Where the Tibet movement gets funds

Who funds the Dalai Lama and his government-in-exile?

It is an interesting question raised by an article in Singapore’s Straits Times newspaper, which implies that U.S. financing of Tibetan exile groups amounts to support for a “color revolution” in Tibet. (Sorry, the article is behind a pay wall.)

The color revolutions are what happened in Ukraine, Georgia and other places. In Tibet’s case, it would be a “crimson revolution,” based on the color of the monks’ robes. 

The article, citing author William Engdahl, suggests that Washington is fanning the flames of Tibetan destabilization through the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), an agency that gets nearly all its funding from Congress.

“… The NED has supported five major Tibetan exile groups: the Gu-Chu-Sum (ex-political prisoners' association) Movement of Tibet; the International Campaign for Tibet; the Tibetan Women's Association; the Longsho Youth Movement of Tibet; and the Voice of Tibet.

These groups tried to organize a protest march by Tibetans in India back to their homeland, and had a hand in organizing the recent riots in Tibet. The NED's funding comes almost entirely from the US government.”

That some of the groups funded by NED, and grouped in the Tibetan People’s Uprising Movement, seek independence for Tibet is beyond doubt. But the levels of funding are very low. What I find more interesting are the roles of foundations and other non-governmental organizations in providing money to the Tibetan cause.

The article cites U.S. groups such as Freedom House and the Trace Foundation, which is linked to financier George Soros, as well as the Albert Einstein Institution (again, apparently linked to Soros) and the New York-based Tibet Fund.  It also lists Germany’s Friedrich Naumann Foundation, a think tank linked to the German Free Democratic Party.

I also know that the Tibetan House Trust in London is a significant source of funding.

Here are some of the NED funding figures for 2006, the latest I could easily get. Just scan through it. The money barely covers office expenses. If a nation’s political system can be toppled by this kind of money, then it’s going to have a lot of potential enemies.

Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet -- $40,000 -- To document the situation of political prisoners in Tibet and provide support for   political prisoners in Tibet and former political prisoners in exile.

International Campaign for Tibet -- $53,000 -- To increase understanding between Tibetans and Chinese by providing greater access to information about Tibet. The organization will facilitate interaction between Tibetan and Chinese officials, academics, and the public through conferences, and the publication of a Chinese-language newsletter and website.

Khawa Karpo Tibet Cultural Centre Charitable Trust -- $20,000 -- To provide news and analysis to the Tibetan public and promote greater discussion and debate on current issues related to Tibet and Tibetans. Khawa Karpo will publish the Tibetan-language newspaper, Bo-Kyi-Bang-Chen (Tibet Express), three times per month.

Longsho Youth Movement of Tibet -- $15,000 -- To build leadership skills, promote cultural and political awareness of Tibet, and encourage greater civic engagement among Tibetan youth.

Tibet Museum -- $15,500 -- To preserve and present material related to modern Tibetan history and to educate visitors about the Tibetan culture and people.

Tibetan Literacy Society -- $28,500 -- To provide the Tibetan public accurate information on developments in Tibet and in the exile community, and to promote open discussion among intellectuals and a general readership on civic issues, including human rights and democracy.

Tibetan Parliamentary and Policy Research Centre -- $20,000 -- To strengthen local Tibetan assemblies, the first level government of the Tibetan government-in-exile.

Tibetan Review -- $26,000 -- To promote freedom of press and understanding of democratic concepts in the Tibetan exile community. Tibetan Review, a monthly English-language news magazine, will provide Tibet-related news and insightful opinion pieces and editorials.

Tibetan Women's Association -- $30,000 -- To promote the social, political, and economic empowerment of Tibetan refugee women and raise awareness of human rights violations against women in Tibet.

Tibetan Writers Abroad PEN Center -- $10,000 -- To preserve Tibetan literature and culture and protect and support Tibetan writers in Tibet. The Tibetan PEN Center will translate essays and other written materials into Tibetan, much of it originally published in Chinese.

Voice of Tibet -- $35,000 -- To encourage and sustain independent public opinion inside Tibet and to familiarize Tibetans with the ideals of democracy and human rights. The Voice of Tibet, an independent, Tibetan-language shortwave radio station, will broadcast regular news about Tibet, the Tibetan exile community, and the Tibetan government-in-exile to listeners in Tibet and in exile in neighboring countries.

My off-the-cuff analysis of this is that those who are looking at these groups as Trojan Horses for a secret Western plot to destabilize China are looking at the wrong issue.

The real power of the Tibet issue is in its appeal to masses of Westerners. The Dalai Lama fills stadiums in the West. Tickets sell out in a flash. He may well be the best known figure from Greater China, better known than Hu Jintao, Wen Jiabao, maybe even Mao himself. (Perhaps Yao Ming would give him a run for his money...) Hold up photos of Mao and the Dalai Lama in the streets of Peoria, Illinois, or Dusseldorf, Germany, and see who is more widely recognized. If the Dalai Lama even comes close, it means he has a lot of “soft power.” And I personally don’t think this is a creation of the media. It’s a sign that the Dalai Lama’s talks about compassion and non-violence – which most Chinese consider hypocritical – resonate strongly outside of China.

If this indeed is the case, then China is mistaken by being concerned about the $15,000 going to the Longsho Youth Movement of Tibet, and the like. It should be more concerned about a battle of ideas.

Comments

[A Cat]

@Tim
This time, the CIA and the human rights NGOs used as modern gunboats are caught in the act.

>And I personally don’t think
>this is a creation of the media.
Ha ha ha, that's funny. And the earth is a disk.

The media are hiding that Dalai Lama was a friend of old Nazi SS officer Heinrich Harrer, that's the reason why he's popular.

Media hide as well the CIA support for the bloody war of Dalai Lama against China 50 years ago. But the bloody CIA Operation "ST CIRCUS" is already unveiled.

So, how can someone be sure, that it's not again the CIA behind the Tibet operation?

Have a look into article "Tibet, the 'great game' and the CIA" - Google for it and you will find out more, what the media are hiding.

;-)

[tsitsimomo]

May 2008
The Gulf Between Tibet and Its Exiles
by Tsering Shakya

Two recent articles concerning the unrest in Tibet purport to prove that the March unrest in Tibet was the result of foreign instigation. As a result, they have since been heavily featured in official Chinese news media, including CCTV, as well as on the Internet. This episode tells us much about the government’s efforts to influence domestic and international perception of the conflict in Tibet, as well as Chinese misconceptions about the nature of the linkage between Tibetans at home and in exile.

The first article was published on a Canadian Web site called Global Research and was written by U.S.-based writer William Engdahl, known for his views that both the Sept. 11 attacks and the theory of global warming are conspiracies. He cited publicly available information about funding of some Tibetan exile groups by the U.S. National Endowment for Democracy in order to argue that the recent events in Tibet were engineered by U.S. government-backed organizations. The same argument has now been repeated verbatim and published throughout the Chinese speaking world by the well-known journalist Ching Cheong, without any additional evidence or research.

Both authors discern a shadowy plot by the U.S. government to destabilize China by “fanning the flames of violence in Tibet.” They both implicate a number of Tibet-related NGOs that have received funding from the NED in this effort. Neither article says what these plots were or offers any evidence of their existence, nor do they provide any evidence connecting the NGOs to the unstated plots apart from their funding source. As anyone who is familiar with these organizations and with contemporary Tibet can confirm, the accusations are simplistic arguments based on “guilt by association.”

A further problem is that the authors neither explain nor demonstrate any knowledge of what these NGOs do or how they work. For example, the main organization fingered by the authors is the New York-based Trace Foundation, which supports education, development and health projects in Tibet. It is one of many NGOs that operate in China with the formal approval of the Chinese government, and there is no record of it ever having engaged in any activities that could be misconstrued as anti-China. China regularly conducts lengthy security assessments of such NGOs, and would have certainly made it known if there had been any evidence found. In fact, Trace, even more than other NGOs operating in China, is scrupulous in dissociating itself from any political groups or activities, which is one of the reasons why they have been able to operate in China for decades.

Trace Foundation is so rigorous in this respect that pro-Tibetan lobbyists and some exiles have accused it in the past of being too supportive of China because of its refusal to engage with exile politics or even exile symbols, and because it explicitly accepts and works within the Chinese system. If there was even the slightest indication of any involvement by Trace in Tibetan politics or unrest, these authors would certainly have told us. As it is, their only attempt at evidence is to tell us that the founder of Trace is related to the financier philanthropist George Soros, who openly supports democratization projects in various countries.

The arguments made by Mr. Engdahl and repeated by Mr. Ching are just insinuations; the only linkage is that established in their minds. Behind their thinking, and that of the Chinese authorities (who claim that all unrest in Tibet has been instigated by outsiders ranging from the CIA to the Dalai Lama), is a larger set of presumptions that exile Tibetan groups are involved in political activities within Tibet.

This presupposes that there is a more or less free flow of information between India and Tibet. This, however, is true in only a limited way. To fully establish any kind of link between either the exile groups, events inside Tibet or Western interests, one needs to have some understanding of the culture and social milieu in which these groups operate. Also, there has to be some understanding of the nature and composition of Tibetans in India and abroad.

The refugees in India have developed an ideology and forged a nationalistic sentiment such that they have come to see themselves as defenders of Tibet and the Tibetan people. On some occasions this has verged on a view where they see themselves as the “true” representatives of the Tibetans and view the Tibetans inside Tibet as merely passive, oppressed victims. This has often led to a patronizing attitude towards the Tibetans in Tibet. As a result, the cultural and social gap between the Tibetans inside and those outside Tibet is huge.

The differences in situation are somewhat similar to those between Chinese from the mainland and those from, say, Taiwan or Hong Kong. For example, Tibetans inside Tibet are comfortable with Chinese pop music, while Tibetans in India prefer Bollywood. Even when the two groups meet in neutral places in the West, there is often little interaction between them. I frequently have to attend two parties in one evening, one organized by long-term diaspora groups, another by those coming from Tibet, since they cannot even agree on what music to play.
For instance, in the early 1990s when Dadon, Tibet’s biggest pop star at the time, defected from Lhasa to India, she found to her dismay that there was no audience for her music. She was virtually unknown, and the exiles accused her of singing Chinese-style songs. The gulf between the two groups of Tibetans may be merely cultural, but it is a significant barrier to substantive political exchange.

It is no secret that the Tibetan organizations in India and elsewhere have received funding from NED and other Western sources; Mr. Engdahl’s information is simply lifted from NED’s Web site. This is hardly smoking-gun evidence. Neither does it show that any funding sent to exiles in India was used inside Tibet. The exile organizations that have received funding from the West operate only in India; their ability to project inside is zero.

The conspiracy theorists assume a free flow and exchange of ideas and people between the Tibetans in India and Tibet, but there is no such traffic. It is virtually impossible for the Tibetans in India to travel to Tibet because the Chinese government insists on those wishing to travel to their homeland to obtain Chinese travel documents. Even those of us who have foreign passports find it difficult to obtain a visa for China, particularly if wishing to travel to the central Tibetan areas, now the Tibet Autonomous Region.

The Tibetan Youth Congress, which has been labeled by the Chinese as a terrorist organization, is the largest social and political organization for Tibetans in India. The membership is almost entirely made up of Tibetans born in India, and their political strategies are influenced by Indian political culture. This is not in itself a bad thing—whatever one may think of the Indian system, it has a long tradition of protest and the people march for the slightest infringement of liberty.
The TYC sees protest as the bread and butter of politics. Since they cannot protest in Tibet, they march on the streets of Delhi, New York and Paris. This is as far as they can go—the leaders of the TYC deliver bravura speeches and make polemical claims, but there is no way they can project their words into action inside Tibet.

The only group that could be said to have some degree of contact inside Tibet is Guchusum. The name of the group is made up of the Tibetan words for the dates of major demonstrations that took place in Lhasa in the late 1980s, and it was founded by people who had participated and then been imprisoned for their role in those events. Since they are relative newcomers from Tibet, they still have families and social networks inside Tibet. However, the group is small and functions mostly as a welfare and support network for ex-political prisoners and those newly fled from Tibet. Apart from this, there are few organizations with any internal links.

This is not to say that those inside Tibet are unaware of exile or foreign views and activities. One initiative taken by the U.S. that has had a major impact in Tibet and amongst the Tibetans was the decision to establish Tibetan language broadcasting services within Voice of America in 1991 and within Radio Free Asia in 1996. Here again, it is not a question of clandestine activities or of the secret coordination of unrest; these services simply provide a source of news and ideas in a society where people are starved of alternative sources.

But apart from radio broadcasts, if one wants to look for connections between outside groups and events inside Tibet, one should not look at Western style NGOs, whether Tibetan or not. There are linkages, but not where outsiders expect. This is a problem produced by ethnocentrism: Politics is seen as occurring only in organizations that resemble one’s own. Tibetan political articulation is mainly situated in the traditional cultural space of monasteries and religion. This is not to suggest some kind of religious fundamentalism or Taliban-style movement; what is traditional about it is not its content but the channels through which it flows.

The most significant among the factors that ignited the recent riots and demonstrations in Tibet is the blunder the Chinese P.R.C. made in 1995 regarding the selection of the 10th Panchen Lama. The Party, disregarding popular Tibetan wishes and conventions, imposed and orchestrated its own selection. It thus found itself in opposition with the majority of the Tibetans and followers of Tibetan Buddhism in China. The Party also managed to turn all the monasteries against it, even those which had previously supported the government. Tashilhunpo, the traditional seat of the Panchen Lamas in Shigatse, Tibet’s second town, refused to accept the boy as a permanent resident, and not a single lama or monastery is known to have agreed to take the boy into their monastery. The poor boy is left homeless, stuck in a palace in Beijing!

Whatever the feelings and arguments may have been about human rights and independence, there was a near universal agreement among the Tibetan population on the issue of the Panchen Lama: The Party was wrong. The Party’s response was to declare a patriotic education and anti-Dalai Lama campaign in the monasteries. This required monasteries and monks to denounce the Dalai Lama and created an entrenched no-win situation for the Party. Here was a point no monk or lama—a lama is a senior teacher or spiritual figure—was going to compromise on.

By the late 1990s the monasteries found themselves in crisis—on one hand, the Party had begun to intrude into monastic space and on the other hand, many senior lamas had begin to pass away because of old age. The most senior lamas such as the Karmapa and Argya Rinpoche from Kumbum (Ta’er) Monastery fled abroad, and the absence of senior lamas left a leadership vacuum in Tibet. In the past, these senior lamas often acted as the moderate voice and as a calming influence on the monks and community, being used often by the Party as mediators.

The Party’s initial reaction to the flight of senior lamas was embarrassment. But in the long term it saw their departures as a good thing, an opportunity to destroy traditional authority inside the country. It will be easier to control Tibet, officials reasoned, once these lamas are outside—as in the case of Chinese dissidents exiled in New York or Paris, once they leave their significance will be diminished and they cannot cause much trouble in the homeland. What the Party did not realize is that lamas are very different from dissident intellectuals. No matter where a lama resides, his monastery and the faithful continue to listen to him and look to him as their leader.

Moreover, the Tibetan people in Tibet are scathing about Tibetan Communist Party officials. The people do not view the present Tibetan cadres as leaders, particularly in the tar. They cannot offer a calming influence or serve as mediators between the people and the government. At best, they are seen as opportunists and at worst as collaborators. Even Party officials see themselves as inhabiting a very uncomfortable space. A Tibetan official once told me a story about a group of Tibetan Party officials who watched a dramatic film about Kuomintang collaborators with the Japanese during World War II. There was a very uncomfortable feeling in the room, apparently because they saw themselves being portrayed in the movie.

The flight of lamas to exile had unexpected consequences. The pro-independence demonstrations within Tibet in the 1980s and early 1990s did not spread much beyond Lhasa because most lamas were ambivalent and used their influence to calm their followers. This year, almost all areas where protests occurred were in places where the senior lamas had left Tibet and gone to live in India.

It is the recent arrival of senior lamas from Tibet that has created some lines of linkage between those inside Tibet and those in India. By early 2000, more and more people from Tibetan areas in Qinghai and Sichuan began to travel to India. If you look at the number of Tibetans coming to India and where they come from, you see that in the 1980s and 1990s they were mostly from the tar, while in the last decade almost all those arriving in India are from Eastern Tibet, where most of the latest protests have taken place. This is partly explained by differences in policies and restrictive measures between the tar and the eastern provinces, but this is only a partial explanation.

Most came because their local lamas were in India and they needed to go there to obtain religious education and initiation. Tibetan Buddhism is complex, so that the practice of religion and the transmission of religious knowledge is not a simple matter of delving into a book. The transmission of knowledge is embedded in the notion of unbroken transmission of teaching from the first disciple who heard the words from Buddha through present teachers, and if such linkage cannot be shown the teaching has no legitimacy.

The lamas who left Tibet have established monasteries in India and, wherever they are, that place is seen as the legitimate seat of the lama. Therefore, all the monasteries in Tibet look to the outside for leadership and as the source of religious teaching. The flow of people between historic monasteries in Tibet and newly established ones in India has been constant since the 1980s. There is daily communication via phone and it is not uncommon for monks to spend a few years in India and then return to Tibet. Similarly, monks from Tibet have to come to India for their education, because there are only a tiny number of lamas in Tibet who can transmit knowledge and provide ordination.

It is here in this traditional setting that you will find the connections between the Tibetans in India and the Tibetan people inside China. There is a much stronger affinity within the monastic community between those in India and Tibet; the two groups have much more in common and feel at home wherever they go. Whereas secular youth argue and dislike each other for their differing tastes in politics, music and everything else, there is no such divide in the monastic community.

This interchange of people and ideas is cultural rather than political. In any case, the mother monasteries and lamas in India cannot impel the monks in Tibet to stage demonstrations, even if they wished to—such decisions can be made only at ground level. The monks in Tibet may look to lamas in India as their leaders, but they are no fools and know fully the situation on ground, and take their own decision on such matters.

The monasteries do not receive a single cent of funding from NED or other Western government agencies. In fact, the most significant and generous supporters of Tibetan Buddhism in recent years are members of the Chinese communities in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore. The Chinese donors do not ask for budgets and accounts; they simply hand over thousands of dollars, in the usual manner of devotees. The supposed lines of transnational political and economic influence within Tibet do not point to exiles, or even to Westerners, let alone to development NGOs; they point to Chinese devotees.

If conspiracy theorists want to follow the money and look for a plot, they would have to see it as a Kuomintang conspiracy rather than a Western one. They would however learn much more if they studied the history of policy and its failures in Tibet or talked with actual Tibetans in Tibet instead of painting lurid fantasies of foreign power projection.

Tsering Shakya, the author of Dragon in the Land of the Snows (Columbia University Press, 1999), holds the Canadian research chair in religion and contemporary society in Asia at the University of British Columbia.

[EH]

Hi. Totally unfamiliar with Tibet or China as I am, I thought I'd offer some perspective from the viewpoint of one who has long been involved in the Israel Palestine fight, which this comments section reminds me of depressingly.

1) All the attempts to draw attention to the (perhaps justified and true) critiques of the Tibetan leadership are distractions. One does not need to have morally pure leadership to be deserving of independence.

2) Attacking the backing of Tibetan independence movements by the West as ignorant, hypocritical or racist is again distraction, even if true. Those who support independnece movements from the outside are a bit beyond the control of those within the movements and again have nothing to do with the fundamental right of a population to be governed according to its wishes.

3) Occupation is occupation. The Chinese are an occupying army, as defined fairly easily in any examination of international law. Don't lose sight of that fact. Don't start bringing up a billion other facts.

The only relevent questions are: do Tibetans have equal rights with Chinese within their homeland? Do they have reasonable expectations that their political desires can be fulfilled within the Chinese political system? Do they desire independence from that political system?

If yes, then they've got the moral right to self-determination, as I see it.

[kate]

Please study some history before making any comments about China or Tibet. I really don't understand why a lot westerner are so passionate about Tibet but when asking some very basic facts like where is Tibet, or what’s the reason Dalai lama flee from China, they immediate silent. I feel very sad.

“Free Tibet” i.e. “Tibet Independence” will never going to happen on this big blue earth, no matter how much noise westerner making. Over the passed 100 years, Chinese people suffered too dearly and there is simply no way to let westerner to divide their country again, 1.3 billion of them said in one voice: No more!!! We’ll use our life and blood to protect our country!!!

So let’s using our cool head, warm heart to face Tibet problem and not try to use Tibet issue to fan the anti-china flam. Be careful, you might be burned to death.

[chanps]

Emperor Kublai Khan created the first Grand Lama to preside over all warring factions in Old Tibet. Centuries later the Emperor of China sent in the army to support the GL (a 25 year old) who later declared himself the Dalai (ocean) Lama. In order to justify the legitimacy he claimed that he was the 3rd DL,reincarnated from the 2nd and 1st DL. The present DL is a creation of the Chinese Army as he also was "reincarnated" from the previous DLs. He became the spiritual ruler of all Tibet..The West esp Americans love a good romantic story..the DL can protrayed that very well..notice how the western press always refer every yellow robed monk as Tibetans...how convenient.

[marnich]

Maybe you'll be interesting to my proposal. Read please comment � 148 (marnich), if it skips a moderator.
http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/2008/03/14/china-fire-on-the-streets-of-lhasa/

也許你會很有意思我的建議。請閱讀評論� 148 （ marnich ） ，如果跳過主持人。

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[bemis]

No let-up to TJ's verbal diarrhea over Tibet? Betcha he's hoping to become a "China Expert" -- those guys are well-paid, I hear. And can write BOOKS! (Instead of blogs).

[An American]

The author does not seem to understand how the American political contribution system works. All the organizations can receive "donations" from various fictitious or money laundering sources. There were many cases that had proved "donations" are the real channels of funding.

[Keith]

Food for thought:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=8673

[bandw]

Wouldn't it be nice if Dalai Lama can convert large chunk of western population into Tibetan Buddhism? It seems he is on the way there. After that the Buddhism Holy land will truely become the international territory and China will not be able to claim as her own.

[Y]

Ted

"... or perhaps your parents will buy their little emperor a new ipod."

Thanks again for your ecouragement. As for a new ipod, I am afraid I am too old to ask my parents to buy me anything. It is time for me to do what I can to help them.

[LaoLiao]

Dalai Lama in NY Colgate University:
"Two groups the protested the Dalai Lama's outside the fieldhouse – one a large contingent from an offshoot Tibetan monk sect, and the other a small group of pro-Chinese supporters.
Members of the Western Shugden Society, chanting "Dalai Lama, stop lying," are critical of the Dalai Lama for banning them from practicing their own version of Buddhism, the Dorje Shugden.
"The Dalai Lama is a hypocrite. He is persecuting his own people," said Kelsang Pema, a spokeswoman for the group."
People will find out the real Dalai Lama

[A B]

Nukes in Israel? NO WAY!

Israel has never officially acknowledged that they have them.

And even if they did, they have never conducted public tests of their warheads.

So until it is confirmed officially, they don't have them.

Right?

Um... there is a kit you can buy to convert the civilian AR-15 to full auto... grin...

You can't buy RPGs here easily, but you can just get a farm and buy fertilizer.

Mind you, at $4 and change a gallon, diesel fuel is pretty expensive as an ingredient.

[RY]

A B:

Some people follow Dai Lai Lama like a rock star or Jim Jones to be more appropriate. They have drank the Koolaid without asking for the ingredients. As for the shipment of arms to Africa, you can prabably buy those at any Walmart in the States. You can purchase NATO issue AR-15 semi-auto assult rifles in US with only 10 days of waiting period. Now, how about the nukes in Israel...

[A B]

"It is also extremely sad that the PRC wants to send shipload of AK-47 ammunition for a ruthless dictator in Africa."

What are arms shipments paid for and sent by the United States of America to Iraq's puppet government called?

Do you call the Iraqi "government" democratically elected?

Or a ruthless dictator?

Or a tribal horde?

Should I even mention US Arms sales to Saudi Arabia in support of a Feudal Theocracy?

The stuff in that arms shipment, all things considered, are pretty tame stuff that is normally traded.

But then, details like this may be beyond the capabilities of the diatribists here.

[Ted]

I have personally met the Dalai Lama and heard him say in his own words. Nothing you attribute to him is remotely accurate.

[Ted]

Keep up trying that reading thing, perhaps you can replace your ignorance and immaturity with something else.... perhaps ashes before you disappear into oblivion or perhaps your parents will buy their little emperor a new ipod.

But it sure is nice of countries like Great Britain, France, Canada, Germany to be bankrolling a lot of development in Gansu, Sichuan Yunnan, especially the programs geared to helping the ethnic minorities. It is also extremely sad that the PRC wants to send shipload of AK-47 ammunition for a ruthless dictator in Africa.

But keep up with that reading , you should finish reading the reports from the world bank on China and make an attempt to actually achieve some understanding, but then you would be an adult.

[A B]

RY,

It is not a matter of dropping conditions.

Go to Tibet.net etc. and take at what the followers of the Dai Lai Lama are actually advocating.

Read their constitution.

Take note that the Dai Lai Lama is written into the constitution --- hence there is no bona fide successor in the western sense because there would be a considerable period between the passing of the Dai Lai Lama, his "reincarnation", and coming to age.

During that time, presumably the head of state would be a regent. But there is virtually nothing said as to what the powers of the regent should be.

Furthermore, there is a huge train wreck in the constitution in that it does not define what and who is a "Tibetan".

I can just imagine the fights that is going to break out over whether "Tibetan" is determined as people who practice the particular flavor of Buddhist religion that the Dai Lai Lama represents, or the people who are Tibetan ethnically but not necessarily practicing the same brand of Buddhism or another religion or are atheist altogether.

How do the proposed "state" intend to sort out these minor details? Will non-Tibetans (religion wise) have any rights? Will non-Tibetans (ethnically wise) have any rights?

How does the constitution that specifies Dharma as its highest value and law reconcile the existence of many other religions?

The real sad story about this is not a single prominent Western Journalist have apparently gone to the trouble of taking 15 minutes (how long it took me) to actually research these issues, and see the Dai Lai Lama's organization for what it is:

A return to a religion and ethnically based state that excludes just about all others.

While there are many people around the world, notably Muslims, who see nothing wrong with their equivalent of this, called an Islamic Republic based on the Sharia, there are many others, notably the governments of the neighboring states like India, China, Russia, and god forbid, the Western world who would prefer to secular regimes.

Funny how no one calls the Dai Lai Lama to explain how does he intend to peacefully restore Tibet to a theocracy that will be rejected by a majority of the population in his "Greater Tibet".

If it wasn't China, it will be another regional power, or it will be the many people who live in Tibet that will oppose the "Tibetan Government in Exile".

What they seek can only come from bloodshed.

[RY]

Eve:

Once a slave owner and now is preaching love and compassion to the masses. The man is so full of it like a used car salesman. His whole objective is to gain sympathy and further his cause. What he didn't anticipate is the more he is leaning on the West for assistance and pressure on China, the more Chinese goes against him. The lasting thing the Chinese need is having the governments that invaded and carved your country a century ago telling you what to do with your territory to further their interest. If he really wants autonomy, not independence, he needs to drop all his conditions.
Beggars can't be choosers.

[A B]

Eve,

No doubt all that you said is true.

The problem is not what the Dai Lai Lama says in public --- all of which are carefully scripted and he knows how to follow a script better than he know his chants.

The problem is what do the people in the "Tibet Government in Exile" or the "Central Tibetan Administration" really believe in? And will really do if given the chance?

[Y]

Ted,

Thanks for the advice. But my kindergarten teacher taught me that it is not good for a good kid to say swear words.

Have a nice day.

[Eve]

I think people like the Dalai Lama as they see him as authentic, they believe that what he says is who he is. Recently he was in Seattle for a Seeds of Compassion summit, designed to promote ways to increase compassion in children to grow a more compassionate world.
Over 55,000 people filled Qwest stadium to hear him speak, many more watched a live feed on TV. With such a large audience, if he really had nefarious designs, he would have used the opportunity to press for the Tibetan cause. Instead, he never mentioned Tibet or China, or the recent protests. He talked about compassion, about the need to make the 21st century the century of dialog. He radiates love, humility and compassion. The reality of who he is trumps the propaganda of the Chinese goverment for those of us in the West.

[Stan]

China is a little girl...wake up and start the long march away from a half century of brainwashing...make the great leap forward into the world of democracy instead of hiding in knee jerk resposes from the 1950's. You have a problem with Tibet..don't hide or lie about it..face it and solve it in the sunlight of a great,open nation..not the shadows of a failed way of government.

[Ted]

It was worth trying. don't give up on that reading thing though, maybe someday your ignorance and immaturity will be replaced by something else....maybe just ashes when you fade into the darkness of oblivion.

[Y]

Ted,

"Read first and then the stupidity ends."

I only have time to read the first few pages. It says that china has been borrwoing money from the world bank. Thanks to world bank for its investment in China.

It alos says china is one of the best borrowers in terms of the project success rate.

The video clip only enforces my point of view that
Mr Dalai is ridiculous in proposing his great-tibet-dream-talk to mislead the world.

[Ted]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 26, 2005
Contact: Rob Sawicki
Phone: 202.224.4041


Lieberman, Alexander Introduce Bill to Improve U.S.-China Relations



WASHINGTON – With the United States at the threshold of a new era in foreign policy, with the People’s Republic of China emerging as a major economic and military superpower, U.S. Sens. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) have introduced the United States-China Cultural Engagement Act as a step to improve relations between the two nations.

“Senator Alexander and I are convinced that this investment will have big payoffs by smoothing the exchange of commerce and culture between our great nations and reducing misunderstandings into the future,” Lieberman said. “The rise of China comes with a whole set of challenges. But the ability to talk to and understand each other should not be among them. Providing our children with the opportunity to understand the Chinese language and culture will help ensure they have a better chance of succeeding in the global economy.”

"There will be challenges in the United States’ relationship with China as it grows and we seek to maintain our position in the world and our standard of living," said Alexander during a news conference on Capitol Hill. "But it’s my hope that the United States will spend some of our time and money getting to know China better, and that Chinese citizens will spend time getting to know us. History has shown that the modest dollars we’ve spent on education programs have done far more good than hundreds of billions of dollars in foreign aid. We can argue, we can send diplomats, we can build up our defenses, we can assert our position, we can spend money on foreign aid, but we all know there’s only one thing that’s worked best and that is when we get to know each other better. I appreciate Senator Lieberman’s leadership and am delighted to join him in this important and far-seeing undertaking."

The legislation authorizes $1.3 billion in federal funds over five years to provide for Chinese language instruction in American schools, increase American consular activity supporting American commercial activity in China and provide for physical and virtual exchanges among a broad spectrum of individuals in the two nations.

Lieberman and Alexander were joined for the bill introduction by Chinese language students from local schools.

A bill summary is below.

United States-China Cultural Engagement Act of 2005

Title I - Du Fu (??) Chinese Language Education Enhancement Act. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award grants to establish a new Foreign Language Service Center, 10 new National Resource Centers, and awards grants for assistance to elementary and secondary education.

Title II – Wang Xizhi (???) Public School Chinese Language Instruction Improvement Act. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to administer a grant program for state education agencies and/or local school districts that teach Chinese language and culture and sets up grant program for schools to purchase technology for virtual exchanges.

Title III- Zheng He (??) Chinese Language Instruction Act. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to provide grants on a competitive basis to schools that initiate course offering in Chinese language and culture studies that include virtual and/or physical exchanges with Chinese students

Title IV - Sun Yat-sen (???) Postsecondary Exchange Act. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to initiate and sustain a U.S.–China International Consortia Exchange Program similar in structure to the Brazilian, European, and North American Consortia Programs and increase number of postsecondary education International Business Education Centers.

Title V – Zhou Xinfang (???) Artists Awareness Act. Authorizes the Secretary of State through the CultureConnect program to promulgate regulations and administer a grant program to individuals and organizations to travel to China to study Chinese culture and /or to perform for entertainment purposes.

Title VI - Cai Lun (??) Exchange Program Act. Sets up parameters for secondary school physical and virtual exchanges as well as authorizes expansion of opportunities to study in China under Fulbright Scholarships. Authorizes the Secretary of State to promulgate regulations to initiate a grant program for nongovernmental organizations that facilitate student exchanges.

Title VII – Ieoh Ming Pei (???) Travel Enhancements Act. Authorizes the Secretary of State to construct two more consular offices in China as well as sets forth provisions to make it easier for Chinese nationals to receive information on U.S. visas. Authorizes the creation of the J-4 visa classification for Chinese secondary school exchange participants and a feasibility study on an expedited visa approval process for Chinese scientists.

Title VIII - Wang Wei (??) Commercial Exchange Improvement Act. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to hire more Foreign Commercial Service Officers in China as well as administer grants to states for the purpose of establishing state export centers in China. Gives the SBA’s Office of International Trade the authority to fund the hiring of an additional international trade expert at each of its lead Small Business Development Centers.

Title IX - Authorizes the creation of a United States-China Engagement Strategy Council and requires the council to formulate a strategy for coordination and implementation of the grants and programs authorized in this Act.

[Ted]

Duh!

Read first and then the stupidity ends.

http://digitalmedia.worldbank.org/SSP/silkroad/index.html

http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTCHINA/Resources/318862-1121421293578/cn_bank_partnershp_innovation.pdf

[Ted]

They have forgotten the meaning of 仁者 or by choice no longer practice benevolence. Which is why they fear losing control so much and clamp down further going deeper into a hole. If they desire for 无敌 then they should try harder to practice 仁者 without fear.

[RY]

A B,
So much for separation of "Monastary" and the State.

[Chinese to the world]

just saw an interesting posts elsewhere but quite telling about the differences between typical Chinese/western attitude. Point is there's no reasoning from Mr. Brazee. Pure venting of anger of seeing the previously poor and weak guy all of a sudden daring to challenge the richest and most powerful guy in the jungle. are we so different from our cave days?

------------------------
Original post by a Chinese reader:

The cartoon that appeared in yesterday's Opinions section made a mockery of the rapidly developing China on its pollution. The author is either ignorant, hypocritical or simply just wants to jump on the bandwagon of bashing China or India and lay the blame for environmental pollution at his/her door. On environmental issues, the United States simply cannot attempt to take the moral high ground. Before you raise your fingers, remember the United States contains 3 percent of the global population, but consumes almost 25 percent of the planet's resources. When it comes to contributing to the environmental problems, the U.S. and Europe have "been there and done that." China, and India in this regard, are simply undergoing a similar technological transformation experienced by western countries during the Industrial Revolution. One should not ignore the efforts made by these countries for environmental improvement. As a note to such efforts, China is planning a $200-billion project over the next three years for environmental clean-up (Source: Chemical and Engineering News by The American Chemical Society, Dec. 3, issue 2007).

Crying foul and making these developing countries the scapegoats is simply unfair and hypocritical, and the subconscious Western arrogance is just disturbing. There is a Chinese saying, "The officials may set fires, but the civilians must not light their lanterns." This saying is fitting for the trendy attitude held by some Westerners against the rising countries. But the world is not the same as it used to be. Face it!

Zhiping Zheng
Associate Professor of Chemistry

_____________________________
response:

Comrad Zhiping Zheng

The "Red Army" would like to thank you for your dilligence and hard work for mother China. Your family will be rewarded with two extra bowls of rice for your "Letter to the Editor" in which you "spin" Chinas' Polution and Environmental Devastation on the Planet.

Although you are a Chemisty Associate Professor and could help mother China by develping cleaner fuel, you take our basic propaganda and release it through the American Media.

We will need more support however in the Summer when the Olympics are broadcasted from mother China. Please review your email numerous times throughout the summer for "Chineese Talking Points". We will bombard the American Media with our basic Propaganda.

The "Red Army" will be watching and waiting for your Comments posted at the Daily Wildcat on Tibet and Chineese Imports to America.

Long Live "Dirty China"

[Pffefer]

Tim has a point. Why is the Dalai Lama so popular? Why does the TGIE receive funding from so many organizations and individuals? The Chinese government should think about it.

His non-violent appeal sure attract a lot of people, but I think foundamentally it is the widely-held PERCEPTION (not necessarily facts) in the west that the TGIE is a bunch of peaceful people fighting the evil Chinese government that drives people to contribute to the TGIE.

[A B]

If you are not blocked, go to the website tibet.net and go to "about" and you will see how the "Central Tibetan Administration" describe itself.

Here is an excerpt:

Tibet, according to them, is:

Land Size: 2.5 million square kilometres, which includes U-Tsang, Kham and Amdo provinces. "Tibet Autonomous Region", consisting of U-Tsang and a small portion of Kham, consists of 1.2 million square kilometres. The bulk of Tibet lies outside the "TAR".

Here is where the "constitution" states that they intend to create a Buddhist Republic:

Nature of the Tibetan Polity - Article 3. The future Tibetan polity shall uphold the principle of non-violence and shall endeavour to be a Free Social Welfare State with its politics guided by the Dharma, a Federal Democratic Republic; and the polity of the Tibetan Administration in-Exile shall conform to the provisions herein after specified. No amendments to this Charter shall be made except as specified in the Articles of Chapter XI of this Charter.

Hmmmm.... them Hui Muslims better get going and set up an Islamic Republic and secede from Tibet to protect their rights.

No self respecting Muslim will want to be governed by a constitution that is based on the Dharma.

This "Tibetan Government in Exile" is crazy enough to drive Muslims to dynamite statues of Buddha.

[Pffefer]

Lindel,

Funding Chinese language education in the US is not necessarily a pro-China move. Accrding to the State Department the US badly needs people who speak Arabic, Farsi, Chinese, Korean etc. I am sure there are Farsi programs too. Is the US government pro-Iran?

Foreigners invest in China not to help the poor Chinese but to make money. Duh!

[Chinese to the world]

AB, absolutely agree with yur point. I could be wrong about these demands, but anybody with more reliable facts?

[A B]

Chinese,

The problem is, at no time did the Chinese Government played the demands of the Dai Lai Lama for all it is worth in propaganda value.

What the Dai Lai Lama is demanding is, in Western Language:

- The creation of a religion based Buddhist state that include Tibet and vast territories from China.

< immediate issue: Is he making the same demands of India? Nepal? and other neighboring states with Tibetan population?>

- He is demanding that the territories be ethnically cleansed so that only the religiously and racially pure may remain.

- He is demanding that China withdraw its military from this new Buddhist Republic of Tibet.

With cards like this, even a peasant farmer like me can play a PR game that will see the Dai Lai Lama sent on to be reincarnated!

The Chinese government got to play the game a lot better.

Oh... P.S. If China acceded to the Dai Lai Lama's demands in full, this new Buddhist Republic of Tibet will be independent for about 2 or 3 weeks before it is invaded by a neighboring country.

Most likely India.

Or Pakistan.

Holy Shit will be what the Dai Lai Lama be after the Indian or Pakistan army moves in.

Someone need to whisper in the ear of the Dai Lai Lama about what happened to the little places beside India like Goa, Pondicherry, and the princely states under Patel.

His Tibet would be so princely as a part of India.

[Chinese to the world]

also just to set the recrod straight, from what I heard, his holiness's definition of "autonomy" incudes the following in his negotiaiton with the Chinese government:

1) all other ethnicities, including Han Chinese and Mulim Hui must move out of the greater Tibetan region, despite of the fact that many of them have lived there for generaitons;

2) His definition of greater Tibertan region not only ncludes today's Tibet, but also large part of at least three neighboring provinces, and in total this would account for 1/6 of today's Chinese territories, despite of the fact that many of these areas have been separated from Tibet for centuries. if this is to be done, I guess the border sof many European countries will have to be re-drawn, and Europeans get out of North America and give back all land to native Americans?

3) all Chinese army out of Tibet

you tell me this is autonomy or independence, and this is not harming China's national interest?

someone is trying to tell me the territory issue is so disconnected with today's world in which only universal values matter. well if my memory serves me right, it's not ancient history that UK fought a bloody war with Argentina over a not so big island thousands of miles away from Europe...

It's applaudable to have universal values, but be careful when politicians and people n the media start talking about it. I'll be more convinced if it's some simple folks in the middle of Tennessee who talks about this

[Chinese to the world]

the problem for many people is they see the world as hollywood movie, good vs. evil. in today's world, it's hard to say who is 100% good, and who is 100% evil, except for a very small minority. every government, regardless of whether it's deomocratically elected, or otherwise, in today's world, and in most countries, has to be answerable to its constituencies and the national interest (and of course their own interest). This is not so different whether we're talking about the US government, the UK government or the Chinese government

of course some governments have learnt overtime to be more sophisticated in this and others are still a bit clumsy. It takes time to learn

seeing today's world in black and white is either a sign of ignorance, or manipulation, either politically motivated, as in the case of nancy pelosi, or commercially motivated, as in the case of western media

[Chinese to the world]

I have western friends telling me Dalai Lama is a great man, and then I asked him what has he really done except for just talking about"compassion" and "non-violence", I got no answer. Maybe Tim can do some some research to enlighten us

He appears to be a charismatic man, and he's the first celebrity monk out of Asia wh speaks good (but broken) English and knows how to communicate to a western audience. of course it also helps that in a materialistic world, his background of coming from a mysterious and definitely romanticized region, adds to his charm.

in the meantime consciously or inconsciously the western mass needs a convenient reason to vent their anger/suspicion towards China. partially this is related to ideology, and nobody in the west bothers to understand the root of Chinese communism - a weak nation's desperate need to search for something to rally the country and fight against western domination and bully 100 years ago. paritically this is economical. Nobody can deny that a lot of people in the west feel threatened that a rising China is bad for their economic future - of course a wrong perception towards globalization, but faned by sensational and populist western media who cares less about enlighteing the masses comapred to susbscription/viewership/ad $$$

it's sad that as a human race we haven't realyy gon far from the caves

I'm also very disppointed so far by Tim's articles so far - still painting the world as more or less black and white, wthout capturing the real complexity and the many shades of gray. I've long been disappointed by CNN, who have people like Jack Cafferty who tries to make a good living by appealing to the primitive emotions of his viewers - but Tim I thought you don't need any ad $$$?

[hey]

A good thing to know is what is the annual budget of these organizations and the funding they have been getting in other years besides 2006. This will give a fuller picture of the situation. Mr. Johnson, did you use "GuideStar" for your figures?

[A B]

Talking about efficiency, $500k invested in 9/11 got the US to spend hundreds of Billions in upgrading security, changing the laws to strip American of their traditional rights and freedoms, and then served as justification for miring the US in two wars, one of which the US is steadily losing.

That is not counting the soft cost of the Federal Reserve pouring liquidity into the economy to hold off a post 9/11 financial downturn.

Not bad.... now that is high efficiency spending.

I swear that Osama is in cahoots with Chinese plotters to dethrone the US as a superpower.

[Bill]

Adding up all the amounts gives me a feeling that supporting Tibet is a really inexpensive. With such a small amount of money to create a worldwide movement requires a great deal of skill and planning. I wish all US government programs are as effective as these.

[A B]

To call US funding for education in the Chinese language a subsidy for China is a pretty good joke --- no doubt the likes of Lindel's kind will count that as part of the US Official Development Assistance to China.

Other people might view American funding for Chinese language and culture programs in the US as means to improve the supply of Americans with the capability to spy in China and steal knowhow, intellectual property, and military secrets. Alternatively, it is really a program to support Taiwan Independence activists?

World Bank funding is subject to tight controls and audit by staff from the bank as well as by member nations, such as China.

Let's subject funding for the "Tibetan Government in Exile" to the same controls including audit by the Chinese government!

For those who don't think small sums matter. The 9/11 commission estimated that the cost of carrying out the attack at about $400,000 to $500,000, not counting training in Afghanistan, and of course, the cost of the suicide teams.

Out of that sum, $270,000 was spent in the USA on flight training, travel, housing, vehicles.

Just ask Hamas how cheap it is to fund an occasional rocket barrage into Israel.

The cost of the Air India bombing (by Sikh separatists who want an independent Khalistan) is a fraction of the 9/11 attack cost.

Perhaps the question is how much has China invested in the USA by accepting US debt?

Last I checked, China just lost about 10% of the value of this debt when the US dollar plunged against the Yuan.

[Lindel]

The amount of funding listed makes for a rather lame argument.

For the sake of comparison it would interesting to compare the amounts to how much money the US contributes to organizations considered pro-China.

Heck how about the lieberman act a couple of years ago to increase chinese culture and language instruction in US schools.
I bet the US government spends millions of dollars subsidizing chinese language instruction in the US.

How much money is the west through the world bank is investing in China?

[A B]

"Blaming shadowy foreign financiers is a nice fig leaf that keeps you from needing to concede that your political adversary enjoys the kind of grass roots support that you can only dream of."

Tell that to the United States fighting Muslims.

[A B]

On the subject of occupied territories... suppose ethnic Mexicans and Indians in New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, North and South Dakota, Hawaii, etc. started organizing governments in exile and began to demand protection for their culture, language and independence from the United States.....

Got to line up some funding for these indigenous people!

[A B]

Just wait until Tibetan Buddhists do a World Trade Center Style attack on the US for betraying them and you will see how fast Western support can fade.

The precedent for a religion turning from great friends to the West (the mujahidin in Afghanistan fighting Soviets) to the root of evil (the Taliban supporting al-Qaeda) is well established.

Based on history, I don't have any doubt that the trend, if left unchecked, is for the Tibetan movement to resort to terrorism like Sikhs did.

The world will wake up one day to something like the Air India bombing before it realize the monster it created.

[cc]

"Grass root support", nice. Where does the grass grow?

[Will]

Blaming shadowy foreign financiers is a nice fig leaf that keeps you from needing to concede that your political adversary enjoys the kind of grass roots support that you can only dream of. After all, surely China could outspend that motley collection of donors in a second...

[matteo]

by the way is someone is interested in reading the strait times article Tim is writing about, u can find it here:

http://www.howardwfrench.com/archives/2008/04/22/the_crimson_revolutions_true_colours/

p.s. my blog post about tibetan independence movement is more interesting ; )

[matteo]

i agree the sums pro-tibet movements receive from organizations linked to the U.S. government is not enough to justify the argument that the protest were driven by neo-cons.
And i agree that Dalai Lama has a huge appeal in front of western audiences, and that is because of his speeches about non-violence and compassion.
The problem is, how much this speeches are real and how much they are just propaganda.
How much Dalai is willing to go agains the indipendence movement that, after the boost given to them by western media, is becoming more and more stronger inside the government in exile.
Reading the documents and articles by prominent tibetan independence figures, it's clear they have an agenda of destabilization of China, and it's also clear the Dalai Lama talking about the middle way and the future guidelines for Tibet is quite ambiguos regarding the claims of the independence movement, despite Dalai daily claims of autonomy and not independence.
I think it is not possible to properly assess the responsabilities of the government in exile in the recent protests and violences in Tibet without analysing carefully the strategy and the statements of the independence movements, and its links with the government in exile headed by the Dalai lama.
If someone is interested about this arguments, a few days ago i've written a post about this on my blog, it has a lot of links to documents issued by the independence movement and i think it is useful to know this movement better.

http://cinasconosciuta.blogspot.com/2008/04/ripercorrere-le-tappe-della-crisi-in.html

the fact that the best friend of Dalai in the U.S. administration are Nancy Pelosi (who was even criticized by the Dui Hua foundation for her anti-china positions) and Paula Dobriansky (notorious neo-con war-monger) does not help fugate doubts about dalai lama's behind-the-scene manouvres.