"Only by following the [Chinese Communist party] leadership and pursuing the path of socialism, can Tibet achieve development and prosperity," Wang Yang, a member of the powerful politburo standing committee, told a crowd in front of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, the traditional home of Tibet’s Buddhist leaders, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency.
The intense security and restrictions on movement in the run up to the Aug. 19 anniversary event, however, prompted Tibetans to mock China’s description of the armed invasion 70 years ago as the “Peaceful Liberation” of their region.
“The Chinese government claims that they have liberated Tibet in the last 70 years, but in reality, Tibetans have been under constant restrictions and scrutiny,” said a resident of Lhasa, the regional capital, who complained that local residents had to endure “the same situation of heavy restrictions in place all around Lhasa” at the 60th anniversary in 2011.
