As the Chinese military pours into all areas of Tibet and the final representatives of the western media are forced out, and as protests and demonstrations continue around the world, more and more people have offered their analysis of the situation and their opinions about what is needed. Vaclav Havel, who received the Light of Truth award from the International Campaign for Tibet, has rightly pointed out that asking China to exercise restraint in Tibet is not enough; the international community must use its influence to halt human rights abuses. This has led him to question a boycott of the Olympic games. Timothy Garton Ash, who said some of Beijing’s recent pronouncements were “a throwback to the worst Stalinist demagogy” has suggested that the leaders of all free countries should agree that they will always meet the Dalai Lama whenever he visits their nation. The Chinese authorities consider these meetings important, he argues, or they would not go to such lengths to denounce them. Like Vaclav Havel, Ash puts the onus on the wider international community to do more. By contrast, Elliot Sperling–who should know better–has blamed the current situation on the Dalai Lama’s naivete of the Chinese realpolitik. Sperling is no doubt right that China is “convinced that the passing of the Dalai Lama will deflate the Tibet issue as an international concern”, but the Dalai Lama can not be faulted for his efforts to find a solution and his unwavering commitment to nonviolence.
Both the Dalai Lama and Samdhong Rinpoche must be commended for their refusal to oversimplify and polarize the Tibetan issue into a matter of being either pro-Tibet or pro-China. The lack of basic freedoms in Tibet is directly related to the lack of basic freedoms throughout China. If there is to be a boycott of the Olympics it must be on these grounds: the lack of religious freedom, lack of press freedom, repression of dissent, use of toture, etc. After all, as His Holiness has pointed out, the Olympics are being held in Beijing, not in Lhasa. To boycott the Olympics solely because of the Tibet issue would not serve the Tibetans and would only foster bitterness and resentment among ordinary Chinese people.
Somehow, the Chinese people as a whole must come to see the Tibet issue as one that highlights their own lack of freedom and recognize their solidarity with Tibetans. His Holiness the Dalai Lama believes this is why it is important that the Chinese public know the reality of what is happening in Tibet. “Friendship between Tibetan and Chinese peoples,” he says, “is essential.”
Tags: boycott, china, dalai lama, Elliot Sperling, olympics, opinions, samdhong rinpoche, Tibet, Timothy Garton Ash, Vaclav Havel
March 21, 2008 at 10:50 am |
YES! This is EXACTLY right! Nothing could be more important, right now, than speaking directly and swiftly to the Chinese people and pointing out their solidarity with the Tibetans and with the oppression that Tibetans–and Chinese–suffer under Beijing. Beijing’s brutality, I hope and pray, is now backfiring.
March 21, 2008 at 11:14 am |
Majority of chinese folks in china saw the images of violent riots and feel the timing of the uprising by the Dalai’s group is out to hurt the country. It makes them lose face already /w or /wo Olympics. Many chinese already feel bitterly against the movement.
March 21, 2008 at 11:24 am |
Dear Poncho, You are probably right unfortunately. In a country without press freedom it is easy to portray this as an attack on China’s sovereignty, orchestrated by the “Dalai clique”. It is in the Chinese government’s own interest to spin it in that way, but it is not in the interests of the Chinese people or the Tibetan people. Before fueling bitterness or resentment, it would perhaps be worthwhile considering the long-term consequences: further unrest, ethnic tensions, suspicions and so on. The alternative is to look deeper and address the underlying concerns, swiftly, as Sheila says, before it is too late.
March 21, 2008 at 12:12 pm |
It doesn’t help to have the radical group , what’s the name? tibet youth congress, which rejects Dalai lead and advocates violence to achieve the mean. I don’t know how much that group has plan out the lhasa riot.
Dalai probably didn’t know the radical group’s plan ahead of time…
There’s no swift solution to this. I am not sure Even Dalai ’s middleway true autonomy approach can accepted by the CCP. It will be tough.
March 21, 2008 at 3:38 pm |
As I understand Sperling’s arguments (by the way, I know he is extremely sympathetic to the Tibetan plight, but is also quite knowledgeable in Chinese language and history, in any case a rare combination in the academies), he’s saying that the PRC guys are laughing at the Dalai Lama every time He responds to their usual non-response (saying he is calling for disguised independence) by saying, “I’m not looking for Tibetan independence.” They are laughing at Him because by saying so He is, in their view, once again their unwitting puppet, repeating the very thing they want the world to hear. I’m not sure you do Sperling’s argument justice here, not that it’s really all that crucial to what is going on right now. Other than that, I think your essay is excellent. I think right now a small amount of principled anger is permitted even to bodhisattvas of the three pure earths, so no need to mention the rest of us.
Among the most recent postings on the Tibetan demonstration issues, I’d most recommend reading Josh Shrei’s. It’s here:
http://tibettoons.wordpress.com/2008/03/20/let-the-glass-house-fall/
And by the way, I don’t think Poncho gives the Chinese people enough credit for thinking independently on this and other issues of concern to them. Repression is about as effective on them as it is on the Tibetans… it only works, or *seems* to work, short term and doesn’t erase long-term memories. And changes are in the wind there, too.
March 21, 2008 at 5:09 pm |
Hi Dava,
I think you are right about Sperling: I did not do his argument justice, that’s true. But right now I am very wary of anyone who even hints that the Dalai Lama could do more than he has done already. Thanks for the link, that is a great piece. And I certainly hope you are right about the changes in the wind…
March 21, 2008 at 8:07 pm |
Yes, Adam, I also am not sure Sperling is on target with this idea that the TGIE isn’t savvy enough to deal with the PRC, and so are getting played. H.H.’s very best strategy is to keep speaking truth to power. The alternative is an exchange of untruths for untruths that would lead nowhere worth going. And some people simply don’t have a single clue how a person motivated by compassion would operate in the political world. I think H.H. is showing the way it’s done right now. Even in his volunteering to resign.
Now what to make of the new idea that British intelligence have uncovered, from satellite communications, a Chinese plot in fomenting the violence in Lhasa? I’m getting confused. Again.
March 21, 2008 at 10:29 pm |
Those calling for “Free Tibet” without also calling for the return of the land to Natives of America, Canada, South America, South Africa, Australia,Siberia….etc are hypocrits and racially discriminating.
March 21, 2008 at 10:48 pm |
Dear Mao, I think the true call here should be “Free China”, as in the call for China to respect freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of expression. This, of course, is what sets China apart from the other countries you mention.
March 22, 2008 at 1:15 am |
we condemn terrorists and violence against innocent civilians.
March 22, 2008 at 2:04 am |
Hi Adam, R you telling me in those white controlled areas are so good, minorities don’t complain? No discrimination?
March 22, 2008 at 7:26 am |
Of course not. I am saying they have fundamental freedoms, i.e., they will not be imprisoned and tortured for their views, or for possessing a picture of the Dalai Lama.
March 23, 2008 at 2:48 am |
Mao was “anonymous” when he wrote to my blog. You can see his same old PRC gov’t “argument” and also a response or two (or three?) here:
http://tibeto-logic.blogspot.com/2008/03/now-begins-silence.html
But your response is just fine by me. Keep up the good work. The PRC powers are determined to drown out our voices, even though we don’t even live under their reign of repression. But a whole lot more concerning is their drowning out of Tibetan and YES, Chinese, voices that demand being heard. The repression continues at their own peril. They know it. We’re not really telling them anything surprising or new that they don’t really already know. It’s more important for them to continue hating the rest of the world than it is to solve their own problems in any reasonable way.