 Dearest Friends
@ CAS,
We are sending to
you all, excerpts from different angles on the current Tibetan
revolt against the Chinese occupation of their country. This
is revolt against what they feel is prolonged suppresion,
subtle or overt, of their culture, belief, language.
At the risk of being "unfair",
the great unhappiness we are complaining about below, we
acknowledge here that our online message mainly presents from
the points of views, we feel, not fully represented
locally, that is, the points of views from the Tibetans, the informed
Singaporeans and the world press.
The Chinese versions have been
more than often broadcasted.
____________
We are dismayed by
what we believe is, yet again, grossly one-sided coverage
of this matter, only from the point of view of China.
We understand the economic advantages and
political capital to be gained from siding with the probable victor
but we feel that decent fairness, at least to a reasonable
degree, could still be observed.
For our unknowing friends, it will
really help to see the position of the person who is reported:
Are the interviews, quotes given
in the local media only provided from the point of view of China
??
what does the "other side"
have to say about the matter ??
Has there been any reasonable or
fair coverage, besides slim snippets, of the Dalai Lama's
point of view ??
Also, who has to gain from
reporting in this way ??
Is it in the interest of the current ruling
party to report from and side with China ??
If so, it may affirm unfair censorship
and loopsided coverage as the foremost interest of "rational"
organizations are survival and / or expansion of its "rule"
cum influence and the furthering of their own national
interests.
While we certainly feel
indignant, we also empathise with the position they have decided
to adopt, in the name of national interest, good of the majority or
even simply, perceived method to self-preservation.
____________
The Tibetans, not to say,
the monks resorting to violence have gone against the consistent
stand and advice of their beloved leader and have transgressed
the religious precepts of the Buddha.
This reaction to brutal and brazen Chinese
rule may be justified in-principle, but can never be
endorsed as "skilfull" or "wholesome" action from the point of
view of the Buddha's teachings.
____________
That said, it appears that our
lcoal media have not just chosen to report what the Chinese
Foreign Ministry said, what the governor of Tibet say, what
the pro-Chinese residents in Tibet say. There is strangely no
report of what the Dalai Lama says !! He is THE other critical
player in the affair.
We are one of the rare
minorities in the world who are parroting China. What we
read and have easy access to are so different from what the rest
of the world has avenue to.
____________
Also, it is clear that our
local media has highlighted the "damages" and "destruction"
of the "Tibetan trouble-makers"
What we feel is shamelessly
missing is the media's almost complete absence to account for
the reason behind the uproar !!
China over-ruling the Dalai Lama
and selecting their own Panchen Lama candidate. We should
not forget that the Tibetan Masters mean everything to their students. Running
over the Dalai Lama's choice of the second seniormost figure in
their faith is tantamount to slashing their mother's
cheeks.
The Dalai Lama's chosen Panchen
Lama candidate has now been under house-arrest for decades
and he is the world's youngest ever political prisoner. Calls
from every concerned country in the world calling for
release of the incarcerated boy were all arrogantly ignored and
reciprocated with bluffs of how these calls were hurting
the feelings of all one billion Chinese and that these calls were
"western imperialistic interventions"
The banning of the Dalai Lama's
picture even to be placed on the shrine for purely religious worship is
another rude poke in the Tibetans' eyes.
The easy and open arrest for prayer
session for the Dalai Lama on His birthday, the fanatical imposition
of ban and blatant arrest for lighting incense on the anniversary
of the Dalai Lama being awarded the Nobel Prize and
all can never go down well with a people aggrieved at the obscene
excesses during the Cultural Revolution -- merely 20 to 30 years
back -- where they witnessed their fathers' faces smashed with
shoes, clubs and all a few thousand times in a single night in
the communist "Struggle Sessions", their grandmothers being
spat, kicked and brutalized in every way unimaginable.
To
curtail the influence of the Dalai Lama, policies limiting the
number of monks who could be admittied into some of Tibet's
greatest monasteries were ruthlessly enforced. Even in far-flung
places with unusually high percentage of Chinese Sangha in residence
together wuth their Tibetan counterparts such as in Serta, the
late Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok's monastery, the administration sent
in tanks and soldiers. Temples and monasteries where the pure
Dharma was taught and practiced were literally, physically crushed.
Monks and nuns tracked across the Bordering upon the incredible, the Chinese administration funded anything which they could make use of to curtail the Dalai Lama's influences and to stay entrenched in power, such as splurging on the construction of as many "shugden" temples ( a spirit banned by the Dalai Lama ) and building many "Bon" temples ( Tibet's pre-Buddhist belief ) in Tibet and its surrounding areas. The stubborn but probably darkly
strategic insistence on education in the Chinese language but
not in Tibetan has caused generations of semi-literate Tibetans
and is showing us now of generations of Tibetans who can read
and write Chinese but cannot write Tibetan.
This has barred the Tibetans from
their traditional literature and sacred texts. It is almost a
standard procedure for new ruling dynasties to twist and limit
the linguistic competencies-
The economic progress has grotesquely
widened the rich-poverty gap and very much so in Tibet where financial
progress has been passed on to mainly the Chinese merchants
but not the common Tibetans who now find themselves, overwhelmed
numerically in their own capital. They see giggling Chinese girls posing
beside their holiest shrines, quaint hats over crooked mouths, being
shot with gleaming cameras they will never afford in their lives,
while devout pilgrims prostrating around them, so near the tourists' petite
feet, to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for the liberation
and happiness of "mother sentient beings".
The list goes on and on and on
and on and on.........
I certainly can understand the
very deep resentment and the abject desperation.
It is too easy to understand the
massive rage indeed.
____________
From the impression I have, the
present Chinese administration has had a bad history of slaughtering
its own people then denying it. It blocks out news reports in
the world from reaching its people and on the other hand, weaves
tales and lies to hide its hideous acts, pushing the blame to
a "small" group of people while pounding its chest
pretending to speak on behalf of every Chinese that walks and
lives: "The one billion Chinese condemns this small group
of XXX ? "This is hurting the feelings of one billion Chinese
comrades !!"
____________
Don't we deserve to know the full
story ??
Who will like to remain foolish
puppets to be manipulated by what is decided for them as what they
are allowed to read and know ??
We feel sick of atrributing the
Tibetans' anger and revolt at being merely triggered off by "backward"
and "simple" Tibetans who have been foolishly manipulated by the
"Dalai clique" and the "Dalai clique", in turn, being
pathetique pawns of the western powers, sore at losing their
central stage in the world.
I think the Chinese leaders themselves
have to be careful not to be made use of by wily businessman drooling
for a cheap slice of commercial contract by pretending to scold
the Dalai Lama and to kow-tow to China's position on
Tibet. Think of Rupert Murdoch's opportunistic comment of
the Dalai Lama's supposed shuffling around in Gucci shoes
( His Holiness meets American Presidents in the White
House in a Buddhist monk's sandals actually ) during
a crucial negotiation. He won the bid.
____________
I do not mean to be apologetic for the violent reaction, not for the Tibetans' revolt nor for the infinitely harsher suppression of the Chinese army. Fears of condemnation from all
over the world for the over-use of force against Tibetans armed
with sitcks and stones have triggered off yet more alleged lies
of minimal casualties, peaceful surrender.
We can only shake our heads in the
face of so much samsaric visions.
This has also reminded us of
Myanmar last year where only one-sided coverage is given as it
is perceived to be, probably, unfortunately, in the interest of
the majority.
____________
One crucial issue involved
here but which again our friends may not be infomed is
that the Dalai Lama has declared to the world and China
since1989 that He is not asking for independence from China.
He only seeks genuine autonomy and respect for the Tibetans'
rights to preserve their belief and culture.
The Dalai Lama's inclusive
"Middle-Way" approach has met with China's harsh rebuffs and
pre-conditions that they will only begin to talk if the Dalai
Lama declares Tibet and Taiwan to be integral Chinese territory.
China wants the Dalai
Lama to renounce His right to choose Tibetan reincarnate
Masters. China states this as a pre-condition for talks. The
A non-theistic, irreligious communist regime's authority in
this area is absolutely unacceptable for any Tibetan Buddhist.
The Dalai Lama could
hardly meet the above pre-conditions so as Tibet had indeed been
both, at different periods, independent and a dependency
of China for centuries. Tibet had in fact invaded Tang Dynastic
China, winning, in addition, Princess Wen Cheng as bride to
the then Tibetan King. Tibet's political independence
is a matter of heated contention and the Dalai Lama has
no authority even to twist historical realities.
____________
CAS may yet again be a solitary
voice on 'sensitive' issues related to His Holiness. The other
Buddhist centres, Tibetan ones or not, have all learnt self-censorship,
bashful disguises and adoption of the Dalai Lama at convenient
times. We respect their concerns, whether valid or not, and their silence
of course. We will nevertheless try to assert truthfulness
into the hands of our friends in CAS.
"Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma
Sambuddhassa.
"Namo Amituofo."
bb @ CAS of Thousand Arm
Chenrezig
____________
From Asiaone.com
[ Singapore's main online daily ]
Hey,
how come we have very different news then the rest of the world? come
on la
____________
That
article titled "No return to old In
addition to that article titled "No return to old ____________
Press Release from the Office
of the Dalai Lama
------------
Contacts: Chhime R. Chhoekyapa, Secretary
Mobile + 91 (09816021879)
Tenzin Taklha, Joint Secretary
Mobile + 91
(09816021813)
PRESS RELEASE
I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep
gratitude to
world leaders and the international community for their concern
over the
recent sad turn of events in Tibet and for their attempts
to persuade
the Chinese authorities to exercise restraint in dealing
with the
demonstrations.
Since the Chinese Government has accused me of orchestrating
these
protests in Tibet, I call for a thorough investigation by
a respected
body, which should include Chinese representatives, to look
into these
allegations. Such a body would need to visit Tibet, the traditional
Tibetan areas outside the Tibet Autonomous Region, and also
the Central
Tibetan Administration here in India. In order for the international
community, and especially the more than one billion Chinese
people who
do not have access to uncensored information, to find out
what is really
going on in Tibet, it would be of tremendously helpful if
representatives of the international media also undertook
such
investigations.
Whether it was intended or not, I believe that a form of
cultural
genocide has taken place in Tibet, where the Tibetan identity
has been
under constant attack. Tibetans have been reduced to an insignificant
minority in their own land as a result of the huge transfer
of
non-Tibetans into Tibet. The distinctive Tibetan cultural
heritage with
its characteristic language, customs and traditions is fading
away.
Instead of working to unify its nationalities, the Chinese
government
discriminates against these minority nationalities, the Tibetans
among them.
It is common knowledge that Tibetan monasteries, which constitute
our
principal seats of learning, besides being the repository
of Tibetan
Buddhist culture, have been severely reduced in both in number
and
population. In those monasteries that do still exist, serious
study of
Tibetan Buddhism is no longer allowed; in fact, even admission
to these
centres of learning is being strictly regulated. In reality,
there is no
religious freedom in Tibet. Even to call for a little more
freedom is to
risk being labeled a separatist. Nor is there any real autonomy
in
Tibet, even though these basic freedoms are guaranteed by
the Chinese
constitution.
I believe the demonstrations and protests taking place in
Tibet are a
spontaneous outburst of public resentment built up by years
of
repression in defiance of authorities that are oblivious
to the
sentiments of the local populace. They mistakenly believe
that further
repressive measures are the way to achieve their declared
aim of
long-term unity and stability.
On our part, we remain committed to taking the Middle Way
approach and
pursuing a process of dialogue in order to find a mutually
beneficial
solution to the Tibetan issue.
With these points in mind, I also seek the international
community?"
support for our efforts to resolve Tibet's problems through
dialogue,
and I urge them to call upon the Chinese leadership to exercise
the
utmost restraint in dealing with the current disturbed situation
and to
treat those who are being arrested properly and fairly.
Dalai Lama
Dharamsala
March 18, 2008
____________
------------
In quotes: Reaction to Tibet protests
------------
BBC News
Monday, 17 March 2008
Governments around the world have urged China to use
restraint in
dealing with Tibetan protesters, and called for dialogue
between the two
sides to ease tensions.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, US SECRETARY OF STATE
We urge China to respect the fundamental and universally
recognised
right of all of its citizens to peacefully express their
political and
religious views, and we call on China to release monks
and others who
have been detained solely for the peaceful expression
of their views.
LORD MALLOCH BROWN, UK FOREIGN OFFICE MINISTER
With the Olympics ahead, they really will pay a terrible
cost in
international public opinion if they're seen to violently
crack down on
dissidents.
And I very much hope they will take that to heart, and
they will find a
way to talk this through, and start the dialogue which
is long overdue
in Tibet.
PRANAB MUKHERJE, INDIAN FOREIGN MINISTER
We are distressed by reports of the unsettled situation
and violence in
Lhasa and by the deaths of innocent people.
We hope all those involved will work to improve the situation
and remove
the causes of such trouble in Tibet, which is an autonomous
region of
China, through dialogue and non-violent means.
MASAHIKO KOMURA, JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER
I would like to know clearly what the situation is and
the facts behind
what has happened.
I hope all parties involved will deal with this calmly
and ensure that
the number of those killed and injured does not worsen
any further.
STATEMENT, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTRY
With the approach of the Olympic Games, which ought to
be a great show
of fraternity, France would like to draw the attention
of the Chinese
authorities to the importance of respecting human rights.
STATEMENT, GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTRY
Everything must be done to prevent a further escalation
of the situation
and to enable a peaceful end to the conflict.
Minister (Frank-Walter) Steinmeier calls on his Chinese
counterparts to
offer as much transparency as possible over the events
in Tibet.
NAVTEJ SARNA, INDIAN EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTRY SPOKESMAN
We hope that all those involved will work to improve
the situation and
remove the causes of such trouble in Tibet, which is
an autonomous
region of China, through dialogue and non-violent means.
KEVIN RUDD, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER
These most recent developments in Tibet are disturbing
and, from my
point of view, I would call upon the Chinese authorities
to exercise
restraint.
____________
------------
EU urges China to show restraint in Tibet (Reuters)
------------
BRUSSELS, Mar 14 (Reuters) - European Union leaders urged
China on
Friday to show restraint in Tibet following an outbreak
of violence in
Lhasa during pro-independence demonstrations, French
Foreign Minister
Bernard Kouchner said.
"We asked for restraint on the part of the Chinese authorities.
We
asked for human rights to be respected. There is strong
condemnation,
coming from all the European Council and the 27 countries,"
Kouchner
told reporters.
____________
------------
Statement of Senator Barack Obama on the situation
in Tibet
------------
Chicago, IL, March 14-- "I am deeply disturbed by reports
of a
crackdown and arrests ordered by Chinese authorities
in the wake of
peaceful protests by Tibetan Buddhist monks. I condemn
the use of
violence to put down peaceful protests, and call on
the Chinese
government to respect the basic human rights of the
people of Tibet,
and to account for the whereabouts of detained Buddhist
monks.
____________
------------
After Tibet violence, Germany halts aid talks
with China
------------
Wed, 19 Mar 2008
DPA
Berlin - Responding to the violence in Tibet, Germany
announced
Wednesday it was freezing aid talks with Beijing
which mainly involve
grants to reduce air pollution by power plants. The
move marks a fresh
upset in Berlin-Beijing relations, which had only
recently been patched
up after the Chinese were angered at Chancellor Angela
Merkel receiving
the Dalai Lama in her office in September last year.
The inter-government aid talks, set to begin in May,
would not begin
until the violence has stopped, said German Development
Aid Minister
Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul. "Force can never be the
solution," she said.
"The two sides can only arrive at a solution through
dialogue. Under
such conditions, it is hardly conceivable to be conducting
inter-government negotiations.
____________
------------
Dalai Lama has a powerful
hand
------------
by David Williamson,
Western Mail
Mar 20 2008
THE Dalai Lama possesses the power to snuff out China's Olympic
torch.
Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg all hope to meet
the Tibetan
spiritual leader on his next visit to the UK.
He wants China out of Tibet. The tight grip the Communist
superpower has
on his nation is, he fears, squeezing the life of its distinctive
culture. But he hasn't called for a boycott of the Olympics.
Instead, he
calls on China to become a worthy host.
This is a devastatingly powerful tactic. If he had announced
support for
Tibetan insurgents or called for the games to be abandoned
he would have
been a lone voice shouting on a distant mountain.
Instead, he is beginning to enjoy the clout that Desmond
Tutu had when
condemning the apartheid regime. Rather than matching the
worst actions
of his oppressors, he exhibited a graciousness they were
first shamed by
and then inspired into imitating.
Since the passing of Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa
and the
retirement of Billy Graham, Tutu and the Dalai Lama have
become the
world's pre-eminent religious celebrities as demonstrated
by the
hat-trick of party leaders queuing up for a photo-op.
This means that in his decades-long poker game with China,
the Dalai
Lama now possesses a remarkably powerful hand.
By not urging athletes to boycott the games at this time,
he has
established there could be a time to do so in the near future
if the
Tibetan crackdown continues.
Now that Steven Spielberg has abandoned his participation
in Beijing
2008 there is a precedent for not getting on the plane. Who
could put on
their tracksuit and not feel selfish and ridiculous if the
world has
seen pictures of beatings and the Dalai Lama has asked the
world's
athletes for a show of solidarity?
This is the situation China has been desperate to avoid.
It wanted to
use the games to cement its position as a proud and prosperous
country
poised to define the century.
Unlike Zimbabwe, it has not starved its population but lifted
millions
out of poverty. Unlike Russia, it has modernised without
handing power
to oligarchs and does not wave its missiles at the West.
Unlike Sudan, it has not overseen a purge of ethnic groups,
and unlike
Yugoslavia its many component states have not splintered
in a bloodbath.
Like the Olympians in training today, its people are working
hard and
motivated by a clear vision of success on the global stage.
Will the games be a flash of glory or a globe-transfixing
crucible of
embarrassment and scandal? The Dalai Lama and the Chinese
government
will have to strike a deal, and there is unlikely to be a
photo-call.
____________
------------
China Tries to Thwart News Reports From Tibet
------------
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
March 18, 2008
BEIJING ?The Chinese government is restricting foreign
journalists from
entering Tibet and neighboring areas, and blocking some
news, video and
Internet reports about the protests there from appearing
inside China,
according to journalists working here.
For the past few days, CNN, the BBC, Google News, Yahoo
and YouTube have
been blocked or have faced temporary blackouts or service
disruptions in
some parts of China. Some foreign journalists also say
their e-mail
service has been disrupted.
Such measures are not unusual here. China strictly censors
news that
appears in the Chinese media and occasionally disrupts
the activities of
international news organizations and foreign Web sites
operating in
China, particularly if the content they are distributing
is deemed
politically offensive to the government.
____________
------------
Mass abductions in midnight raids by Chinese
security forces in Lhasa
------------
TCHRD
16 March 2008
Hundreds of Tibetans are arbitrarily arrested in
the ongoing
house-by-house raid by Chinese security forces in
Lhasa beginning from
15 March 2008. All former political prisoners have
already been rounded
off and thrown into prisons by the security forces
according to
confirmed information received by the Tibetan Centre
for Human Rights
and Democracy (TCHRD).
With streets filled with patrolling Chinese armed
troops and tanks in
Lhasa city, the security agencies comb each and every
house in Lhasa and
pick up all suspected Tibetans, especially youth,
from their houses
accompanied by severe beatings by the armed forces.
In testimonies
received by TCHRD, mothers and elderlies in the families
helplessly plea
at security forces upon seeing their sons and loved
ones being beaten
and dragged away.
____________
------------
Dalai Lama's international profile enrages
Beijing
------------
By Richard McGregor in Beijing
Financial Times
March 16 2008
Beijing has depicted the violent protests in Tibet
over the past week as
the product of a dark conspiracy, led by the Dalai
Lama, and abetted by
foreign forces which want to 'split' China and
sabotage the 2008 Olympics.
____________
------------
Chinese seethe on Web over rare riots
in Tibet
------------
By Sophie Taylor
SHANGHAI March 15, 2008 (Reuters) - China's carefully
controlled media
may have remained largely silent on the unrest
in Tibet, but a look at
Chinese blogs reveals a vitriolic outpouring
of anger and nationalism
directed against Tibetans and the West.
China -- which routinely censors its news to
avoid stoking popular
sentiment -- has less of a stranglehold over
what is posted online, and
over 200 million enthusiastic Internet users.
On Saturday, a rash of angry blog posts appeared
after China confirmed
deaths in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, and U.S.
actor Richard Gere called
for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics should
the authorities mishandle
the protests.
"Westerners think they know all about China,
telling us that this, that
and the other is bad," wrote one blogger, who
listed historical reasons
justifying Tibet's inclusion as part of China.
"Most foreigners have been brainwashed as far
as this issue is
concerned," assented another user.
Other blogs were virulently nationalistic.
"If you behave well, we'll protect your culture
and benefits," said one
blogger, addressing Tibetans in China.
"If you behave badly, we'll still take care of
your culture ... by
putting it in a museum. I believe in the Han
(Chinese) people!"
Many blamed the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan
spiritual leader and
Nobel Peace Prize winner, for inciting the riots.
"Simple monks, simple Tibetans, do they even
know what is the driving
force behind the push for independence?
The view was echoed by some residents in Beijing,
due to host the
Olympics in less than six months' time.
"I think that the Chinese government has to cut
this cancer out. We can
start with the Dalai Lama, and even though we
don't have relations with
the Dalai Lama, we should arrest those who are
behind the riots," said
one man surnamed Song.
In striking contrast to the media blackout during
the Tiananmen protests
in 1989, China's flourishing online chatrooms,
bulletin boards and Web
logs means citizens have more opportunity to
air their opinions
publicly, even as censors rush to remove the
offending comments mere
hours later.
Some Web surfers expressed indignation at the
muzzled mainland Chinese
press, having only stumbled on reports of the
riots while browsing
international sites.
"The local papers haven't covered this. Luckily
for us there is still
online media," said one.
China, which has ruled Tibet since 1950, maintains
that the
predominantly Buddhist Himalayan region has been
traditionally part of
the country for centuries, a view taught exclusively
at Chinese schools.
Still, while most blog postings appeared to agree
with Beijing's
official stance, a rare few differed.
"I'm not some big Stalinist, and I don't share
the view that Tibet is
part of China. Every minority has the right to
choose its own path of
development,
four years.
(Editing by Ben Blanchard)
____________
------------
China rolls out tanks to suppress Tibet
Protests (TibetNet)
------------
TibetNet
March 15, 2008
Dharamshala: Chinese armed police have killed
around 100 Tibetans and
injured many others for taking part in peaceful
demonstrations,
according to unconfirmed sources. These protests
have spread from
Lhasa to all over Tibet both in intensity and
scale.
His Holiness The Dalai Lama has issued the
following statement today.
"I am deeply concerned over the situation that
has been developing in
Tibet following peaceful protests in many parts
of Tibet, including
Lhasa, in recent days. These protests are a
manifestation of the
deep-rooted resentment of the Tibetan people
under the present
governance.
As I have always said, unity and stability
under brute force is at
best a temporary solution. It is unrealistic
to expect unity and
stability under such a rule and would therefore
not be conducive to
finding a peaceful and lasting solution.
I therefore appeal to the Chinese leadership
to stop using force and
address the long-simmering resentment of the
Tibetan people through
dialogue with the Tibetan people. I also urge
my fellow Tibetans not
to resort to violence."
____________
------------
Chinese Security Forces Maintain
Calm in Lhasa
------------
By Stephanie Ho
Beijing, 16 March 2008 (VOA News) - China
says Lhasa is calm, two days
after peaceful street protests in the
Tibetan capital turned violent.
Beijing is stepping up its efforts to
blame the Dalai Lama for the
riots, while countries around the world
are urging Chinese authorities
to respond with restraint. VOA's Stephanie
Ho reports from Beijing.
Video images from Lhasa on international
television news channels Sunday
show Chinese police in riot gear, making
door to door searches.
Following several days of peaceful Tibetan
protests against Chinese rule
in Tibet, violence erupted in Lhasa last
Friday. Buildings were burned
to the ground, cars were set on fire
and at least 10 people were killed,
by official Chinese estimates.
Chinese authorities continued to level
blame for the violence at what it
calls "the Dalai clique," headed by Tibet's
exiled spiritual leader the
Dalai Lama, who lives in northern India.
Urgen Tenzin, with the Dharmsala-based
non-governmental organization,
the Tibetan Center for Human Rights and
Democracy, says these
accusations are baseless.
"They are blaming his holiness, the Dalai
Lama, for this demonstration,
which is totally wrong," said Tenzin.
"This is not true."
Tenzin says China is ruining its chance
of negotiating in good faith
with the Dalai Lama, who wants autonomy
for Tibet within China. Beijing
accuses him of seeking independence.
Tenzin expressed doubts about the Chinese
government's offer of leniency
to demonstrators who turn themselves
in or to people who inform on
others, before Tuesday.
"And when they get all the information
about the demonstrators,
definitely they will use action against
them, and I think the Tibetan
people will suffer," added Tenzin.
A Chinese government spokesman refused
to comment and referred questions
to official Chinese media reports.
Control of information is one important
aspect of the story.
International television news reports
of the Lhasa unrest have been
regularly cut off inside China, while
blog postings that present views
that differ from the official view are
quickly removed from the Internet.
Xiao Qiang, director of the China Internet
Project at the University of
California at Berkeley, says the Chinese
government does not want the
world to see one of its weaknesses.
"This event, if it tells us anything,
it tells us that the Chinese
government is not [as] in control as
they think they are or as they
claim they are," said Xiao.
Meanwhile, leaders around the world have
appealed for the Chinese
government not to resort to violence
in dealing with the demonstrators.
And international human rights groups
are calling for a United Nations
fact-finding mission to assess the situation
in Tibet.
The unrest and ensuing crackdown come
at a particularly bad time for
China, which is hoping to showcase unity
when it hosts the Olympic games
in August. The violence comes about two
weeks before China's Olympic
celebrations kick off, with the start
of a torch relay that includes
Tibet on its itinerary.
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