<p class="style425">Language Policy Comes Under Scrutiny</p>
<p class="style438"> Thursday, March 15, 2012 </p>
<p><strong> RFA </strong></p>
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<td class="style168" bgcolor="#FCFDD5"><div align="left"><img src="http://www.tibetoday.com/images/tibet-students-demo-305.gif" alt="Part of a student crowd protesting over language rights in Qinghai's Rebkong county. " name="Part of a student crowd protesting over language rights in Qinghai's Rebkong county. " height="158" border="1" width="305"><br>
Part of a student crowd protesting over language rights in Qinghai's Rebkong county.
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<p> Students demonstrations in China's Qinghai province
highlight concerns over any change in the medium of instruction in
schools. </p>
<p> Tibetans have reignited a campaign to highlight language
rights in Tibetan-populated areas, with about 4,000 students taking to
the streets in three counties in China's northwestern Qinghai province
on Wednesday to protest any change in the medium of instruction in
schools.<br>
<br>
The protests against a proposed change from Tibetan to Chinese
language occurred in schools in Rebkong (in Chinese, Tongren), Tsekhog
(Zeku) and Gangcha (Kangtsa) counties, according to a Tibetan exile
spokesman for the Rebkong community based in the Indian hilltown of
Dharamsala.<br>
<br>
It was the biggest protest since October 2010 when thousands of
Tibetan middle and primary school pupils from four different autonomous
Tibetan prefectures of Qinghai Province demonstrated for days against a
possible language change policy.<br>
<br>
On Wednesday, they "protested against the Chinese [language] policy," the spokesman said. It is not immediately known whether any language policy changes are in
store but Tibetans have often protested when they sensed possible
changes. The protests came as a Tibetan monk set himself ablaze Wednesday at
his monastery in Rebkong in Malho (in Chinese, Huangnan) Tibetan
Autonomous Prefecture, triggering demonstration by hundreds of monks and
others against Chinese rule in Tibetan-populated areas.<br>
<br>
The self-immolation on Wednesday was the 28th by Tibetans since they
began a wave of fiery protests in February 2009 to challenge Beijing's
rule and call for the return of Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the
Dalai Lama. The student demonstrations on Wednesday began when several hundred
students of three schools—Rebkong Yushu Middle School, Rebkong County
Middle School of Nationalities and Gedun Choephel School—gathered to
criticize planned changes to the education policy.<br>
<br>
<strong> 'Equality'</strong><br>
<br>
Joining the protests were more than 2,500 students of Rebkong and
Tsekhog counties "demanding equality for all nationalities [and] freedom
of language," another exile source said, quoting local contacts in the
region. They also called for the removal of Chinese military barracks in Tsekhog county, the source said.<br>
<br>
"The students marched to the county police station, the office of local
armed para military force, and county government center," the source
said. "Armed police and paramilitary forces did arrive at the scene but there
were no reports of cracking down or detention of any students,"
according to the source.<br>
<br>
Also on Wednesday, about 100 students in Gangcha county protested
against Chinese rule, calling for self-ownership of land and "equality
for languages." They marched to the Gangcha county center and were stopped by police
when they tried to enter the street leading to the town. They returned
to their schools and shouted slogans. Tensions have heightened in Tibetan-populated provinces and in the
Tibet Autonomous Region following a Chinese security clampdown and the
detention of hundreds of monks since early last year. <br></p><p><a href="http://www.tibetoday.com/Language-Policy-Comes-Under-Scrutiny.htm">http://www.tibetoday.com/Language-Policy-Comes-Under-Scrutiny.htm</a><br></p><p>
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