Asia-Pacific Features

China's crackdown helped internationalize the Tibet issue

Apr 6, 2008, 11:56 GMT

Dharamsala, India - In a cluster of brick buildings at the foot of the Himalayas, the Dalai Lama's government-in-exile is fighting an uphill battle for the freedom of Tibet. Despite ministries that look like primary school classrooms in a developing country, the government-in-exile is well connected with Tibet and the outside world by telephone, fax machine and computer. Through this government-in-exile in Dharamsala, north India, the 72-year-old Dalai Lama (in exile in India since 1959) issues peace initiatives to China and monitors developments in his homeland. China's recent crackdown on riots in Tibet has revived the world media's interest in the Himalayan region, and Dharamsala has received more foreign reporters in the past month than in the past year. 'In the past, only AP has reporters based here while Reuters and AFP have stringers here. Every month we received an average of three to four foreign reporters. But in the past month, we have received nearly 200 foreign reporters,' a press officer from the exiled government's Department of Information and International Relations (foreign ministry), said. Kesang Takla, minister of the Department of Information and International Relations, said in a weekend interview that she did not understand why China was rejecting the Dalai Lama's offer for talks and keeps demonizing the Buddhist leader, at the same time spreading rumours that the Dalai Lama incited the unrest. 'China's effort to cover up the truth of the riots has only fuelled the international community's interest in the Tibet issue. Nowadays news about Tibet is on the front page of every paper,' she said. Refuting China's accusation that the Dalai Lama wants to separate Tibet from China, Takla said the Dalai Lama's policy has been consistent. 'The Dalai Lama's stand is very clear, that is, he demands only genuine autonomy for Tibet so that Tibetan culture and religion can be preserved. China can take care of Tibet's foreign affairs and defence. His Holiness has denounced the use of violence because we don't want Chinese people to be hurt in our fight for autonomy. But China keeps accusing him,' she said. 'China accuses the Dalai Lama of seeking Tibetan independence on his foreign visits, but the fact is, the Dalai Lama talks only about world peace, human compassion and seeking all people's happiness on his foreign trips. He does not even talk much about the Tibet issue,' she added. Takla urged China to face the facts and open talks with the Dalai Lama to resolve to the Tibet problem. When asked for an update on the situation in Tibet, Takla said it is very hard to get information from China. 'But we hear that in Tibet and neighbouring Sichuan and Gansu provinces, police are searching every household for participants in the protests. Hospitals suffer from a shortage of medicine and some Tibetans suffer from food or water shortages.' What was more worrying, she said, was that China is setting up re- education camps to make lamas (monks) denounce the Dalai Lama (the high priest of Tibetan Buddhism) and pledge loyalty to Beijing. The suppression in Tibet is continuing, according to information received by Tibetan exiles in Dharamsala, a hilltown a 12-hour bus ride from New Delhi. 'On Saturday in Ganzi, Sichuan Province, Chinese soldiers opened fire on Tibetan protesters and lobbed a hand-grenade among them, killing at least eight and injuring more than 70,' a red-robed Tibetan monk in his 20s told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. While the Dalai Lama's government is seeking autonomy through non- violence, the radical Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) is fighting for Tibet's independence, although through non-violence. Since the crackdown began in mid-March, TYC has been holding candle-light vigils in Dharamsala, attracting hundreds of Tibetans, monks and foreigners. 'We will keep on fighting until Tibet wins independence. Even if the Dalai Lama dies, the fight will go on, because this is the cause of Tibetan people and the struggle will go on with or without the Dalai Lama,' Lhakpa Tsering, TYC's cultural secretary, said.

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hammerApr 6th, 2008 - 14:14:19

You never mentioned the protest in Lhasa was a pure violent rioting targeting Han and Hui Chinese, when Tibetens just hang the hadas, a white silk scarf on their door, for mobsters to identify the Chinese homes and hundreds of Chinese innocent tourist with bloody heads appeared in many airports. But what did West media do? They shown nothing about it, except showing pictures and mixing Nepalese police as Chinese beating Tibetens. (Spiegel, BTV, RTL, Bild Zaitung.... all made same mistakes in Germany) and stupidly airing Dalai Lama telling ¡°Chinese soldiers might have dressed as monks to instigate riots in Tibet¡± a statement only kids believe.

Obviously the biased reporting has already caused fury among Chinese youth and push them directly to the arms of CCP. The website www.anti-cnn.com launched by young kids days ago got 10 millions visits and collect 2 million signatures to denounce west media unbalanced reportings.
Why China is hated this much? Do you really care about China¡¯s bad record? Because China, with its remarkable average 10%GDP in 30 years reform, is a success story. We sure have fear, regret, jealousy and frustration when seeing a poor boy next door rising daily stronger on a capitalist road. But it so happened it was on west's advice, persuation, direction and financing that China changed course and succeeded, which hurts you real deep.

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MRLIANGApr 6th, 2008 - 14:24:12

YEA, WESTNER R JUST JEALOUS. WE ALL CHINESE SHOULD STAND BY CHINESE PEOPLE.

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John WApr 6th, 2008 - 14:28:01

Tibet has been part of China and will be part of China forever. Any religious or spiritual leader, if legal in China, tries to be subversive or supportive of uprising and creating chaos should be punished. Dalai Lama should be indicted and extradicted for treason.

Some of these 'peaceful' monks are nothing but thugs. For the sake of the common good of the 1.3 billion people, they should be severely dealt with.

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Atypical AmericanApr 6th, 2008 - 14:48:03

Western news prioritizes entertainment over information, distorts the facts, and is deliberately inciting riotous protests. Western governments are vilifying China and fanning the flames created by the media. The Dali Lama is being portrayed as a Nobel Peace Prize recipient who cannot lie and can do no wrong.

Given all of these factors, it's inevitable that people will from a mob mentality. That is the purpose of propaganda. In a democratic society its 'majority rule', and there are insidious ways of getting the majority (who are generally not well read and undereducated) to think the way the government wants them to think.

While it is very upsetting, mob mentality is understandable. The question in my mind is: Why are Western governments seeking to widen the gap with China to the point of enmity? With a global economy and China's effort to 'open' to the West, this is the best chance for world peace that has ever existed. Why do America and other Western governments continue their 'Saber Rattling'?

Of course, for world peace, the problem of Muslim extremists must be dealt with. That's what happens in a Theocracy. So, given that our true enemies (the ones that hate us, attack us, and kill our people) has sprung from theocratic countries, why is America goading China to allow another separatist theocracy to be established on its territory?

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sukkApr 6th, 2008 - 15:33:34

Greedy Chinese will soon run out of women due to rampant female infanticide in China. China will be extinct soon !

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Atypical AmericanApr 6th, 2008 - 16:58:09

sukk (nice name for ya) You've never been there and don't know much. Huh?

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RohitApr 6th, 2008 - 17:32:16

Why are the general Chinese in denial of what their Government is doing to Tibet? ( as can be seen in the comments)

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Tibetan from free nation, not under Chinese gun !Apr 6th, 2008 - 18:09:48

People who say 'don't politicised the game' are ruthless and faker, because the olympics is mean to promote peace, equal, and justice, which the chinese gov't is doing totally opposite.
Why the chinese gov't has to kicked out all the foreingers and news media out of Tibet if the things they say are true in Tibet? They already lied to int'l community on what they agreed on when won a bid for olympic games in 2001. They supposed to improve Human Righs and media freedom among the region, which they are doing exactly opposite at this moment.
So far we have seen how the Chinese Gov't shift thier position here and there. On March 14th-16th, the Governor of Tibet clearly denied using any lethal weapons, when the freign ministers anounced internationally that they did fired to Tibetan protests in Lhasa.
Also they prosecute their own people who practice Falun Gang. Since 1999, chinese gov't had prosecute about 16,000 chinese citizens and take out thier organs, sometimes when they are alive, for sell.
Finally dufur regions. The gov't is continually providing aid to the Sudanese gov't millions of dollar every years to keep the fighting going on and don't even care how many people are dying with desease, food shortage, & tortured in every minutes.
I think all the people who say don't politicized the games are just big 'faker and ruthless.' They care thier own name and positions more than innocent dying for very small reasons or no reason at all.
Have Fun everyone who supports the game. You are supporting to the gov't who doesn't have any value to human while pretent to promote human welfare and justice. I just don't get it !!!!

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curious mindApr 6th, 2008 - 18:22:23

why coincidence with Olympics' event or 50th aniversary of Tibetan uprising? I just can't believe Tibetan monks or average Tibetan person are so well informed without outside help(or directions?). Yugoslav experience and Chechneya experience are of no concern to human rights defenders. More blood should be shed under pretext of human rights. Iraqi democracy is much better than Tibetan suppression even though more than 4000 innocent American lives are lost and more than two millions iraqi lives lost. Even Tibetan suppression or riot only cost 140 lives according to worst account so far, China still represents demon. Actual human lives are of no concern to human rights advocates so long as it sounds good in theory.

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no more violenceApr 6th, 2008 - 18:35:31

Rohit, the reason is that Tibet has always been part of China (no map in the world indicates otherwise). Han Chinese love Tibetan Chinese. In fact, the Chinese government has always been treating minorities very well.

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