Tibet Watch February 2009
The UK Free Tibet campaign has released
photos of a military buildup in Labrang (Xiahe) in Gansu Province. The military activity is related to fears by the Chinese authorities of Tibetans protesting in response to the fiftieth anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising on 10 march and the one year anniversary of the March 2008 protests where some 200 people are believed to have died.
According to an
AFP report, "Four government-run travel agencies in China and other industry people in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, told AFP that Tibet had been closed to foreign tourists." The report also notes a Chinese government official denying this.
An
article from NPR says that authorities in Tibet are cracking down on the sale of music and even the downloading of ringtones. This article was based on an
initial report (中文) by Beijing-based Tibetan blogger, Woeser. An
English translation of the article is available.
Tibetans, both in Tibet and around the world, are foregoing their usual celebrations of Losar, the Tibetan New Year, this year. Instead they are remembering those who lost their lives in last year's protests. His Holiness the Dalai Lama released
a statement on the New Year. He wrote:
... in the snow land of Tibet, we have the tradition to observe the New Year in the first lunar month with elaborate celebrations incorporating both spiritual and temporal elements. However, last year in Tibet we witnessed hundreds of Tibetans losing their lives, and several thousands facing detention and torture, in response to the widespread display by Tibetans all over Tibet of their discontentment with the Chinese authorities' policies.
Therefore, since they faced immense difficulties and sufferings, the occasion of this New Year is certainly not a period when we can have the usual celebrations and gaiety. I admire the determined move by Tibetans, inside and outside of Tibet, not to indulge in celebratory activities during this New Year.
Here in Taipei the Tibetan community and Tibet supporters marked the New Year with a candlelight vigil. I have
reported on it at my Taiwan blog and you can also see
photos at flickr.
Writing in TIME, Simon Elegant notes that the Dalai Lama's middle way policy has failed. He
suggests the only way for the Dalai Lama to break the deadlock is a bold move.
Now it is time for one final, bold stroke: an announcement that the Dalai Lama is willing to return without any preconditions. Though Beijing has said it would accept him back on those terms, it is possible that the Chinese leadership--mindful of the return of exiles like the Ayatullah Khomeini to Iran--will try to block his path or refuse to live up to its promise to allow the Dalai Lama to go back to Tibet. But such a result would only broaden support and sympathy for the Tibetan cause.
Labels: Tibet
Tibet in the media
The Tibet issue gets quite a lot of media attention. However, the quality of a lot of what is written is not great. News from the Chinese media is nothing more than propaganda and it often gets re-reported by the major news agencies. What is written in the media outside China does a good job of representing the viewpoints of both sides but lacks nuance. It tends to be the Tibetan Government in Exile versus the Xinhua News Agency. There is no appreciation of the wider range of viewpoints that exist.
Shakya Tsering, a leading Tibetan historian and author of
Dragon in the Lands of Snows, has an excellent article in the
Far Eastern Economic Review titled
The Gulf Between Tibet and Its Exiles. In it he highlights the difference in outlook between the Tibetans in exile and the Tibetans in the PRC. The article discusses many of the complexities of Tibetan politics that are generally ignored.
The article was written in response to two earlier articles. One was by William Engdahl in Global Research which was later retracted and is no longer online. The other was by Ching Cheong repeating Engdahl's argument.
Another article on a similar theme was published in the Asia Times Online in March 2008.
Tibet, the 'great game' and the CIA by Richard Bennett talks about Tibet's connections with the CIA. Although some people some people are surprised by the historical connections between the Tibetans and the CIA during the Cold War it is hardly a secret. It is the subject of the book
The CIA's Secret War in Tibet and the documentary
The Shadow Circus.
While I am sure that various foreign intelligence agencies (especially those of India and the US) maintain connections with various Tibetan groups I think it is a little naive to connect the covert guerilla war in the 1960s to the present outbreak of protests in Tibet.
What journalists should be spending more time doing though is investigating and understanding the politics of the Tibetans in exile. Some of them might be quite surprised to learn that not all Tibetans regard His Holiness the Dalai Lama with uncritical devotion. There are a wide range of viewpoints in the Tibetan diaspora.
Another topic that really needs thorough investigation is the Dorje Shugden sect who are protesting against the Dalai Lama claiming he is opressing their religious freedom. This group is closely linked with the New Kadampa Tradition (NKT) led by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. There is a very long Wikipedia article titled the
Dorje Shugden controversy which covers a lot of the details.
Some suspect the Chinese of being an invisible hand behind the Dorje Shugden controversy using it to discredit the Dalai Lama. However, as far as I know thre is no credible evidence to prove this. It could also be the result of a split within the Tibetan in exile community. This would not be a first as there has already been the
Karmapa controversy. It is also possible that this is just the workings of a religious sect or cult that is fanatical about its beliefs. Whatever the case might be it is something that needs more investigation and analysis in the media.
Labels: media, Tibet
Karmapa on our connection to the environment
His Holiness the 17th Karmapa created a new logo for the Kagyu Monlam. It represents the connection between humans and the environment. Part of his explanation of the logo follows.
"Ever since the human race first appeared on this earth, we have used this earth heavily. It is said that ninety-nine percent of the resources and so on in this world come from the natural environment. We are using the earth until she is used up. The earth has given us immeasurable benefit, but what have we done for the earth in return? We always ask for something from the earth, but never give her anything back.
"We never have loving or protective thoughts for the earth. Whenever trees or anything else emerge from the ground, we cut them down. If there is a bit of level earth, we fight over it. To this day we perpetuate a continuous cycle of war and conflict over it. In fact, we have not done much of anything for the earth.
"Now the time has come when the earth is scowling at us; the time has come when the earth is giving up on us. The earth is about to treat us badly and give up on us. If she gives up on us, where can we live? There is talk of going to other planets that could support life, but only a few rich people could go. What would happen to all of us sentient beings who could not go?
"What should we do now that the situation has become so critical? The sentient beings living on the earth and the elements of the natural world need to join their hands together—the earth must not give up on sentient beings, and sentient beings must not give up on the earth. Each needs to grasp the other’s hand. So doesn’t the Monlam logo look like two hands clasping each other?
The full text is
here.
Labels: buddhism, environment, Tibet
A true Tibetan tale
Tibet suffers from being seen from two diametrically opposed points of view. Some people idealise Tibet and its people as representing a peaceful Buddhist culture. Others hold the view that the Chinese colonisation was necessary to civilise to the Tibetan people.
The reality of life in modern Tibet is undoubtedly somewhat different. While there have been a number of notable films related to Tibet in recent years, they still try to represent Tibet as a Shangri-la.
Kekexili: Mountain Patrol is a film set in Tibet based on a true story. It is beautifully shot in the harsh mountain landscape. The scenery makes you realise that despite its rugged beauty, life here is tough. In fact, as the movie develops you can see that people are really fighting to survive in this high altitude desert.
The story of Kekexili revolves around the mountain patrol, a group of Tibetan men who are trying to stop the poaching of the endangered
Tibetan antelope. These men are as tough as the mountains they live in. They are trying to do something to protect their environment. As the movie progresses it becomes clear that the distinctions between good and bad are not always clear. Often moral decisions are based on nothing more than what is necessary to survive.
Overall, this film presents a stunning and realistic picture of life in modern Tibet.
Links
Mountain Patrol - National Geographic World FilmsIMDB: Kekexili (2004)Kekexili - Rotten TomatoesLabels: movies, Tibet
