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WORLD NEWS Thursday 28 March 2019

China defends Tibet policies, bashes exile government

Associated Press that have long been hot-
BEIJING (AP) — Chinese of- beds of anti-government
ficials responsible for Tibet sentiment.
praised development in Despite China's travel re-
the Himalayan region in the strictions in Tibet, Dondrup
60 years since the suppres- repeatedly emphasized
sion of an uprising against that journalists must travel
Beijing's rule. to the region to see for
The remarks Wednesday themselves the conditions
and an accompanying there.
report by China's Cabinet The U.S. State Department
follow a disclosure from the issued a report on Monday
U.S. this week that Ameri- saying China's government
can diplomats and officials "systematically impeded
have been impeded on travel" to Tibet and Tibetan
visits to the region and jour- areas outside the official Ti-
nalists curbed from making betan Autonomous Region
independent assessments for U.S. diplomats and offi-
of people's lives there. cials, journalists, and tourists
Tibet's executive vice gov- in 2018.
ernor Norbu Dondrup re- Attempts to visit Tibet by
viewed gains in the econ- diplomats, including the
omy, health care and edu- Tibet Executive vice governor Norbu Dondrup speaks during a press conference at the State U.S. ambassador, are fre-
cation since 1959 and cas- Council Information Office in Beijing, Wednesday, March 27, 2019. quently rebuffed, and in its
tigated the self-declared Associated Press report, the State Depart-
government-in-exile estab- ment said China denied
lished by Buddhist leader against "foreign interven- say they were essentially have set themselves on fire five of nine requests made
the Dalai Lama as illegiti- tion." He also denied there independent before the in protests against Chinese by U.S. officials last year.
mate. The now-83-year-old was any significant support People's Liberation Army's rule. Such acts appear to On the visits that were ap-
Dalai Lama fled to India for Tibet as a separate polit- battled its way into the Hi- have subsided, but the proved, Chinese security
after the uprising was sup- ical entity saying, "The issue malayan region in 1950. travel ban on foreign me- personnel followed the dip-
pressed. of Tibetan independence Smothering security ap- dia and rights groups make lomats closely and blocked
Dondrup denied Tibet's tra- does not exist." pears to largely be keeping it impossible to confirm re- access to certain areas
ditional culture and religion China insists Tibet has been the peace, but since 2009, ported self-immolations or even outside the Tibetan
were being suppressed part of its territory for cen- more than 150 Tibetan conditions in Tibetan Bud- Autonomous Region, the
but said China would act turies, but many Tibetans monks, nuns and laypeople dhist religious institutions report said.q

Court orders Russian ex-minister jailed for 2 months

MOSCOW (AP) — A former rejected the charges and ov, but the court rejected
Russian Cabinet member said he will cooperate with defense appeals and or-
was ordered Wednesday investigators to prove his in- dered him stay in jail.
to stay behind bars on nocence. Abyzov was Russia's minister
charges of embezzling $62 Abyzov's lawyers asked the for open government af-
million. court to free him on bail of fairs in 2012-2018, oversee-
The Basmanny District Court 1 billion rubles ($15.4 mil- ing information technolo-
ordered Mikhail Abyzov lion), an amount remark- gies and efforts to increase
be kept in custody for two ably high by Russian stan- government transparency.
months while an investiga- dards, or let him remain He was a close associate
tion continues. under house arrest as the of Dmitry Medvedev, who
Abyzov is accused of lead- probe goes on. was Russian president in
ing a criminal group that al- Former Kremlin's chief of 2008-2012 when term lim-
legedly embezzled 4 billion staff Alexander Voloshin, its forced Vladimir Putin to
rubles in assets from energy ex-Deputy Prime Minister move into the premier's
companies and deposited Arkady Dvorkovich and seat. Abyzov was among
it in foreign banks. He may Russia's ex-privatization those in Medvedev's inner Former Russian Minister in charge of the "Open Government"
face up to 20 years in pris- czar Anatoly Chubais who circle who reportedly en- Mikhail Abyzov, center, is convoyed for a hearing in a court in
on if convicted. now heads Rosnano com- couraged him to run for a Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, March 27, 2019. Associated Press
Speaking in court, Abyzov pany all vouched for Abyz- second term. q