'The Dalai Lama is right'

Ethnic Tibetan anger bubbled over today, and it wasn’t just in Lhasa, capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Region. Here’s a link to the story I've just written about the rioting in Lhasa.

Click on this website and scroll down to see photos taken with a mobile phone of what happened outside the Labrang Monastery in Gansu Province today. This place is far, far to the northeast of Tibet, practically halfway between Lhasa and Beijing. It is a big ethnic Tibetan enclave.

All week, Chinese officials have been saying only a handful of disgruntled Tibetans are causing problems. The Dalai Lama, for his part, says discontent is widespread because of "unimaginable and gross violations" by China against Tibetans.

I spoke a little while ago with Robbie Barnett, a professor of modern Tibetan studies at Columbia University in NYC. This is the way he summed it up: “The Dalai Lama is right. The Chinese are wrong. The Tibetan people are not happy.”

Comments

[Junhui]

I am angered by the protest in Tibet. I am angered by the supporters of Tibetan separation, Why? Because the supporters are an advocacy groups, monks and Tibetans who have no real understanding of the real world. Let me point out that I have nothing against these people and I want to explain why these three groups have little to complain about.

The advocacy groups come from countries who hold other ethnic territories, such as the advocate Matt Whitticase of the London-based Free Tibet Campaign. So hypocritical that someone from the UK would complain; I wonder how William Wallace is feeling right now or the rest of the Scotts; or if Ireland wants their other half back. Take care of yourself before you worry about others.

As for monks; I understand their discontent with the status of religion in China; and China should really stop choosing religious leaders (I will admit that China has that wrong). What exactly will change for the monks when Tibet is set free? The Dalai Lama will return and bring salvation? No; those monks carrying cell phones; would have been non-existant. Tibet would fall into an abyss of a technological recession. Of course I cannot be sure of this; but I can guarantee that the poor will be more poor.

As for the naive Tibetans (now I'm not talking about Tibetan elites); they complain because of their poverty; they complain because the "Han" have it better than them. It's a common occurrence for the Han people to be punished for success; look in Vietnam when Chinese were forced to use Vietnamese names and shops acquired then redistributed by the Vietnamese government. These naive Tibetans think that if the Dalai Lama comes back; they will be successful; life will become more free and the grains will somehow multiply?

There is nothing worse then another theocracy; the only thing that comes by that is religious oppression; fanaticism; and stagnation. I pity those Tibetans who blame Han Chinese for their woes.

I am a Chinese living in the United States. Let me tell you; all though we are outnumbered by various other cultures; our culture does not fade. They don't teach Chinese in schools and they don't have a Chinese language TV on basic television. Cultural assimilation only happens if we let it happen. Culture is on the inside. Tibetan culture is great; I love it. But if they will not do NON-VIOLENT things to promote their culture then I detest it. It's about cultural promotion not cultural protection. The only thing right about Robbie Barnett's statement is "the Tibetan people are not happy"; so we ask ourselves, why. I think they should build Casinos like the Native Americans.

[Junhui]

PS. shame the Dalai Lama for not condemning the violent protest.

[Sheila Shigley]

And shame on the world for not condemning China's violent invasion and violent occupation of Tibet, and it's violent suppression of the Tibetan--and Chinese--people.

[Sheila Shigley]

And shame on the world for not condemning China's violent invasion and violent occupation of Tibet, and it's violent suppression of the Tibetan--and Chinese--people.

[Junhui]

what invasion is not violent? as if iraq's invasion was not violent. as if the scottish wars were not violent. Did you know that Tibet invaded China? Go read up on Tibetan Chinese history. It's a never ending struggle to see who owns what. So now they deserve their land back because they are "peaceful"? China is better off without Tibet, but hey who wants to give up land.

im sure if China claimed the Tibetan invasion to be manifest destiny it would be okay.

[Pffefer]

Robbie Barnett is rather "too simple, too naive". The Dalai Lama is right. In what sense? The Chinese are wrong? In what sense? The Tibetans are not happy. How? You see so many protests and riots in China these days (more than 90,000 a year), how come they did not receive much attention? Does that mean "All Chinese people are not happy"? Tibet is the post child, I guess.

[Bill]

Sounds like the Chinese really don't understand Tibet, just like all westerners don't understand China.

But anyway, if China can invade, conquer, occupy and colonize Tibet, and all Chinese support this occupation, the US can do the same to Iraq too.

[nanheyangrouchuan]

And this less than one week after the ankle grabbing, egg sucking panda lickers in the white house and state dept took China off the list of human rights abusers.

Good show George W Chamberlain, Wall St. and corporate america.

[Tim J]

Junhui, your remarks are well thought-out and stated. Please keep posting on this site. There is a great deal of hypocrisy, misperception and emotionalism on the Tibet issue.

[chinese buddhist]

It is a pleasure to read Junhui's lucid analysis of globalevents, recent & historical -- makes me feel proud to belong to the same Han people. As for "violent conquest & occupation", Shigley, Gere etc., should look over their own shoulders, at those who sired them. Not to mention the Middle East today! Also, they don't even know the difference between a Buddhist & a Bon...

[nanheyangrouchuan]

Hey Tim,

Are you now towing the Xinhua line that two wrongs make a right? Don't forget that China has been squeezing Tibet's people for 50 years,killing and crippling and untold number of people and a much longer presence than the US.

[VoiceUp]

I am a Chinese student living and studying in the US for 20 years. I am an organizer to support June 4 demonstration at Beijing in 1989.

After 20 years of observation in this country I would not hesitate a bit to say those who claim to care about Tibetans are phony, 100% pretenders. They are interested in driving an edge between Han Chinese and Tibetan people only. Just look at Hong Kong, which has been under Anglo-Saxon control for 150 years. But people in Hong Kong were even not allowed to choose own governor until it was return to China in 1997! English remained a ruling elite high above common Hong Kong folks. Tell me how many inter racial marriage there in that 150 year-span ?, Almost none!

Look at America today. How much does America care about its minorities, Blacks? Hispanics? Native American Indians? Records speaks louder. Look at the Chinese-Americans. They have been on this land for no less than 150 years. But they are still not a part of political process. Tell me which party has made a decent effort to recruit them into political process ? !

English or Anglo-Saxon has conquered so many countries, has subjugated so many peoples. Tell me which natives have received your decent treatment ?

Divide and Conquer is the Golden rule for British Empire, So is the rule adopted by the American Empire. Stir up hatred and inflaming animosity betweenTibetans and Han Chinese is your only motive.

Han Chinese had been get along quite well with Tibetans since AD 400( or record) until English came along in 1900!
Shame on you!

[Tim]

This is true picture of Dalai Lama "peaceful movement".

"We only lived to kill Chinese," recalled one Tibetan veteran. "Our hopes were high." One of the trainees, Gyato

Wangdu (who would later become the last commander of the Chushi Candrug), asked CIA operations officer Roger

McCarthy for "a portable nuclear weapon of some kind...that the trainees might employ to destroy Chinese by the

hundreds." The CIA declined, but McCarthy noted that Wangdu "did take to demolition training with renewed

enthusiasm" and became quite taken with bazookas and mortars.

WAR at the TOP of the WORLD. By: Bageant, Joe, Military History, 08897328, Feb2004, Vol. 20, Issue 6

[Jamyang]

Please ignore the unreasonable Chinese comments.

Just learn the following words.

BOE RANGZEN!
(boe = Tibet, rangzen = Free)

This is the Tibetan language.

It is NOT Chinese.

They can say what they want about their country.

And we will say what we like about ours.

BOE RANGZEN.

Tashi Delek
Jamyang.

[Neddy]

What a lovely "debate" this is, with all the China blogosphere's trolls pitching in! Which part of “The Dalai Lama is right. The Chinese are wrong. The Tibetan people are not happy.” do you not understand?
I do not condone violence in any form or shape, but what do you expect from a little guy when you push him in the corner with no way out? Use your brains, stop parroting the CCP drivel! The Party is reaping what it has sown for half a century, and everyone can see it, except the "useful idiots" and shills.

[Lysol]

For the past 150 years until 1997, why there was no one, especially in England and the U.S., protested and supported for a 'free' Hong Kong?

[nanheyangrouchuan]

I am that festering bed sore on the human race's backside.

[Neddy]

The world has changed in the last 150 years. Have you noticed? Besides, what makes you believe it is free now (and don't say "relatively")?

[Lysol]

I didn't say it is 'free' now. I said why there were no PROTESTS for a FREE Hong Kong?

[Neddy]

And I said "The world has changed in the last 150 years." Outside of China, anyway. Got it?

[Pffefer]

Neddy,

You tell me who was doing the killing. CNN has shown video footage of Tibetan mobs (with some "monks" taking part) smashing stores, and I have read from western media that Han and Hui Chinese were attacked in Lhasa. A European was driven out of a Tibetan family because he did not agree with the notion that all Han and Muslims must be removed. I guess you are with the mobs and the radicals, eh?

The Chinese government simply can't win. If it doesn't build roads, bridges and schools and develop the economy, it is being accused of "holding back Tibet and making it a further backward area". If it does everything mentioned above, it is being accused of engaging in cultural genocide. What can they do?

China should take a page from Russia. During and after the first and second Chechen War, the west gave Russia an ear-full. What happened since? Russia still stands.

[Pffefer]

By the way, Neddy, trolls? Is the defintion of a "troll" being someone who doesn't share the blanket hatred and condemnation of China and its government and everything they do? Then by all means I am a troll. :-)

I am just amazed that why so many people have not taken the high road by leaving the country of the "trolls".

[cc]

Many Tibetans and their supporters behind seem not to realised that by making Chinese government/China lose face does not necessarily mean that they will win. It is a lose-lose situation as far as I can see.

This latest demonstration of " peaceful protest" only drives other Chinese who might be potentially sympathetic with their cause (to some extent) and whose support is also vital to opposition. It just shows them a scary picture that what would ensue should Tibet one day became independent.

[cc]

Neddy,

Your way of arguing is a bit childish, to say the least.

The world surely has changed in the last 150 years. Besides this is a pointless statement, (when didn't the world change during any 150 years on this planet?), it only, at most, says something about why there is protest NOW. However, it still dones't explain why there was no protest in the PAST 150 years.

This bit of logic might be a bit overwhelming for you, I understand.

[farooq]

history bears testament that,the strong has suppressed the weak,but the suppression has been like a glass on water,squeeze it,and it will only spurt out...yes the chinese govt has been harsh,not only to tibeans,the uygurs in former east turkestan, the falun gong practioners,but all the strong empires of the past have been guilty of similar oppression...what have americans recently done to iraq??....its hypocrtical ..but that are the rules of war,big fish gulps small fish,the weaker animals in the jungle r always at the mercy of the strong,and these rules of jungle have been applicable to mankind from day one of documented civilisation..the tibetans are less in number and the migration policy of CCP will dilute them in numbers..
those who oppose chinese rule will have to wait for the CCP to crumble,like all the empires of the past,and then enjoy their freedom..