Washington, D.C. — Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Tuesday that 'the US State Department is taking steps to impose visa restrictions on officials of the People's Republic of China (PRC) for their involvement in the forced assimilation of more than one million Tibetan children into government-run boarding schools. These coercive policies aim to eliminate Tibet's distinct linguistic, cultural and religious traditions among younger generations of Tibetans.'
The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on August 22, 2023 that the State Department would impose visa restrictions on the PRC official who was involved in the forced assimilation of more than one million Tibetan children into government-run boarding schools. This is the latest visa restriction imposed by the US on PRC officials for their involvement in human rights abuses.
The statement of the US State Department stated,"The State Department is taking steps to impose visa restrictions under the authority of Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act on People’s Republic of China (PRC) officials for their involvement in the forcible assimilation of more than one million Tibetan children in government-run boarding schools."
"These coercive policies seek to eliminate Tibet’s distinct linguistic, cultural, and religious traditions among younger generations of Tibetans," the statement added.
"We urge PRC authorities to end the coercion of Tibetan children into government-run boarding schools and to cease repressive assimilation policies, both in Tibet and throughout other parts of the PRC. We will continue to work with our allies and partners to highlight these actions and promote accountability," the statement concluded.
The names of the Chinese officials are not yet disclosed publicly by the U.S. Department of State.
Four UN human rights bodies questioned China over the closure of Tibetan schools and monastic schools, which are the main schools where Tibetan can be learned, and the residential schools, which have been built to teach only Chinese culture; about one million Tibetan children study there, which will turn Tibetan children into Chinese and disconnect them from their identity.
United Nations human rights experts have expressed concern about the more than one million Tibetan children separated from their families and the forced assimilation of Tibetan language and culture into Chinese in government-run boarding schools in Tibet.
