Potala Palace – The Symbol Of Tibetan People’s Identity In Peril[Saturday, 20 March 2010, 10:50 a.m.]

Excavation work in front of the Potala Palace in Tibet’s capital Lhasa cause underground flood, posing serious threat to the survival of Tibetan people’s identity and one of the world’s invaluable heritages/Photos: Radio Free Asia

Dharamshala: According to information received by the Central Tibetan Administration, the survival of Potala Palace is now under renewed threat, as the ongoing construction of a new subway to connect the east and west ends of the front courtyard has reportedly triggered flood. Cracks in adjoining areas caused by the underground flood pose serious threat to the Potala Palace.The construction work was started on 16 December 2009. The Chinese government has initiated series of works in Potala Palace from 1988 to 1993 under the guise of renovation. In 2000, repainting the traditional murals and frescos inside the palace was carried out. Some of the paintings were seriously damaged in the hands of many Chinese artists brought into Tibet from China who lacked experience in Tibetan arts and paintings.      Including the Potala Palace, many Tibetan cultural artefacts and relics are being destroyed by the Chinese government under the pretext of initiating modern town planning in Tibet.The Tibetan people living inside Tibet are deeply concerned and have condemned the Chinese government’s indiscriminate attempts to destroy the symbolism of Tibet’s traditional cultural heritage by disrespecting the Tibetan people’s culture and Tibet’s special landscape. The Tibetan people appeal to the international community to help save the destruction of one the world’s invaluable cultural heritages. Phodrang Potala stands tall at the centre of Tibet’s capital Lhasa. In the history of Tibet this important architecturally designed symbol represents the special characteristic of the Tibetan people. The Potala Palace was inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994.