This morning, just near the British parliament, 2 climbers unfurled a massive banner on Westminster bridge reading, “One World, One Dream: Free Tibet 2008.” They were arrested along with 2 other Tibet independence activists. These young people of conscience, including a man of British and Chinese descent, took this daring action to show their solidarity and support for the Tibetan people’s struggle for freedom. At this moment, when the Chinese government is brutalizing Tibetans inside Tibet, their action is like a ray of light in the darkness. I cannot say enough to thank them for their courage and their commitment to justice in this world.
[...] L’anticonformista - Libero Community - Blog wrote an interesting post today on Free Tibet banner drop on Westminster bridgeHere’s a quick excerpt…on Westminster bridge reading, “One World, One Dream: Free Tibet 2008.” They were arrested along with 2 other Tibet independence activists. [...]
MAYDAY GANDEN MAYDAY
TIBETAN GELUGPAS BHIKSHUS IN TIBET! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! NOW!
ATTENTION:
NEPAL IS CLOSED.
INDIA IS CLOSED.
BUTHAN IS CLOSED.
MYANMAR IS CLOSED.
THAILAND IS CLOSED.
CAMBOJA IS CLOSED.
VIETNAM IS CLOSED.
LAOS IS CLOSED.
NOT THE WEST!
BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, OUR LORD SANG-GYAS IS NOW LOOKING AT THE WEST!
MAYDAY GANDEN MAYDAY
REFUSE TO LET DALAI LAMA KNOW YOUR ROUTE OF ESCAPE!
DALAI LAMA IS THE TRAITOR OF THE LITTLE PANCHEN LAMA BOY ABDUCTED BY CHINA!
REFUSE DALAI LAMA!
MAYDAY GANDEN MAYDAY
Give me a break!!!! Olympics will be over soon, so will your dream of a “free tibet”. Time is on the Chinese side. I know it, and I am sure you know it too. Get a life, would you?
http://www.stanfordreview.org/Archive/Volume_XL/Issue_6/World/world1.shtml
Violence in Tibet is Unacceptable
by Chris Seck
World News Editor
Imagine the following sequence of events: A large group of white separatists
, tired of living side by side with people of color in multiracial America,
decides to carve out a homeland reserved for white people. In an attempt to
promote secession, thousands of white separatists destroy black and Latino
homes, shops, and churches. Dozens of minorities are killed. After a few
weeks of violence, the federal government finally uses force to stop the
rioters. In the process, however, a few separatists get killed.
Be honest: Do you think the white separatist group would attract a lot of
sympathy in the international community? Moreover, supposing America was
trying to organize the Olympic Games that year, would any nation be tempted
to boycott the Games in solidarity with the separatists?
In recent weeks, China, a multiracial nation of 56 ethnic groups and
hundreds of religions, has been forced to deal with violent Tibetan
separatists—separatists whose goal is the creation of an independent,
ethnically homogenous Tibet united under a single religion, Tibetan Buddhism
. In a March 14 article, The Economist referred to the separatist riots as
“an eruption of ethnic hatred,” with Tibetan crowds “hurling chunks of
concrete at the numerous small shops run by ethnic Chinese.” Reporter James
Miles later told CNN that the Tibetan protestors targeted not only ethnic
Han Chinese, but also against members of the Muslim Hui minority in Lhasa.
As of this week, at least one mosque has been burnt down by rioters. Indeed,
according to the New York Times, the violence was so extreme that even the
Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, has denounced the
violent protests, calling them “suicidal.”
In response to the violence, Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Tibetan exile
groups in India to commemorate the anniversary of their failed 1959
rebellion, and declared her desire to “honor the many brave Tibetans who
sacrificed their lives fighting for freedom.” She then praised the fact
that “Congress continues to be a bedrock of support for the Tibetan people.”
This brings to mind a question. Had the Tibetan separatists been white and
Christian instead of dark-skinned and Buddhist, would Ms. Pelosi still have
praised them as freedom fighters? Or would she have dismissed them as bigots
and xenophobes? For the Tibetan riots are all about race and religion, not
freedom and democracy. Does the racial and religious violence of Tibetan
rioters have anything in common with the non-violent, pro-tolerance
movements of Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, or Martin Luther King Jr.?
The biggest questions should be asked not in Asia, but in America, for our
foreign policy on the Tibet issue needs to be re-evaluated in light of these
new developments. Given the nature of the violence, how does Nancy Pelosi’
s embracement of Tibetan exile groups—and the racist separatism that they
advocate—reflect America’s values? How does insulting a nation of 1.3
billion people possibly advance America’s interests? What do the Tibetan
separatists’ goals have in common with America’s goals?
America and China have enormous differences. However, on this issue, we
should stand firmly on China’s side, if only because the Tibetan rioters’
beliefs do not reflect America’s values of racial diversity and religious
tolerance. As a cosmopolitan nation of settlers, former slaves, and
immigrants, the United States should support China, a nation that prides
itself on its racial and religious diversity, and reject the xenophobic
separatism for which the radical Tibetan protestors were fighting for when
they destroyed innocent peoples’ homes, shops, and places of worship.
I have two words for the protesters: Delta Force. Disorderly conduct is not be tolerated. See you then when they’ve been turned into chutney!
By the way drone (yes you the one who’s modding these comments), the 12th Dalai Lama was installed by Chinese troops. Yet you had no complaints then.
We will take our roads, hospitals, schools, and economy back to China. You can rot with your feudal theocracy.
Here is an essay that I just finished writing. It has nothing to do with the unfurling of the banner. I think that what the two did was really great and I appreciate their spirit. I hope this essay is foremost thought provoking. I have not had a great deal of time to think about it, but I hope that it will lead to local discussions where ever you live. Yeun and Fred (two people here) are both Chinese, and I appreciate them in participating in discussions here. I hope that any Chinese citizens here have a moderate outlook on the issues of Tibet. I hope that you will pass your message of moderation to your fellow Chinese citizens. Thank you.
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DREAMING OF TIBET
Free Tibet! I am sure that almost all of you have seen that sign someplace or the other. Everywhere you look, there seems to be a car or a van with a bumper sticker with the sign, “Free Tibet !” It seems that we relish using that bumper sticker and to the more patriotic of us, it is mandatory to have one behind our car, or wear a Free Tibet pin, or a Free Tibet T-shirt. That piece of sticker is nothing more than an accessory on your car, to tell you the truth. It may cause a few people who see it to think for a second or two, and then they go back to their lives. That sticker behind your car or the one day you go out to rally on March 10th every year are nothing more than you trying to satisfy that patriotic duty that you think that you are obligated to as a Tibetan. These things really don’t do much in the way of bringing about any real change in Tibet nor do they get the attention of China.
So you say, what should we do then? Well, do put that sticker behind your car, do wear that T-shirt, and do go out to a March 10th rally. These are things that we should all do since they don’t require a lot of time and effort on your part and don’t require you to spend any money or ask of you make any real contributions. I think I will this group of people who dutifully show up on every March 10th rally and do nothing more the rest of the year, the “part-time freedom fighters.” We should be doing a lot more and the little that we do year after year is never going to bring about any real change in the next 10 years or the next 100 years. India and Pakistan has fought many wars on a little piece of land called Kashmir, so what are the chances that China is going to just let go of Tibet. China is never going to let Tibet slip out of its talons unless we really do something that will have China thinking about Tibet. It is not going to be an easy road for those of us who are prepared to do all that we can. So, let us take a look at China and Tibet and the Tibetans and whole lot of issues that we need to consider to see where things really stand today for Tibet. If this essay does nothing more than make you think a little deeper, then I will consider it a success.
We have the fortune or the miss-fortune, depending on how you look at it, of having been born outside Tibet. To those of you who were born in India, a part of you is Tibetan but there is a part of you that is Indian. Same goes for Tibetans born elsewhere in other parts of the world. This causes a dichotomy in our identities, and this may be the cause of our somewhat reluctance to do all we can do for Tibet. If you are two things at once, when you are neither completely this nor that, how do you expect to make any significant contributions to any one part of you? If a part of you thinks that you are American or Indian or whatever, then how do you expect yourself to contribute whole heartedly to Tibet? So, the first step for many of us who want to do something in our lifetimes for Tibet is to give-up all other identities and call yourself Tibetans and only Tibetans.
I am not advocating that you give-up your American passports or any such thing. But what I am really advocating is that we need to take a look at who we really are and who we think we are. Although, we all call ourselves Tibetans, the real Tibetans are in fact the ones in Tibet. Having not born in Tibet, it is not easy to have a connection with the land. We call ourselves Tibetans, but majority of us have never stepped foot in Tibet. I mean, are most of us even going to like living in Tibet, if Tibet were to get its freedom sometime in the near future? It is really nothing like New York or San Francisco or Dharamsala. It seems bizarre to me that in Dharamsala, Tibetans born in exile and the Tibetans who have recently arrived from Tibet, don’t get along very well. I have heard from people, with a hint of dismay, that Dharamsala is no longer what it used to be and now it has been taken over by Tibetans from Tibet. The most obvious difference between the two groups of people is language and our attitudes. We don’t speak all the different regional dialects of Tibet and some of the Tibetans coming over can only speak their own dialects, some of which is completely incomprehensible to us. I have heard that Tibetans coming over are fiery in nature and short of temper and resourceful in making a livelihood. Despite the obvious differences between us, we are a people are not really different from one another and that deep down we are one and the same. Our religion and our faith in HH the Dalai Lama is what really tie us together as a people of a single nation.
So, the real question is what can we do for Tibet? If half-hearted attempts are all that we can muster, I think that it is best that we don’t show any support at all for Tibet. I hope that you don’t think you are making any significant contributions to issue of Tibet by parading around and protesting for a few hours with a flag in hand and shouting “Free Tibet.” But for most of us, that is the only real contribution that we make. We all have to go to work and pay our bills. Many of us have to raise our children and think about their futures as well as our own. And we have all these obligations that we need to fulfill before we can even begin to think about Tibet. We are essentially, to quote a cliché, tied to the old ball and chain. So, most of us or maybe even all of us, save for the very few out there who have made their life’s work to fight for Tibet, can make no significant contributions. But that is not to say that all hope is lost. The rest of us can still make a lot of contributions and the most important thing that a lot of us can do is to go out and protest, when called upon.
Another area that we can improve upon is our numerous Tibetan associations scattered all over America, and I am sure in Europe and India. All these individual Tibetan associations have their own volunteer members who plan things locally. This local planning is a tremendous waste of time and energy. Think of all the time all these individual associations spend in planning a protest. What we really need is one central Tibetan association in America that does all the planning for any upcoming protests. It gives out all the directives to all the individual associations. That kind of structure would eliminate all that unnecessary planning on the local level. We will have the added benefit of acting like a single group, and do things at a specified time and date. It would also have the benefit of being looked upon as a single large organization by other groups and the media, and we would be able to better communicate our goals. We can do the same thing with other organizations in America, Europe and India.
China has made a lot of progress and it is now at an amazing place in its history. The people of China enjoy a lot of freedom today; a lot of them who live in the large cities own their own homes and live a decent life. China has the most number of billionaires after the United States. There are over a hundred of them. All this change is good for those of us who dream of a Free Tibet or genuine autonomy. Life was peaceful in Tibet until the recent protests. The Chinese government is making an earnest effort to promote a peaceful life in Tibet. Of-course, the people there are not enjoying freedoms as in America or India, but still is far better than what it once used to be. It is really in the self interest of China to have as little conflict in Tibet or anywhere else in China as possible. We all know that fact.
If we were somehow to become such a pain for China that at some point they grow so weary of us that they just want to get rid of Tibet altogether. Wouldn’t that be nice? But China is not going to do such a thing. It will squash any revolt in Tibet before it rises to any significant size. The recent protest really included a tiny number of Tibetan people in Tibet. We would be fooling ourselves if we hope that the whole population of Tibet will revolt. This will not happen because China will not allow it to happen. Tibetans in Tibet don’t live a dog’s life and for them to revolt, they need a very good reason. Tibetans there would need a very good reason to risk their lives and revolt enmasse. A scenario like this is even difficult to imagine, considering the level of planning it requires, not to mention a lot of people will have to be willing to sacrifice there lives. And the premise that a lot of Tibetans in Tibet would put themselves in harms way is being a little too optimistic because they are the ones who live there and the ones who know that life is really not that hard under the Chinese.
There is something already called the TAR or the Tibet Autonomous Region. When there is something called that, why doesn’t China agree to usher in the Dalai Lama and make Tibet his permanent home? Even if China agrees to make Tibet a genuine autonomy, it would have to deal with only a small number of Tibetans from around the world coming into Tibet to live there. And it would even help the local economy of Tibet by bringing in all these new people, many of whom will bring their life savings with them to set-up shop permanently in Tibet. So, why is China reluctant in making Tibet a genuine autonomy? HH the Dalai Lama has said that he only wishes genuine autonomy. So, why does the CCP act like he is the devil incarnate, which they have actually called him on many occasions? Why will they not accept his request for a dialogue? What is it that China, this country that is one of the greatest nations in the world and has no doubt a great future, so afraid of Tibet? Split the motherland, is what they say the Dalai Lama is trying to do. But he has said over and over again, he only wants genuine autonomy.
Why is China being so unaccommodating to the requests of HH the Dalai Lama? What is in Tibet that China needs so desperately? There is no oil in Tibet. All the timber is in the western part of Tibet is already a part of China and not included in the TAR. Tibet is located in a very significant location for China. Tibet sits just south of the border of China and the proximity to China seems to be a reason why China will never free Tibet. China obviously does not want an American military base sitting just south of their border. All of that is common sense. Are they afraid that things in Tibet can cause trouble elsewhere in China, where different ethnic minorities live? There is the obvious question of Hong Kong and Taiwan. But they have really nothing to do with Tibet, nor does giving immunity to Tibet a real threat to the “splitting of the motherland” as China so claims. The thought that China should not have any real problems giving Tibet autonomy is a comforting thought. It would not loose anything by declaring Tibet a real autonomy.
I think that HH the Dalai Lama is in a great position politically. He has always said that he is only a simple monk. He has also said that he spends 80% of his time doing his prayers and 20% on Tibet. Where ever he goes, he has never once openly spoken politically about Tibet. He was always played a role as a monk on his trips around the world. And he has only called for genuine autonomy and not complete freedom of Tibet. It is significant in the way HH the Dalai Lama has not acted like a politician but has always played the role of a religious leader. Because the Dalai Lama was never an active political player, he can claim to China that he is open to dialogue and willing to compromise on the complete freedom of Tibet. Had HH the Dalai Lama played a very active political game with China, he would not be able to claim that he is open to negotiations. He has not given China any reason to vilify him so badly, but they do it none the less. It does not make sense practically why China would not be willing to refuse a dialogue with the Dalai Lama. Another reason why the Dalai Lama calls himself just a monk and nothing else may have to do with, well, more politics. Since trade relations are extremely important between countries, no country would want to willingly want to ruffle the feathers of China at its own loss. When premiers of nations meet HH the Dalai Lama, they would be meeting HH the Dalai Lama, the simple monk, and not a politician.
HH the Dalai Lama received the Congressional Gold medal. At the award ceremony, President George W. Bush, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi were present, along with a packed room of senators, and house representatives. Ms. Pelosi visited Dharamsala, India accompanied with several other congressmen to greet the Dalai Lama. She was in India with a delegation comprising of other members of the Congress primarily to talk about the global energy needs and global warming. Nevertheless, she urged China to not use aggressive force to quell the peaceful protestors in Tibet. These are all very overt support for Tibet from the United States of America. And we should all know that what the United States does, they have their self interests ahead of anyone else’s. This show of support by the America for Tibet will disappear the moment relations between America and China improve. This is nothing but politics as usual. But we don’t care about politics right now; we are just happy that America has sort of put its arm over our shoulder and lent its support, no matter brief that proves to be.
Another thing that is not working for Tibet is that claim that there are gross violations of human rights going on in Tibet. The crisis in Tibet is not on the scale of Darfur, and some of the other African nations. The human rights violations that are happening in Tibet are not that important to the world anymore, it seems. We can say all we want about human rights in Tibet but there is no real genocide going on there. We don’t really have the attention of the world, if we claim that there are gross violations of human rights in Tibet. The claim that cultural genocide is going on in Tibet is also something that pales in comparison to the war in Iraq, or Darfur or Palestine etc. The fact of the matter is that Tibet was rarely ever in the news for the last two decades. But the recent spot light on Tibet is a step in the right direction. We need to keep Tibet in the eyes and the minds of the world at large.
After looking at a myriad things at the same time, I think we can be more hopeful for the future. The unprecedented pace of economic and social progress in China is not only great for China but it is also a god send for Tibet. As the China gets more democratic and its people enjoy more freedom, it is very possible at some point and time in the future, the Chinese people will look at Tibet in a different way. The government of China will have to oblige to the wishes of its people, if they were to think that Tibet should be given autonomy. This is obviously a very rosy scenario of the future but not entirely unthinkable. But it does fall in our hands to keep the issue of Tibet alive. We need great leaders who are willing to lead us. And we need to do more than what we have done in the past and we have to do things a little differently. We owe to all our supporters all over the world, be they American, Japanese, Chinese, French etc… It is very likely, that not too in the distant future, we will be able to go to an autonomous Tibet and savor that moment. If we keep pressing, there is no wall high enough that the human spirit can not scale.
I thank you for reading this essay. Thank you.
Hi,
I have scanned several articles and videos of yours. As you are holding your views and I am holding mine about the history, Dalai Lama and Tibet’s independence, won’t argue here.
Anyway, you surely are a brave strong woman, yes I can imagine there would be a lot of obstacles,caused by every difference we have rather than only the ‘human right’ thing, for you to get through, good luck to you.
I personally don’t care about Tibet/Xizang issue, if all the Tibetans really want freedom, and caused such a huge critical political issue right before Olympics, I’d rather leave it for you. If my country invested billions of Yuan only to gain your blame, let alone many people semi-forced to give up own life decades before to go there and develop that land, I’d rather her and many of them haven’t do this. And about what is showing on the western media, being in this position as you, I bet you know there was extreme exaggeration and bias, or you choose not to listen to our voice.
Here are some questions I have, no quarrel, and you are free to delete, blame, ignore, up to you Im just wondering, they are also for many of you:
Have you ever been to Xizang?
I have been near around Sichuan/Xizang when I was 17, and went to Qinghai/Xinjiang 2 years ago. I have been to Kumbum Monastery, which, I was told, is one of the biggest and historical Monasteries in your culture. Met some people, not so many I have to admit coz it wasn’t Xizang anyway.
They have their own way of living,very very traditional and loyal, with the baby girls kneed down and up to move toward the Monastery ,sorry if I used wrong English not really good at it, and they can’t speak English/Chinese at all. And citizens, they were very friendly and pure, don’t even know the outside world. But the monks actually are using very very good mobiles..( one I saw showed two while texting..) And I saw cars there, not good in your standard, but fairly good for us in China.
I have a friend once walked around Xizang with only one friend for a month or so, and met a lot of ppl there, and he didn’t mention at all violence or human rights thing, instead, he was shocked by the ppl and culture there and love there deeply, me too tho I havent been to the heart of Xizang.
So, what I am concerned is, do you really understand their need lhadon? I mean no harm but as a Chinese I am really clear the world doesn’t know what we Chinese ppl need, cause we are so different. When on Tower Bridge, a man shouted like ‘free yourselves from your government.’ which I found a bit funny cause we were protecting our torch rather than calling for our own ‘rights’, I have to mention there were ppl who stayed in Britain for 7+ years, whose brain to some point should have been washed back by the western media. Yes, the western think we are suffering from lack of human rights so deeply and we should fight, now that we don’t fight so we are brain washed. It doesn’t make sense, cause we are so different. I spent 4 hours to explain to my Polish flatmate till 3am. My English is poor but is much better than most of students in my school.
The same thing to Tibetan. Can you speak your own language? Sorry to be rude. But how do they express themselves? How can you insure them not to be pressed by u exiled ppl who are more acceptable by the western well they can’t even be understood but they remain the traditions more. You are much more different from them than we are. That will surely be very painful.
Have you considered their future once they are actually freed? Have you ever some how had a clue that you/Tibet may have been used for political reasons to against us? If, let’s assume, that you finally freed Tibet, do you think you/Tibet will still be used as a political/religional issue by some countries?Like Iraq?
maybe, you will shout at me like it’s none of my business. Yes it is your own issue, none for me, but that is why im here writing this down.
We owned you continuously for thousands of years, before Britain/Austrilia set up. We fought with each other for thousands of years, the ancient king of yours married our 2 princesses.
Search Tibet on wikipedia, have a look at Dalai Lama, why he exiles. and the history, it is all there.
I was born proudly to be a Chinese. I love peace. I call for stop of violence. I call for all other power close their months, push them to a talk and listen. You missed the Tibetan’s voice for long, but you haven’t heard the Chinese voice as well. Our waving and tears, our BBS and blogs, we also need to be heard.
*I tried my best to use words properly, anyway I apologize if some of my words showed strange accent or was not polite enough.
I hate you. Die you filthy disgusting whore. You are a sad pitiful excuse. You think you’re so cool and unique you’re not. You are a common whore and do not deserve anything good in life. I want you to rot and die. I want you to suffer. I hate you. You ugly piece of shit. You fucking slant eyed whore.
Thank You very much for your support for a just cause!
ZhouXiu, you said that you don’t personally care about the Tibet issue, but I think that you should. Here is the reason why: The issue of Tibet will have to be resolved sometime in the future and this can not go on for ever. I say that not because i am a Tibetan but I think that China can not afford to ignore the problem. China is a nation that is not like any nation in the world. China is the first nation in the world that has the ability to challenge American both economically and militarily in the future. Right now US is the only hyperpower in the world. A hyperpower is different than a superpower in that a hyperpower has both economic and military superiority in the world and it exerts its force on the rest of the world. China is a superpower right now but in order to compete with the US, it will have to be a hyperpower and to be the most powerful nation in the world will come with its own responsibilities. Which means that it wiill not be able to ignore greviences like Tibet. A hyperpower is basically like America and people from other parts of the world want to come and be a part of the country. Here is a link to a site, and it is by Amy Chua, Law professor at Yale university. She thinks that China will not be a hyperpower like the US.
http://forum.wgbh.org/wgbh/forum.php?lecture_id=3975
And another argument is that China is really a Democracy in transition. China has a market economy now unlike in the past. It is true about what you said that China is no more the China of the past. It should have come as a striking example to the rest of the world, the leniency showed by China in the recent protests in Tibet. The military did not use any real military action. I think that the picture of the soldiers covering themselves with see-through shields is representative of the present policy of China. They really don’t see the need to use force any more. It is not in the interest of China to use overt force anymore, all signals pertaining to the growing changes in China.
..This comment system is a bit weird..anyway
I fairly understand your view thro these days talk. And I reviewed my old comment(posted a week before) to catch up with your reply.
You are right that I should, and you really did a lot of research on China(surprising!). Now I have to say, emphasis again, during this week, my mind changed dramatically, all the Chinese people’s focus changed dramatically. Now we all care. we all heard. So once again I am saying you won, partly.
But the whole nation is crying. which I explained fully on the comment of another article here. Extreme action never helps. Every leg afterwards will be protected by our students/ ppl living abroad. Topics of protection and support almost filled every BBS/website. (which you may again miss on the TV but we don’t give a damn anymore).
Once again, the best way to solve it is to talk to our people, leave it till olympic closes.
Anyway I would like you to answer my questions on the above comment plz?
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Don’t know where you are now. I am currently doing internship in London. When I back home I will have some free time. If you want to come to China for a look, I can invite you or help you a bit.
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I came across an article written by another Tibetan, paste for you as followed:
Just simply from this thread its easy for me to see why there is such controversy involving Tibet and why people can not come together to resolve this peacefully.
On one side you have the Chinese people who believe that the Dahli Lama is some kind of terrorist plot leader (engraved in their mind by Government propaganda) and that the protests are fueled by the Western media to divide China, and attempting to stop her from her way to becoming one of the leading world powers, which it already is.
On the other side, you have people from the west, most of whom are uneducated on the history of Tibet, and argues to “free Tibet” whom they believe that Tibet was taken by force in recent history by the “big evil” communist government oppressed all freedom taken away from them. And instead of creating peaceful dialog like those the Lama has advocated, these people protest violently, even call for the boycott of the very game that will promote peace and dialog in a country that very much need it to resolve the conflict.
Been a Tibetan, I lived in Lasa until 15 when my family moved to England and ultimately here to Houston and still make occasional trips to see my extended family all of whom still lives in rural villages spread across Tibet and China, it really pains me to see the conflict and divide this has caused. From what I have seen, read, and heard from both sides, its clear to me that neither side really knows the entire story and refuse to acknowledge the changes that are needed.
1st of all those who argue that nothing is wrong with Tibet and that the Lama is a separatist who looks to divide China needs to put down their crack pipes and look at the issue clearly. The great Lama is a spiritual leader that is important to all native Tibetan people, and the fact that he is now seen as a political leader is caused by the very doing of the Chinese government. Who, ironically with fears of a religion that calls for the peace and harmony of all, tries to micromanage all aspects of our religion and make changes that they feel is “modern” such as dividing and handout lands that belong to our places of worship and places of peaceful worship.
And they send “religious” officials from Beijing or some other East coast modern cities, who honestly have no idea of our religion and which in turn creates many misunderstandings and conflict from it.
The protests for these freedoms that started this, was suppose to be a peaceful affair, suppose to bring light to these situation with the closeness of the upcoming Olympics so the government can bring changes. Yet these peaceful protest turned into riots, and destruction of many people’s homes and business. The violence was not a result of those of us who wished for more religious freedoms, but by those who are poor, who can not afford food and such things due to the price of inflation by the fast growing Chinese economy. So instead of what is suppose to be peaceful call for more religious freedom turned into the chaos that you saw on TV. All this came from great social divide of the rich and poor created by the Chinese government’s economic program that simply have no respect and care for those who are not wealthy.
2ndly The media and so called “activists” in the west really needs to shut their mouth, instead of learning our history and find out what we need and call for. These mindless fools, who have never set foot on Tibetan soil
blindly follow others in protests to “Free Tibet”.
Tibet IS a part of China, that is something that my people have come to live with and agree with a long time ago. We call for a special state within China where we are allowed to manage our own cultural and religious affairs,
and return the Lama to his true rule, to guide my people in our worship.We do not want separation from China, simply because Tibet will not survive without a massive aid, from food and power, to services provided by the
Chinese government. Those who have not been to Tibet only sees the post card of our majestic temples and breathtakingly beautiful mountain views, do not see the other parts of Tibet outside of Lasa. Which is vast rocky wasteland, where few things grow, where the thing that we can grow is small patches of crops that is only enough to feed a few not to make a living out of.
The Chinese government, despite their arrogance and refusal to cooperate and dialog, has brought a economical system to Tibet. They built schools, hospitals, transportation, and most importantly created a steady stream of
tourists from all over china to which we have made a living off. We now have power and running water, which my grandparents never had. In fact my father was one of the first group of Tibetans to be educated in the schools built by the chinese government and he now makes a very comfortable for one of the largest oil companies in the world because of it, not bad for a son of a old fashioned blacksmith.
We have no oil, little valuable minerals and raw materials to which we can trade, only small patches of semi futile land for subsistence farming, and small pastures that can support the little flocks of yaks and goats that
will survive in such barren lands. And the only thing that is keeping us afloat is our connection with the rest of China.
The Chinese economy, despite the great social gap it has created, has made our living conditions better then those of our ancestors. Something that I do not believe could have happened without the intervention of the Chinese. So despite the bad things that came along with such intervention, a lot of good things did arise from it.
So please next time you guys try to argue “for Tibetan freedom” or “nothing is wrong with Tibet”, please think of us Tibetans please first. Because is because of such misunderstandings and refusal of cooperation and dialog that
we came to this point in our history.
Stuck in the middle between China’s mindless quest for global dominance and the self righteous fools in western nations and mobs of “Tibetan separatists” who have never set foot on our land is those of us who was born and raised there, and have family there still having to live with such affairs.
Because in the end everyone have their own agenda, and nobody have a real about the real issue. And us Tibetans have to live with this tragic reminder everyday.