End of Tibetan serfdom compared to abolition of U.S. slavery

An article in the People's Daily, flagship newspaper of the Communist Party of China, has described the end of serfdom in Tibet as comparable to the abolition of slavery in the United States.

Despite that the two events happened almost a century apart and against different backgrounds, they have many points in common, said the article written by Zhang Yun and published on Saturday, the 56th anniversary of the emancipation of Tibetan serfs.

Both movements ended brutal and inhumane systems, it said.

The systems in the U.S. and in Tibet at the time undermined national unity, economic and social development and human rights, according to the article.

The article said serfdom in Tibet had impeded development in the region and the 1959 reform made former serfs the masters of their region and country, with full liberty, equal rights, citizenship and dignity.

The article mentioned that both movements in Tibet and the U.S. had to resort to the use of force as the conflicts were both serious and irreconcilable.

Chinese authorities designated March 28 as the day to commemorate the 1959 democratic reform of Tibet, which freed about 1 million Tibetans, over 90 percent of the region's population at that time, from a life of slavery.

"For the serfs in Tibet, the day of March 28 was just like the year of 1865 for slaves in America. Both events will be remembered as immortal achievements for civilization and human rights," it said. Endi