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QuoteReplyTopic: Riots in Tibet Posted: 03-Apr-2008 at 23:28
Originally posted by The Charioteer
my point was you are "simplifying" the "Tibet issue" just as you would "simplify" that piece of history.
to you i guess its only "few drunkards got high", but some authors would write a whole book on that history. they are more "thoughtful" on it..
go back to that thread and answer my question, im still waiting. as for simplification, what happen in Australia was racist, what is happening in Tibet is also shameful. that is simple, the history may be complicated but the results are easy to understand.
Originally posted by The Charioteer
Originally posted by Leonidas
Lets start counting posts that Charioteer creates, without providing a thoughtful opinion on the topic (that is without the 'you are' type stuff) or by simply bringing up completely unrelated topics as points of argument.
whether thoughtful or not is not really judged by you, there are people who support your perspective, there are people who dont..
posts with chinese media (no subtitles) helps no one on a english language website.
Originally posted by The Charioteer
Originally posted by Leonidas
I am glad to see you bothered to learn how to spell aboriginal i guess your putting in some more effort in your pointless posts.
"oboriginal", instead of the letter A which would symbolize importance they are more like 0 in the eyes of the designers of "stolen generation", a wrong approach which characterize the past policies towards them until Kevin Rudd's formal apology, i was hoping you would point that spelling error out in that thread so i can point this thought out, but instead you are retarded enough to bring this here in this thread to make attack on me..
this is not a 'guess what The karioteer means word game. You know it
Originally posted by The Charioteer
trust me Leonidas, the book offers more "thoughtful" sentences and "facts" than you, and its all just about the Tibet "controversy".
one might need to incorporate such dimension into the "Tibet issue" in ones "thoughtful" posts,
because what you are doing is simply "Defiance against Chinese oppression"
But "the story of Tibetan resistance weaves a far richer tapestry than anyone might have imagined"
until then, I have nothing "thoughtful" to contribute for now. .
well whats has this got to do with today? Simple question. that was the decades ago, so please link it back to today and show more thought than posting stuff randomly - stuff that somehow makes this all a western conspiracy.
nationalistic behaviour will not hurt average Chinese who you "respect".
Fair enough but I do the want to support the Chinese military machine and I do believe they want to dominate Asia like Japan did prior to WWII and I hate seeing American jobs outsourced for slave labor; this includes Vietnam etc. I heard Dr. Bates talk about the economy and how outsourcing most of our industry is affecting the price of oil for Americans.
Have you ever heard of Alex Jones ?
www.infowars.com
He is extreme on some issues but he is right on many of the issues affecting us.
While I do not like the extreme form of Captitalism that thinks only abut the bottom line and their god is money I still have a strong distaste for Communism. I still believe it is a threat to our freedoms but so is globalism.
My statement about the average Chinese was about blaming their tyrannical government vs. them.
I don't agree with you and never will since but I can agree to disagree. Sooner or later I believe there will be a war between the USA and China, I hope I am wrong!!
Are you in the USA or China?
Λοιπόν, αδελφοί και οι συμπολίτες και οι στρατιώτες, να θυμάστε αυτό ώστε μνημόσυνο σας, φήμη και ελευθερία σας θα ε
A worthy response by the BBC to criticism of the western media in China.
its ok to criticize censorship of the press in China, but please dont use other wrongs to cover your own wrongs, like the biased reports on "Tibet riot" this time by not only the BBC, but also other Western medias.
as a balanced voice who mentions both the aspect of "inaccurate report" by Western medias on "Tibet riot" and cencorship of the press in China, heres a worthy note by a Westerner from China.
Inaccurate reports
As a University alumnus living in the city of Chengdu, one province over from Tibet, I was disappointed to read Amelia Meyer's column ("A gold medal of an opportunity," March 28). Presumably drawing on inaccurate media reports, she takes the default American position that the Chinese government is evil and the Tibetans are an oppressed minority who must be independent. In reality, the Chinese government does some good things, and on the other side, the Lhasa riots show that Tibetan society has some dark, uncivilized aspects.
Reports from foreign citizens who were actually in Lhasa at the time of the recent riots confirm the Chinese government's story that the Tibetan mobs were out of control, destroying private property and committing brutal murders. Does Meyer think the Chinese government should have let the violence continue? If she is searching for a reason to boycott the Olympics, she should choose a better one, such as censorship of the press or the restrictions placed on all religions. A legitimate, bloodless police action to keep the peace in Tibet does not warrant her condemnation.
yeah like the Media has personal issues against China... what are some of you guys smoking? i want that too... ooooh, its the evil Western Media agin, why is no one stopping him, he stole my lunch-money again, oooooh
German author accuses media of hysteria against China
Discontented at German media's biased coverage of the riots in Tibet, a German author has accused German media of hysteria against China.
"The coverage is very biased and unfair to China. Behind this is a China hysteria in Germany where people can only read negative news about China, which I think is wrong," Bernhard Ganter told Xinhua in a telephone interview on Friday.
The Munich-based author and journalist said he has sent several articles to German newspapers to express his opinions, but none of them has got published.
"We have press freedom in Germany, I can write what I want, but it just won't be published if it does not suit those people," said Ganter,. "No dissenting voice can be published. They want to publish what politicians and the major media want, which are one-sided and unfair to China."
In an opinion piece titled "China hysteria", which is posted on his own website, Ganter said: "As long as human rights and press freedom are also trampled upon in Germany, Germany should not call for human rights in other cultures, of which they have no idea."
Ganter also noted in the article that "The Dalai Lama is a very political man, greedy of power and double-faced. There are many sources to prove that. If people want to know the truth, just read."
He told Xinhua that German media's biased reports about China did not start from the Tibet riots. German media tends to look for a scapegoat whenever people meet some major problems here in at home, he said.
"At time of high gasoline prices, it was reported that the Chinese are buying up oil. If butter and milk become expensive, then you will see media reports that the Chinese are buying up our milk. It is simply not true, but people just want to look for a scapegoat. And that I think is the reason for the one-sided reporting," Ganter said.
"The general population in Germany is not informed. They say exactly, what the media report," he added.
Ganter said that he personally wants to speak out and try his best to improve the mutual understanding between Germany and China.
"If people want to understand each other, of course you need to sit down and talk. Especially those major media, which can reach the majority of people, should appeal for sobriety and calm instead of reporting hysterically," Ganter said.
"But what prevails now is a hysteria, an unqualified hysteria," he added.
It seems some German intellectuals do actually think German medias are biased towards China on not only the "Tibet riot" of this time but also on other issues.
Indian scholar slams foreign medias role in Lhasa riots
An article posted on the website of Russia's Strategic Culture Foundation says the riots in Tibet were well-orchestrated and coordinated to draw international attention, given that just a few months remain before the start of the Beijing Olympics.
The article was written by Arun Mohanty, an Associate Professor at India's Jawaharlal Nehru University. He says that the role of foreign intelligence and foreign media in instigating and exacerbating the riots should not be underestimated.
He claims the western media's coverage of Tibet has misled people, and says that, in fact, rioters committed murder, arson and other acts of vandalism against innocent civilians and caused enormous damage to public and private property.
Professor Mohanty said that some Tibetan groups, particularly non-governmental organizations funded by foreign sources, continue to advocate for the complete independence of Tibet. And he added these NGOs have a history of resorting to violence to achieve their goals.
"The current protests in Tibet, coinciding with the commemoration of the 49th anniversary of the March uprising in 1959, was brilliantly timed to draw the international attention to Tibetan issue given that few months are left till the commencement of Beijing Olympics on 8th August, 2008. Chinas debut as the host of the prestigious International Olympic Games is largely seen as one of the attributes of its formal arrival at the world stage as a respected global power. This is viewed as a precursor to the emergence of China as a Super Power in coming years. So, there could not have been a better occasion than this current anniversary to deliver a blow to Chinas international prestige.
Thus the ongoing protests were not all together unexpected. However, what is surprising is that the planned nature and the scale of violence that erupted in Tibetan capital Lhasa in the back drop of Chinas tightly-organized domestic security system. However widespread the current protests might be, it is unlikely to pose any serious challenge to China, not only because of its huge economic and military clout, but more so because of the fragmented nature of the Tibetan movement that has lost most of its credibility as a result of its hobnobbing with foreign powers interested in destabilizing China."
A worthy response by the BBC to criticism of the western media in China.
its ok to criticize censorship of the press in China, but please dont use other wrongs to cover your own wrongs, like the biased reports on "Tibet riot" this time by not only the BBC, but also other Western medias.
as a balanced voice who mentions both the aspect of "inaccurate report" by Western medias on "Tibet riot" and cencorship of the press in China, heres a worthy note by a Westerner from China.
who said the western media was above criticism? but making this out as the western media is out to get China is far fetched. i am surprised at others in this thread that turned this into another excuse for some western bashing. I wasn't surprised you would.
i am darn sure no one here thinks the Han and other victims deserve what they got, but how could we understand the context of the riots as anything more than a unfortunate (read not welcome) outcome to repression of PRC policies in Tibet. Ive have comparable stand points on the similar issues may they be Palestinians, Chechens and the others. Do a search before you think there is any 'bias' on my part for being pretty consistent and not only getting stuck into the US.
Originally posted by The Charioteer
Inaccurate reports
As a University alumnus living in the city of Chengdu, one province over from Tibet, I was disappointed to read Amelia Meyer's column ("A gold medal of an opportunity," March 28). Presumably drawing on inaccurate media reports, she takes the default American position that the Chinese government is evil and the Tibetans are an oppressed minority who must be independent. In reality, the Chinese government does some good things, and on the other side, the Lhasa riots show that Tibetan society has some dark, uncivilized aspects.
Reports from foreign citizens who were actually in Lhasa at the time of the recent riots confirm the Chinese government's story that the Tibetan mobs were out of control, destroying private property and committing brutal murders. Does Meyer think the Chinese government should have let the violence continue? If she is searching for a reason to boycott the Olympics, she should choose a better one, such as censorship of the press or the restrictions placed on all religions. A legitimate, bloodless police action to keep the peace in Tibet does not warrant her condemnation.
are you kidding me? i certainly want to smoke what you have,
this is apperently an example of the 'western media' and 'inaccurate reports'
It is a University of Maryland's newspaper with someones Friday article which is very much a personal view and isn't reporting anything per se.
"that the Chinese government is evil" " Tibetans are an oppressed minority who must be independent." have you read this thing? please show me where its states the above.
for anyone else this is the offensive opinion piece
A gold medal of an opportunity
Despite many miles of separation, there are things we can do to help Tibet
Amelia Meyer, Cavalier Daily Opinion Columnist
WHEN
I was a child, the Olympics were never about politics. They were only
about athletic prowess and national pride. Now, I am old enough to know
better. Today, with China assuming its controversial role as the host
of the 2008 Summer Olympics, the games now bring to mind displays of
nationalist propaganda and political misconduct more than anything
else. It is time that people recognize exactly how dangerous the
Olympics can be. More importantly, it is time for University students
and officials to take stock of the recent outcries for Tibetan
independence and to see the events as an educational opportunity rather
than just a tourist attraction.
In light of the Chinese government's recent crackdown on
protesters demanding Tibet's freedom from Chinese rule, as well as
other human rights violations committed by the host country, this
year's games are no longer about feats of athleticism or keeping track
of the medal count. Instead of relaxing on the couch switching back and
forth between the many channels that broadcast the Games, I will be
avoiding the Olympics at all costs. Gymnastics routines be damned.
According to the Associated Press, the recent riots in the
Tibetan capital of Lhasa are the most violent in two decades, perfectly
timed during the lead up to the games as a way to call attention to
China's continued rule over Tibet despite the desire of Tibetans for
political freedom. Yet as people in Tibet and other locations
participate in often violent demonstrations and protests, it seems too
easy for me to simply turn off the television and believe that I am
doing my part. So, as an American university student, what else can I
do?
According to University graduate student Jann Ronis, who has
been traveling to Tibet since 2000 and is an instructor for the
International Studies Office's UVa in Tibet: Eastern Tibetan Buddhist
Culture program, boycotting the Olympics will likely not improve the
situation a great deal. "The best thing," he said, "is to educate
ourselves," using tools such as teach-ins and dialogue with other
students. Study abroad programs, such as the one Ronis leads to Tibet
each summer, are another way to enhance our own knowledge of the
complicated history between Tibet and China.
Yet not everyone has heeded this advice, and those who are
planning trips to the Olympics this summer may very well avoid these
issues altogether. Cavalier Travels, a travel program designed
specifically for University alumni and their friends, is currently
advertising a Summer 2008 trip to China that will occur during the
Olympics. The company's Web site claims that the trip will focus on the
games, and it makes no mention of visiting Tibet. Conversely, the
study-abroad program to Tibet that Ronis is involved in has just
canceled its planned trip to Tibet this summer due to what Ronis calls
the "martial-law conditions" instated in the region.
Therefore, while some Cavaliers will be planning a sight-seeing
trip to China in hopes of watching the next great American athlete or
of cheering on a former Wahoo, students interested in studying the
culture of Tibet and understanding the nuances of the current unrest
will not have the opportunity to do so. Ronis notes, "Tourists don't
get the same out of their trips, nor do the Tibetans they meet have
such mutually illuminating interactions" as those that take place in a
study abroad program like his, which is equipped with knowledgeable
University professors and Tibetan staff.
The International Olympic Committee made the mistake of
thinking that by selecting China to host the Olympics, somehow the
conditions in Tibet would improve and the Chinese government would
become more open. Instead, the situation has only grown more volatile,
and foreign journalists and students are increasingly being denied the
opportunity to travel to the region.
It seems to me that instead of taking the easy road and merely
viewing China as a tourist destination, the University could do more to
emphasize the educational aspect of travel. Similarly, students can
take a more active role in educating themselves through study and
dialogue about China's history and its relations with Tibet. Maybe
instead of merely refusing to watch night after night of athletic
competition, we could all attend a teach-in about Sino-Tibet relations,
one of which is already in the works at the University. Maybe we could
write letters to University administrators urging them to support
educational endeavors to the region or even to boycott Olympic sponsors
such as Coca-Cola and McDonald's. Together, through dialogue and
awareness, maybe we can help open up those borders and continue to work
towards something greater than a gold medal.
Amelia Meyer's column appears Fridays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at ameyer@cavalierdaily.com.
my highlighting
with such awfully biased messages of; educted oneself with China's and Tibet culture/history and not treating these places simply as a tourist destination, and more dialog... tut tut cant have that!!
this is a fantastic example of Chinese hysteria over the western media 'hysteria ' vis vis Tibet. .. and there are more examples of this used by Charioteer (from the Chinese media) posts below.
German author accuses media of hysteria against China
Discontented at German media's biased coverage of the riots in Tibet, a German author has accused German media of hysteria against China.
"The coverage is very biased and unfair to China. Behind this is a China hysteria in Germany where people can only read negative news about China, which I think is wrong," Bernhard Ganter told Xinhua in a telephone interview on Friday.
The Munich-based author and journalist said he has sent several articles to German newspapers to express his opinions, but none of them has got published.
Originally posted by The Charioteer
It seems some German intellectuals do actually think German medias are biased towards China on not only the "Tibet riot" of this time but also on other issues.
who is this Ganter and what qaulifications does he have - who above all other 'intellectuals' can get so much air play in the PRC? and you said 'some German' intellectuals , so can you please list the others....
his website is in German so i cant read his words but such unproven and subejective statements like this; "The Dalai Lama is a very political man, greedy of power and
double-faced. There are many sources to prove that. If people want to
know the truth, just read." speaks volumes the rest seems sour grapes
this is a fantastic example of Chinese hysteria over the western media 'hysteria ' vis vis Tibet. ..
your irrational and irresponsible
May i remind Its the German author Bernhard Ganter who claimed German medias "hysteria" over issues related to China.
But instead of responding to Bernhard Ganter's opinion where one will notice the original mention of the word "hysteria" , you discover William Barratt's supposedly "biased" piece in which he only noted "inaccurate report" instead of the notion "hysteria" like Ganter did, but somehow you would convince yourself that William Barratt's such response is not only "biased" but it is "a fantastic example of Chinese hysteria over the western media " while the Chinese have actually nothing to do with both of them.
Originally posted by Leonidas
and there are more examples of this used by Charioteer (from the Chinese media) posts below.
the basis for this claim shouldbe "Chinese hysteria" as "demonstrated" by your "fantastic example", yet its irrational and irresponsible construction only demonstrates something that Ganter noted.
as for why opinions like Bernhard Ganter's piece is from Chinese media instead of German media i think the answer is given by the author in his own aritcle because German medias wouldnt published them.
Originally posted by Leonidas
his website is in German so i cant read his words but such unproven and subejective statements like this; "The Dalai Lama is a very political man, greedy of power and double-faced. There are many sources to prove that. If people want to know the truth, just read." speaks volumes the rest seems sour grapes
Racism against Chinese gold miners are "few drunkard got high", acknowledging bias and inaccurate reports on "Tibet riot" by western medias are "sour grapes"...
as for Dalai lama, he claims alot of things that are "unproven" and "subjective".
for instance like this claim here
Chinese soldiers dressed up as monks in Tibet, says Dalai Lama
New Delhi, March 29 As Beijing continues to batter him with charges of masterminding the Lhasa unrest, the Dalai Lama today suggested that China itself could be behind the violence and expressed readiness to work with the Chinese authorities to restore peace in Tibet.
The Dalai Lama, who has been seeking dialogue to resolve Tibet issue, voiced frustration at lack of response from China and declared that the future of his middle-path approach would depend on Beijings attitude in the next few weeks.
At a press conference here, he sought the help of the international community to bring China to the dialogue table, saying the Tibetans had no power to do so.
Tibetans are non-violent people, the spiritual leader maintained rubbishing allegations by China that he and his supporters were behind the recent violence in Tibet.
He suggested that China itself could be behind the violence as he said: We have heard about a few hundred Chinese soldiers received monks dress. They (soldiers) dressed like monks. So, for a layperson, they will look like monks. But the swords they had, were not Tibetan, they were Chinese swords, he said, apparently responding to Chinas campaign that monks had indulged in violence.
Maintaining that he has no desire to seek Tibets separation nor any wish to drive a wedge between the Tibetan and Chinese peoples, the Dalai Lama expressed willingness to work with the Chinese authorities to bring about peace and stability in Tibet.
The Dalai Lama, who earlier led an inter-faith prayer at Rajghat in the memory of those killed in Lhasa, said, my side is open for dialogue. We are waiting to hear from the Chinese side.
thats more than one source mentioning reports by German medias on "Tibet riot" were inaccurate and biased. Ive also heard from Chinese friend who live in Germany about some Germans who voiced similar thing.
Exclusive: Chinese police kill eight after opening fire on monks and Tibet protesters
'They cried long live the Dalai Lama then the firing started'
Jane Macartney in Beijing
Chinese paramilitary police killed eight people and wounded dozens more when
they fired on a protest by several hundred Tibetan monks and villagers, The
Times has been told.
The protesters were enraged by a government inspection team trying to
confiscate pictures of the Dalai Lama.
The clash, one of the bloodiest since Tibetan protests against China erupted
last month, occurred in the village of Donggu, high in the mountains of
Sichuan province near the border with Tibet, after government officials
entered the sprawling ancient hillside monastery of Tongkor.
They searched the room of every monk, confiscating all mobile phones as well
as the pictures. The monasterys website (www.donggusi.com)
says that it is home to 350 monks. A contact telephone for the monastery was
not operational yesterday.
When the officials had removed the photographs, a 74-year-old monk, identified
as Cicheng Danzeng, tried to stop police from throwing the images on the
ground an act seen as a desecration by Tibetans, who revere the Dalai Lama
as their god king. A young man working in the monastery, Cicheng Pingcuo,
25, also made a stand and both were arrested.
The team of officials then demanded that all the monks denounce the Dalai
Lama, who fled China after a failed uprising in 1959. One monk, Yixi Lima,
stood up and voiced his opposition, prompting the other monks to add their
voices.
About 6.30pm, the entire monastic body marched down to a nearby river, where
paramilitary police were encamped and demanded the release of the two men.
They were joined by several hundred local villagers, many of them enraged at
the detention of the elderly monk, who locals say is well respected in the
area for his learning and piety.
Shouting Long Live the Dalai Lama, Let the Dalai Lama come back and We
want freedom, the crowd demonstrated until about 9pm.
Witnesses said that up to 1,000 paramilitary police used force to try to end
the protest and opened fire on the crowd. In the gunfire, eight people died,
according to a local resident in direct contact with the monastery. These
included a 27-year-old monk identified as Cangdan and two women named as
Zhulongcuo and Danluo.
Witnesses said that a 30-year-old villager, Pupu Deley, was killed, with the
son of a villager named Cangdan, and the daughter of a villager called
Cuogu. Two other people, whose identities were not available, were also
killed, the witnesses said. Among those wounded was one person with a bullet
through the ear and another shot in the shoulder. About 10 people were still
missing yesterday, including another monk, Ciwang Renzhen.
One witness, who declined to be identified, said: People were very angry
after the old lama was detained. He is very much loved and so many ordinary
people were very excited.
State-run Chinese media confirmed that the police resorted to force but
insisted that it was only after a government official was attacked and
seriously wounded by protesters. Local officials exercised restraint during
the riot and repeatedly told the rioters to abide by the law, they reported.
The use of live rounds was a last resort, the Xinhua news agency said, without
specifying how the Tibetan demonstrators had injured the official. It said:
Police were forced to fire warning shots and put down the violence, since
local officials and people were in great danger.
Pro-Tibet activists said the incident erupted after the chief monk turned away
the officials on Wednesday, and they returned the following day backed by a
squad of paramilitary police. They said the police had opened fire when
demonstrators, expecting the two detainees to be freed by 8pm, confronted
the security at a roadblock outside the temple.
Yesterday armed paramilitary police patrolled the streets of the village and
surrounded the monastery. All communications had been cut.
Pictures of the Dalai Lama have been banned in China since the mid-1990s when
the exiled monk enraged Beijing by announcing that, working with an abbot of
a major monastery in Tibet, he had identified the reincarnation of the
Panchen Lama Tibets spiritual leader who died in 1989. That boy
disappeared and the Communist Party oversaw a new search in which another
child was installed as the reincarnation.
However, many monks and ordinary Tibetans still keep pictures of the Dalai
Lama in their homes or hidden on the corner of temple altars.
The new search appears to be part of a policy by the Government to try to
suppress the anti-Chinese unrest. On Thursday paramilitary police entered
the Drangko monastery in Sichuan where a policeman and two Tibetans died
in clashes on March 24 in a hunt for banned photographs. Witnesses said
that the police threw the pictures on the ground and stamped on them.
The latest upsurge of violence highlights the difficulties the Chinese
authorities are facing in trying to end almost a month of protests across
the Tibetan region and the depth of anti-Chinese sentiment among a deeply
Buddhist minority loyal to the exiled Dalai Lama. It comes just as the issue
of unrest has become a focus for activists around the world who are
criticising Chinas human rights record as it prepares to host the Olympic
Games in Beijing in August.
The latest violence must also cast a shadow over Beijings plans to reopen the
Tibetan capital, Lhasa, to tourists by May 1.
Before Thursdays violence, the security forces appeared to have regained
control of the vast areas of the country. In Lhasa, police issued their
Number 13 most wanted list, bringing to 79 the number of people still sought
for their roles in a riot on March 14 when Tibetans rampaged through the
streets of the Tibetan capital, stabbing and stoning ethnic Han Chinese and
setting fire to hundreds of shops and offices. At least 18 people died.
Lhasa authorities sent out a text message to the mobile phones of all
residents yesterday, offering a reward of 20,000 yuan (1,300) to anyone
giving information leading to the arrest of those wanted for the violence.
The unrest has spilled quickly since monks from a monastery on the edge of
Lhasa first tried to stage a peaceful demonstration on March 10 to mark the
anniversary of the Dalai Lamas flight into exile in 1959. Since then,
violence has been reported in several provinces with large Tibetan
populations.
Two monks in Sichuan province have committed suicide, according to Tibetan
sources. One aged 32 hanged himself in his room at Geerten monastery on
March 27, leaving a signed suicide note. Another, aged 72, from Guomang
temple, was apparently upset after being detained while en route to a
religious ceremony with his disciples. He returned to his monastery and
killed himself.
I saw the after affect of students being run over by tanks in Tiananmen Square. If they would do this to their own people then I wonder what they are capable of doing to the Tibetans??
They are Communist and have no fear of a God so they treat people without much of a conscious.
.
I saw the mother in law of the dalai lama speak and I heard the horror stories. He came to Spokane years ago to speak and I had a chance to see him briefly.
Λοιπόν, αδελφοί και οι συμπολίτες και οι στρατιώτες, να θυμάστε αυτό ώστε μνημόσυνο σας, φήμη και ελευθερία σας θα ε
Tibet: Chinese police wound 10 demonstrators at Lingque temple
Jane Macartney in Beijing
Chinese paramilitary police have opened fire on a crowd of angry Tibetans, wounding about 10 people who were protesting against limits on a prayer ceremony and demanding the return of the Dalai Lama, witnesses said.
The violence erupted on Saturday in a remote town high in the mountains of western Sichuan province where monks at the Lingque temple had been joined by several hundred pilgrims for an annual ceremony known as the Torgya at which lamas exorcise evil elements from society.
One witness said police appeared to grow anxious about the growing crowd in a region of China that has been rocked for more than two weeks by demonstrations since a riot on March 14 in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, when mobs stabbed and stoned ethnic Han Chinese and set fire to hundreds of shops and offices, leaving at least 18 people dead.
At around midday, security forces ordered a halt to the ceremony, which traditionally involves a procession of monks carrying a pyramid-shaped offering topped with a skull that is taken outside the monastery and then burnt to rid the area of evil spirits.
The demonstrators, including some 400 nomads who had ridden in on horseback from surrounding pastures to take part, refused to leave. The crowd included monks, local residents, students and even civil servants wearing dust masks over their mouths as a rudimentary means to conceal their identity, one witness said.
The standoff between the crowd shouting Give us freedom, Free Tibet, and Let the Dalai Lama come home and the police outside the temple lasted for several hours. At one point the police opened fire to try to disperse the protesters and about 10 people were wounded.
One local resident told The Times: The police opened fire. We could hear it. But I havent heard about any of the people throwing stones at the security forces.
The U.S.-government sponsored Radio Free Asia reported that the wounded were taken into custody by the security forces. It quoted a witness as saying: The monks called the head of Daofu county and warned that if those detained werent released, all the monks would continue protesting even if it meant they would be killed. So the county chief released those who were injured and detained.
Another source identified the three most seriously wounded men as Tsewang, Dondrup and Gyatsen and said they had reportedly been taken to hospital in the provincial capital, Chengdu, for treatment.
Witnesses said the demonstrations finally ended at about 5.00 pm. Officials said order had been restored around the monastery. It is one of the most important in the region and was founded in 1662 by a disciple of the Fifth Dalai Lama.
The perstistent unrest underscores the challenge facing the Chinese authorities as they try to end almost a month of protests across the Tibetan region and the depth of anti-Chinese sentiment among a deeply Buddhist minority loyal to the exiled Dalai Lama. Late last week in Donggu, also in the sprawling Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, paramilitary forces opened fire on protesters after a government official was seriously wounded, killing eight people, witnesses said.
In a strongly worded statement from his home in exile in the Indian town of Dharamsala, the Dalai Lama said the recent demonstrations were outbursts of long pent-up physical and mental anguish that proved most Tibetans want freedom from Chinese rule. He said Tibetans felt deep resentment against the suppression of their rights.
But he voiced his support for the Olympic games and said Tibetans should not try to disrupt them. It will be futile and not helpful to anyone if we do something that will created hatred in the minds of the Chinese people.
The Communist Party boss of Tibet said the region was now stable, but called for vigilance to prevent possible plots to sabotage the torch relay when it arrives in the Himalayan region. China plans to take the Olympic torch to Tibet twice. One torch will be taken up Mount Everest, the world's tallest peak, in early May, while the regular torch will pass through Lhasa in June.
Tibet Party Secretary Zhang Qingli urged people in the region to deepen their drive to complete the glorious, important and arduous task" of having the torch pass through Tibet.
its a pretty descent article but tends to be biased in favour of the Chinese because it conveniently ignores that China is an autocracy and China banned free reporters from Tibet immediately after the riots. therefore the Chinese media has to be considdered questionable and urneliable and so it is explaiend that the "western" media only referenced to infos from the Tibetan exiles.
It seems some German intellectuals do actually think German medias are biased towards China on not only the "Tibet riot" of this time but also on other issues.
what intelectuals? thats oen eprson. actually the German media sicne a few years have been to good to China, they showed here nice Chinese propaganda movies and stopped documantaries & movies about Tibet or movies that are banned in China....until the riots recently i was convinced our media was actually Chiense cotnrolled!
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Topic: Riots in Tibet
