Chinese framework.

Seven permanent exhibitions within the museum subtly propagate the Chinese viewpoint, relegating the rich Tibetan history and heritage to the periphery. Themes such as "Alibaba's natural geography" and "outstanding historical figures of Alibaba" underscore the distortion of Tibetan history, conveniently molding it to fit a Chinese context. The manipulation of historical events and the omission of significant aspects of Tibetan culture further underline the agenda to rewrite the region's narrative.

In 2021, CCP launched a “memorial hall” to “display the photos and items from the serfdom era”. The hall claimed to showcase “torture instruments and ritual artifacts made from serfs' bones and skin, and those recording the democratic reform and serfs' new lives”. This is in continuation of the CCP propaganda of the so-called ‘Serf Emancipation Day’ - it was invented in January 2009, more specifically to counter the March 10th Tibetan uprising day. As pointed out by Tsewang Gyalpo Arya, all these talks of liberation, democratic reform, and economic development are a farce and pure propaganda to mislead the international community and to justify its illegal occupation of Tibet.

The Potala Palace, the erstwhile winter palace of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has also been converted to a museum. With nearly 800 sensors placed around the palace, multiple monitoring tools and nine kilometers of fiber optic cables installed inside, the sacred space of Tibetans has been reduced to spectacle. Today, Potala Palace has been commodified as a tourist attraction; China state-sponsored media and Chinese bureaucrats use Potala as the poster child for Han Chinese tourism. This, along with the musealisation of the palace, are attempts to erase the past, and the religious and cultural significance of the Tibetan structure.

The construction of these museums also ties into China's broader agenda of increasing tourism in the region. This influx of tourists serves as a form of cultural colonization, further undermining Tibetan identity and autonomy.

There is one museum that serves as a testimonial to the resistance and resilience of Tibetans forced into exile by China. The Tibetans-in-exile have been putting up a brave fight against the misrepresentation of their past by China. The Tibet Museum at Dharamshala, India is a “museum made by and for Tibetans” with an aim to “challenge the representations of Tibet and Tibetan people that feature in museums in China” and elsewhere. The museum tells a “different story”; Tibet in this museum “has a past, a present and a future”, unlike China’s museums which are packaged spectacles that tell stories of pain, anger and betrayal.

   

Netanyahu in fear of ICC arrest



International Desk, Barta24.com
photo: Collected

photo: Collected

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Israel's attack on Gaza did not stop. The death procession is increasing every day under the orders of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli army is not paying attention to the ongoing movement around the world. On the other hand, Tel Aviv is listening to the calls of pro-Palestinian world leaders.

Killing, torture and destruction are being carried out indiscriminately in violation of international law. The blockaded area is being gradually completed, including women and children. On the other hand, the world is not able to do anything about such activities in Israel.

But now it is known that the International Criminal Court (ICC) may issue an arrest warrant against the Prime Minister of Israel.

This is what the country's local media reported on Saturday (April 27). According to The New Arab, citing unnamed sources, Maariv newspaper reported that Netanyahu is under stress and panic over the threat of an ICC arrest warrant.

Not only Netanyahu, but also some of his prominent officials may receive this arrest notice, according to reports in the Israeli media.

According to Israeli media reports, the names of the country's Defense Minister Yoav Galant and Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi will be included in the list. Senior government officials held an emergency meeting in Tel Aviv this week to discuss that possibility.

In the meantime, Netanyahu has spoken on the phone with international friends, especially US President Joe Biden, to prevent the arrest warrant. It is not clear when an arrest warrant may be issued, and it is not standard for courts to disclose such information.

But fears of an arrest warrant against Netanyahu were first aired on Thursday by British-pro-Israel commentator Douglas Murray in an opinion piece in the US tabloid New York Post.

A warrant could be issued within days, Murray wrote. Netanyahu will not immediately face trial. But it would be a major blow to the prime minister on the world stage and put pressure on Israel's allies and ICC members to act.

Earlier in an interview on Friday, Netanyahu wrote, "Israel's natural and self-defense rights are undermined, and this country will not accept any such efforts by the ICC under my leadership." Threats to seize military officers of the Middle East's only democracy and the world's only Jewish state are outrageous. We will never bow down to it.'

Senior Israeli officials are said to be concerned about what such a warrant would mean for military operations against Hamas in Gaza.

Israel's Channel 13 broadcaster quoted officials as saying they believed the tribunal would target policy makers rather than junior soldiers.

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20 soldiers were killed in an explosion at an army base in Cambodia



International Desk, Barta24.com
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Picture: Collected

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An ammunition explosion at a military base on Cambodia's western border has killed 20 soldiers. Prime Minister Hun Manet said the explosion happened on Saturday afternoon.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Facebook that the explosion occurred at a military base in Kampong Speu province in western Cambodia.

He said, we are deeply shocked by this. However, the cause of the explosion is not yet known.

Expressing his condolences to the families of the slain soldiers, he said that the funeral expenses of the deceased would be paid.

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Endangered hippos stranded in dry rivers in Botswana amid severe drought



International Desk, Barta24.com , Dhaka
photo: collected

photo: collected

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African countries are suffering from severe drought. A herd of endangered hippos trapped in the mud of a dry reservoir in the drought-stricken African country of Botswana is at risk of dying.

South Africa has been hit by severe drought due to El Nino weather, AFP reported. Crops in the region are under threat, millions of people are starving. Several countries in the region have recently declared national disasters.

Herds of hippos become trapped in dried-up rivers near the vast wetlands of the Okavango Delta in northern Botswana.

Lesego Moseki, spokesman for the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) in Botswana's capital Gaborone, said the river system had dried up and the animals were in a compromised situation.

Botswana is home to the world's largest population of hippos living in the wild. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), there are approximately 2,000 to 4,000 hippos.

Moseki said hippos in Ngamiland (North West District) depend on water flowing through the Okavango Delta system. They are still investigating how many hippos died in the pools.

Hippos have thick but sensitive skin. They need to bathe regularly in water to avoid sunburn and they usually live in humid areas.

Without water they can become aggressive and approach villages. Local authorities have called for the hippos to be relocated to protected areas to avoid conflict with humans.

El Niño is a naturally occurring climate pattern usually associated with global warming, leading to drought in some parts of the world and heavy rainfall in others.

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India has allowed onion export to 6 countries including Bangladesh



International Desk, Barta24.com, Dhaka
Photo: Barta24

Photo: Barta24

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India has approved the export of 99 thousand 150 tons of onions to 6 countries including Bangladesh. Other countries are - United Arab Emirates, Bhutan, Bahrain, Mauritius and Sri Lanka.

This information was given on the website of the Government of India on Saturday (April 27).

It said onion exports were banned to ensure domestic supply due to lower kharif and rabi seasons in the country in 2023-24 compared to the previous year. This increases the demand in the international market. Indian agency National Cooperation Exports Limited (NCEL) exports onions to these countries. They procure onions from internal sources through e-platform at lowest price (L1). Then, on a 100% advance payment basis, the rates are negotiated and supplied to the agencies or government-designated agencies in the destination countries.

NCEL fixes the prices with the buyers taking into consideration the prices of the countries where onion is bought, international and domestic prices. Now the quotas are allocated according to the demand of the countries where onion export is allowed.

Maharashtra is the largest onion producer in India. They are the largest supplier of onions to NCEL for export.

Earlier, Bangladesh had sent a formal letter to the Indian government to allow the export of certain quantities of onion to reduce the price of onion in the country's market during the holy month of Ramadan.

In addition, the country's government has allowed the export of additional 2000 metric tons of white onion. These onions are mainly exported to Middle East and some European countries. Due to the high production cost of white onion, its price is relatively high.

India is the world's largest onion exporter. The country's government had imposed a ban on onion exports till March 31, 2024 in December last year to maintain supply in the domestic market. Later it was extended indefinitely. The new decision to export onions is good news for India's friendly countries.

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