Tibet exhibition said Chinese propaganda

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Kyodo News
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tibet trouble: Protesters hold up Tibetan flags in front of Ueno Royal Museum in Taito Ward, Tokyo, on Saturday, in anger at a Tibetan Buddhist exhibition on show. KYODO PHOTO

Beijing-backed show slammed as 'misleading'

Sponsors and a Tokyo museum hosting a Tibetan Buddhist exhibition have come under heated criticism from pro-Tibet activists who say the display is politically biased because of the lack of reference to historical facts about the region.

Pro-Tibet supporters have rallied near the Ueno Royal Museum every weekend since the exhibition, titled "Tibet: Treasures from the Roof of the World," opened Sept. 19 with China's State Administration of Cultural Heritage and the Chinese Embassy listed among its official sponsors.

The activists have also delivered speeches with commentaries on the history of Tibet and issues related to the region.

About 300 written protests and complaints, including one from an international group of pro-Tibet supporters, have arrived at the museum calling for holding an exhibition from a neutral viewpoint.

Lhakpa Tshoko, representative of the liaison office of the Dalai Lama for Japan and East Asia, said on the office's official Web site that the exhibition "does not give the true picture of Tibet and its history."

"The exhibits and the documents at the exhibition are purposely designed to mislead the Japanese public into believing the Chinese government as the benevolent guardian of Tibetan culture, " he said.

About 120 Buddhist artifacts, many of them from the Potala Palace and the Tibet Museum in Lhasa, are on display at the exhibition.

Protesters argue that there is no mention of modern and recent Tibetan history or the current political situation involving Tibet in any segment of the exhibition, including a 1959 uprising against Chinese rule that led to the exile of the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetans, to India.

"We decided to host this exhibition from an artistic standpoint alone, separate from a political point of view," said Masakazu Mizuno, head of the museum. "We did not add any explanations about the uprising and related events even after receiving requests to do so. We haven't observed any demonstrations or any other things that can annoy visitors."

The exhibition has been touring Japan since spring, having stopped in Fukuoka and Sapporo. The event will run through Jan. 11 at the Ueno Royal Museum, before moving to Osaka and Sendai.