Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


      Oops: China State Media Website Plays Banned Tibetan National Anthem

   China`s state-controlled television and radio in Tibet is surprising
   visitors to a newly launched website with a music video of the banned
   Tibetan national anthem. The song, called Gyalu` in Tibetan, is sung by
   exile Tibetans across the world but has been banned in Tibet for more
   than 50 years.
   The national anthem video, which starts with a chorus of children
   singing the song, plays on the app download page of the state
   broadcaster`s website.
   The launch of the new app late last month was touted in Chinese state
   media with photographs of Meng Xiao Ling, the party propaganda deputy
   chief of the Tibet Autonomous Region, inspecting it and apparently
   giving it the green light.
   The banned Tibetan national anthem on a state-controlled media website
   is likely to create confusion among Tibetans since playing the Tibetan
   national anthem is normally considered a criminal offense.
   It is not known how the video of the anthem became placed on the
   state-run website.
   In a small bit of irony, the song`s appearance on an official website
   comes as China has announced plans in recent days to tighten the
   already heavily controlled media environment in Tibetan regions.
   Official reports say the government will confiscate illegal satellite
   dishes, increase monitoring of online content and make sure all
   telephone and Internet users are registered using their real names.
   The communist party`s top-ranking official in the region, Chen Quanguo,
   in an editorial published in the party journal Qiushi, vowed to "ensure
   that the voices of hostile forces and the Dalai (Lama) group are not
   seen or heard."
   Tensions between Tibetans and the Chinese government have been high
   since 2009, with more than 120 Tibetans setting themselves on fire in
   protest of Chinese rule, leading to security crackdowns across the
   Tibetan plateau.
   (This report was produced in collaboration with the VOA Tibetan
   service.)
     __________________________________________________________________

   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/oops-china-state-media-website-plays-
   banned-tibetan-national-anthem/1784867.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/oops-china-state-media-website-plays-banned-tibetan-national-anthem/1784867.html