Wang Junzheng has been appointed the new Secretary of the Communist Party of the so-called Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) according to various Chinese official news media today. Wang Junzheng was born in 1963 in Shandong province, China. Prior to his current appointment, he has served as the deputy secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and the head of the regional Political and Legal Affairs Commission in Xinjiang. He was preceded by Wu Yingjie, who is retiring from his official post of party Secretary due to his age. Wu was born in 1956 in Shangdong province. He reached Tibet in 1974 and worked there for over forty years.
The Cultural Revolution in China saw brutal suppression of the traditional culture, religion, and modern education. These are recognized the same as the “bourgeoisie” and labeled as “class enemies”. There was a complete halt to university education during this period in China. Therefore, when Wu Yingjie first reached Tibet in 1974, he has only completed his senior school. He first worked at the animal husbandry farm in the traditional Tibetan region of Kongpo (Chi: Nyingchi). Later, he worked for the power generation station in the western suburbs of Lhasa for three years. He has mentioned during his inaugural speech as the Party secretary of TAR that Tibet is second hometown (tib: fatherland). During his tenure, there has not been any policy relaxation, and changes in restrictions in Tibet.
The leading party cadres of the so-called Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) held a meeting today. The address by Zeng Yichun, vice-minister of the organization department of the CPC’s Central Committee stated that the decision was made by the center after thorough consideration of the overall situation and leadership changes in the region.
Wang Junzheng’s portfolio of his work in Xinjiang points towards no positive changes in Tibet, and also predicts continuous crackdowns and restrictions. Xinjiang is one of the regions where there are severe levels of crackdowns and restrictions. It is clear that his experience in Xinjiang may reflect and the draconian policies that will be implemented in Tibet. This may be Xi Jinping’s aspiration to implement the Xinjiang policies in Tibet. In addition, the Chairman of TAR, Che Dalha was transferred a few days ago. Yan Jinhai was appointed as the Chairman of TAR following Che Dalha’s transfer. Yan is a Tibetan born in 1962 in Qinghai province of China. He graduated from Qinghai University for Nationalities.
Translated from Tibetan.
