Why China lifted ‘zero covid’ policy? To kill Tibetans, says Voice Against Autocracy report

According to a report, China lifted 'Zero Covid' policy to bring misery to the people of Tibet.

Beijing, Jan 22: After imposing a draconian 'Zero Covid' policy for three years, China eased the restrictions towards the end of 2022 following protests in several parts of the country, but it was aimed at eradicating Tibetans, according to report by Voice Against Autocracy, a private, non-governmental news organization based in Vienna, Austria.

The report, citing Radio Free Asia, has stated that 100 people alone died in Lhasa after China lifted lifting its 'Zero Covid' policy. It accused Beijing of coming up with this plan to kill the Tibetans and bring misery to families. China opened all boundaries in January, thereby allowing people to travel across the country. Despite a massive upsurge in Covid-19 infections across the country, it started a winter tourism campaign in illegally-occupied Tibet.

Over 10 million Chinese are expected to visit Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) as the government is offering free tickets to Lhasa's Potala Palace and other major sites in Tibet and will run till March 13.

The report claims that the deaths due to Covid is increasing in Lhasa and Tibet. Beijing adopted this tactic not to improve the economic condition of the people in this region while spreading the disease that will eventually eradicate Tibetans in Tibet.

The clips shared by Tibetans on social media sites reveal that there was a lack of staff, food, medical consumables and infrastructure even in the big cities of Lhasa and Shigatse. The clip from the mayor of Lhasa in which he is seen publicly apologising for the administrative handling throws light on the current situation. However, it is Beijing who has to take the blame for handling the situation.

Even then, China has not accepted the help from foreign nations and this shows China, CCP and Xi Jinping do not care for their lives and Beijing's continues to give more focus on its reputation, Voice Against Autocracy report added.

The Covid-19 cases in China witnessed a sudden surge in December after the Chinese Communist Party relaxed the 'Zero Covid' policy. The scale of the current outbreak made it difficult for the authorities to track the Covid infections, following the end of the mandatory mass testing as part of the easing of Covid restrictions.

While the majority of the countries across the world have lifted Covid 19-related curbs, China had continued with its strict zero-Covid policy which met with resentment among its population and sparked sporadic protests throughout the country. Residents in many cities took to street to vent their anger against the lockdowns and closures of businesses.

As the country witnessed a rare public display of anger against the CCP and its President, Beijing decided to ease the Covid restrictions in December.