China investigating Tibet's former party chief

By Serdar Dincel

ISTANBUL (AA) - China is investigating former party chief of the southwestern Tibet region, Wu Yingjie, for suspected violations of ruling party discipline and the law -- a common reference to corruption, state media reported Wednesday.

Wu, 67, was removed from his position in the Standing Committee of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's

In the past, he led the Chinese Communist Party in Tibet, known as Xizang by Beijing.

Wu held various positions in the autonomous region.

In 1951, China established sovereignty over Tibet through the 17-Point Agreement, calling it a "peaceful liberation."

After a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, the Dalai Lama of Tibet fled to Dharamsala in northern India, where he set up the Tibetan parliament and government in exile.

China does not recognize that government, claiming that Tibet has been part of China since the 13th century, while the Dalai Lama claims that Tibet was an entirely independent state when the Chinese People's Liberation Army entered the region.