Tibet dying a 'slow death' under Chinese rule, says exiled leader

Exiled Tibetan leaders and officials in the United States have condemned China's "cruel" policies in Tibet, accusing Beijing of separating families in the Himalayan region, banning their language, and engaging in non-consensual DNA collection. Addressing the US Congress for the first time, Penpa Tsering, the head of the India-based organisation known as Tibet's government in exile, said on Tuesday that Tibet was dying a "slow death" under Chinese rule. "We often get asked why we don't hear about Tibet any more," said Tsering, known as the Sikyong of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). He blamed that silence on China's "Orwellian gridlock system, use of all means of artificial intelligence to surveil people, control the flow of information and lockdown of Tibet to the outside world". "Tibetan language, religion and culture are the bedrock of Tibetan identity … These are facing the unprecedented threat of eradication," he told the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China hearing via video link.