Beijing Wide Open

Just in case anyone had any doubts that the real issue at stake in Tibet is one of freedom, the monks of the Jokhang have now risked everything to send this message to the world. They ran into the middle of the strictly controlled tour of foreign media when it reached the Jokhang (Tibet’s holiest temple), crying out to the journalists that the Chinese government is “lying” and trying to “trick” them into thinking everything is fine in Tibet. Through their tears they explained that there is no freedom in Tibet and that the Dalai Lama is not to blame for the protests. » Read the rest of this entry «

BREAKING NEWS:
Tibet Monks Disrupt Tour by Journalists

By CHARLES HUTZLER, AP

LHASA, China (AP) — A group of Tibetan monks disrupted a tour by foreign reporters to Lhasa Thursday, complaining that there is no religious freedom and that the Dalai Lama is not to blame for recent violence.

About 30 monks surged into a carefully stage-managed visit to the sacred Jokang Temple in Lhasa by foreign reporters. They yelled “Tibet is not free. Tibet is not free.”

They also said their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, had nothing to do with recent anti-government riots by Tibetans in Lhasa, where buildings were torched and ethnic Han Chinese were attacked. Government handlers tried to pull the journalists away when the monks protested. » Read the rest of this entry «

Here they are. Look at them carefully and please remember their faces. If you want to understand the plight of Tibetans under China and if you want to know why Tibetans despise Chinese rule as deeply as they do, then read about these men and what they stand for. Zhang Qingli, Wang Lequan, and Li Dezhu aren’t the only ones responsible but they are integral pieces of the puzzle and their views speak volumes about Chinese racism towards Tibetans and other oppressed people under China’s fist, like the Uighurs of East Turkestan. The policies these three men promote make chillingly clear China’s plans for the future of Tibet.

An article in the Sunday Times entitled “Ethnic repression in Tibet masterminded by faceless trio,” exposes the sickness of their minds. May they be faceless no longer.

The world is not changing China. China is changing the world - bringing oppression wherever it goes.

The Olympic Torch will be lit in ancient Olympia tomorrow and everything it stands for is being compromised and undermined by China’s brutal policies in Tibet, East Turkestan, Southern Mongolia, Darfur, and, of course, China itself.

Even as I write this, the Chinese government is undermining Greek democracy. SFT’s Deputy Director, Tenzin Dorjee, is being followed by Greek undercover police as he tries to make his way to Olympia to peacefully express his views in opposition to China’s occupation of Tibet and the bloody crackdown that is taking place there right now. Just two weeks ago, Chinese agents took over the small town of Olympic and directed Greek agents to stop young Tibetans from entering the area where the flame is lit. » Read the rest of this entry «

I ran into a friend on the street today. He’s a monk from Kirti monastery. He’s from Amdo, Ngaba, where there has been intense protests against Chinese rule in the past week. At least 15 people are reported to have been killed by Chinese military. What I didn’t realize until I met my friend today, is that his sister is one of those people.

This editorial, currently featured on Guerrilla News Network (GNN), was written by one Tibet’s greatest supporters and a former board member of Students for a Free Tibet.

The Occupiers’ Burden, By Josh Schrei

Is the Dalai Lama’s pacifist stance helping or hurting the Tibetan cause?

Over the last 19 years since the last significant pro-independence protests in Tibet, the Chinese government has weathered a growing Tibet movement active, for the most part until this week, outside of the country’s borders. They’ve taken the occasional wrist slaps from world leaders over their rights policies in Tibet, suffered through the negative publicity of two damning Hollywood films ( Kundun and Seven Years in Tibet) and high profile concerts, dealt with the annoyance of protests whenever and wherever their leaders travel abroad, and grumbled loudly over the Dalai Lama’s continued popularity among world citizens and world governments. » Read the rest of this entry «

“When people decide to be free, there is no power in the world that can stop them.”
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu

The Tibetan people have decided to be free. You can see them in the streets. You can see them shouting. You can see them riding on horses and hoisting Tibetan flags atop Chinese government buildings. You can also see them burning Chinese flags, razing police stations to the ground, and breaking mostly things that belong to the Chinese government. After 50 years of living under oppression, Tibetans are desperate and we’re showing it. We’re crying out that we too want the same freedom that the rest of the world enjoys.

It saddens us to see many in the mainstream media sensationalizing and focusing on the story of “Tibetan violence.” Is this really the story? Are Tibetans really the perpetrators of the violence? » Read the rest of this entry «