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TIBETANULLETI

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HIS HOLINESS’ APPEAL TO CHINESE SPIRITUAL BROTHERS AND SISTERS

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TIBET: HER PAIN, MY SHAME

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FROM THIS SIDE OF THE HIMALAYA: TIME FOR CHINA TO HOLD OUT OLIVE BRANCH

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May - June 2008Volume 12, Issue 3

DOCUMENTATION

CHRONOLOGICAL DETAILS OF RECENT EVENTS IN TIBET

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STATEMENT BY SPECIAL ENVOYS OF HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA

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INTERVIEW

I PRAY FOR CHINA’S LEADERSHIP

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VIEWS

HOPE FOR A BETTER TIBET POLICY

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His Holiness the Dalai Lama meets British Prime Minister Gordon Brown at Lambeth Palace, the Archbidhop ofCanterbury’s Official residence in London, on 23 May 2008. (photo by Ian Cumming/Office of Tibet, London)

His Holiness the Dalai Lama with framed Honorary Doctorate certificate flanked by Vice Chancellor BrianRoper and Chair of the Board of Governors Peter Anwyl (photo by Ian Cumming/Office of Tibet/London)

TIBETAN BULLETIN 3NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2007

Tibetan Bul le t in i s an off ic ia lbi-monthly journal of the CentralTibetan Administ rat ion of HisHoliness the Dalai Lama.

Signed articles or quotations do notnecessarily reflect the views of theCentral Tibetan Administration.Contributions are welcome and may beaddressed to the editor, TibetanBulletin. However, the publisherregrets its inability to return unusedarticles unless they are accompanied bya self-addressed envelope with adequatepostage.Tibetan Bulletin is distributed free ofcharge. To subscribe please email thecirculation manager or see page 31.

Acting EditorLobsang Choedak

Intern EditorTenzin Dickyi (Dhela)

Layout & DesignDorje TseringCirculation ManagerWangyal LamaEmail: [email protected] Bulletin is published by:Department of Information and Inter-national Relations, Central Tibetan Ad-ministration, Dharamshala- 176 215,H.P., IndiaTel: +91-1892-222510 / 222457

Vol. 12, Issue 3May -June 2008

TIBETANBULLETIN

C O N T E N T Swww.tibet.net/en/tibbul

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9 His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Appeal to Chinese Spiritual Brothers and Sisters

9 World Leaders’Take on the Resolution of Tibet Issue

11 Tibet: Her Pain, My Shame

- Tang Danhong

13 From this side of the Himalaya: Time for China to hold out olive branch — Lobsang Choedak

REGULARS

News briefs........................4 Documentation........................15

Contact............................31 Perspectives...........................25

DOCUMENTATION

15 HISTORY IN THE MAKING:: Chronological details of recent events in Tibet since 1 May 2008

20 Statement by Special Envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen

INTERVIEW

21 I Pray for China’s Leadership

VIEWS

25 Hope for a Better Tibet Policy

- Willy Lam

27 MY CHINA, MY TIBET

— Grace Wang

29 For Talks to Succeed, China Must Admit to a Tibet Problem

— Michael C Davis

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MAP

32 A Map of Peaceful Demonstrations in Tibet-2008

“THE BEST WAY FORWARD IS TO RESOLVETHE ISSUES BETWEEN THE TIBETANSAND THE CHINESE LEADERSHIPTHROUGH DIALOGUE, AS I HAVE BEENADVOCATING FOR A LONG TIME. I HAVEREPEATEDLY ASSURED THE LEADERSHIPOF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINATHAT I AM NOT SEEKINGINDEPENDENCE. WHAT I AM SEEKING ISA MEANINGFUL AUTONOMY FOR THETIBETAN PEOPLE THAT WOULD ENSURETHE LONG-TERM SURVIVAL OF OURBUDDHIST CULTURE, OUR LANGUAGEAND OUR DISTINCT IDENTITY AS APEOPLE. THE RICH TIBETAN BUDDHISTCULTURE IS PART OF THE LARGERCULTURAL HERITAGE OF THE PEOPLE’SREPUBLIC OF CHINA AND HAS THEPOTENTIAL TO BENEFIT OUR CHINESEBROTHERS AND SISTERS.” - HISHOLINESS THE 14TH DALAI LAMA, INHIS APPEAL LETTER TO SPIRITUALCHINESE BROTHERS AND SISTERS

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4 TIBETAN BULLETIN MAY - JUNE 2008

Central Tibetan Administrationcondemns sentences imposed on 30Tibetans, 1 May

In a press statement issued on 1 May2008, the Kashag (Cabinet) condemnedthe arbitrary sentences imposed on 30Tibetans involved in the recent unrestinside Tibet.

The statement reads: “We stronglycondemn the arbitrary sentencesimposed on the 30 Tibetans involved inthe recent protests in Tibet. The penaltyimposed on the 30 Tibetans ranges fromthree years to life imprisonment formerely exercising their freedom ofexpression. These sentences aredisproportionate to what the Chineseauthorities said are the “crimes” theycommitted.

These trails were neither fair nortransparent. The trail decisions did notfollow the due process of law and theaccused were denied independentlawyers to defend their case.

We fear that many such arbitrary trialswill lead to lock up all those Tibetanspresently under detention. All suchfuture trials must be open andtransparents. Those under trial deserveindependent lawyers who can defendtheir case without fear and favour.

Most importantly, we urge the Chinesegovernment to do away with thispretence of a fair trial and immediatelyrelease all those Tibetans presentlyunder detention.”

China condemned for slapping unfairverdict on Tibetan protesters

The Tibetan Solidarity Committee (TSC)strongly condemned the LhasaIntermediate People’s court’s verdict onsentencing 30 Tibetans from three to life-term in jail, fearing it could also includeexecution of some Tibetans in the daysto come.

China’s state media Xinhua reported theslapping of harsh prison terms on

Tibetans for disrupting public services,arson, looting, destroying localgovernment offices and attacking police,after conducting a public trial in Lhasa,on 30 April.

“The manner in which the recent trialswere held forewarns of a more severeand unfair punishment to befall on manyof the Tibetans currently in custody, tothe point of even awarding deathpenalty,” TSC said in a press release.

The committee has urged all thegovernments of free world, the UnitedNations Human Rights Council,Amnesty International and Legalorganizations around the world toimmediately come forward in rescue ofTibetan people from the unjust andunfair judicial process.

Terming the verdict as unjustified, thecommittee said Tibetan’s long-standingunbearable repression compelled themto a spontaneous and peaceful protestrather than killing and looting asallegedly pronounced by the court.

US Ambassador worried over Nepal’sharsh handling of Tibetans

The United States Ambassador NancyPowell expressed official concern aboutthe treatment of Tibetans by Nepaleseauthorities, in addition to discussing thecurrent political-economic situation inthe wake of the final election results withPrime Minister Koirala on 1 May.

Ambassador Powell urged the PrimeMinister to ensure that the right topeaceful protest was maintained andthat the human rights of Tibetans inNepal are respected. She welcomed theright to peacefully protest.

Meanwhile, the Sherpa Himalayancommunity of Nepal voiced their seriousconcern on the Nepalese government’srepressive handling of peaceful Tibetandemonstrators.

Terming the actions as both inhuman andrepressive, they said, it is also a very

serious violation of the InterimConstitution of Nepal, which upholdsthe dignity of the basic human rights.

They also said Tibetans share samereligion, culture, language and traditionwith us and we are pained to see beatingof protesting Buddhist monks whom werevere very highly.

The Sherpa community have urged thegovernment of Nepal to stop the doublestandard of dealing with the Tibetanrefugees.

US supports talks between HisHoliness’ Envoys and China

The United States expressed support fora meeting between the Chinesegovernment and the representatives ofHis Holiness the Dalai Lama.

“In terms of our views on conversationswith the Chinese and representatives ofthe Dalai Lama, obviously, we’ve beencalling for that for a long time. Wecertainly support the statements, as thePresident said that the ChineseGovernment has said they’re willing tohave this meeting take place,” saidDeputy Spokesman Tom Casey at a dailypress briefing on 2 May.

US President George W. Bush urgedChina to hold substantive dialogue withthe representatives of His Holiness theDalai Lama to address the deep andlegitimate concerns of the Tibetanpeople.

Tom Casey said, “We certainly want tosee it take place and believe thatdialogue between the Dalai Lama and hisrepresentatives and the ChineseGovernment is really the best way toaddress some of the fundamental issuesin Tibet, and will allow for a realcommunication and a real discussion ofthose issues between the ChineseGovernment and an individual and hisrepresentatives, who really is reveredamong people in the area and who is animportant spiritual leader for many.”

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TIBETAN BULLETIN 5MAY - JUNE 2008

Responding to a question on what USconsider as deep and legitimateconcerns of Tibetans, Casey said, “Idon’t think that we need to catalog forthe Tibetan people what their basicconcerns are.”

“We have a situation in Tibet wherepeople feel that they are unable to freelypractice their religion, freely practicesome of their cultural traditions andvalues. And this is an ongoing problem.These are things that we would hopewould be able to be discussed,” he said.

“Certainly, the Dalai Lama himself hassaid that he is not calling for any kind ofchange in the political status of Tibet.He’s not calling for independence, butcalling for a discussion with the ChineseGovernment to help resolve some ofthese issues and allow people to be ableto enjoy some of these basic rights,” headded.

During their brief visit to China, theenvoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lamawill take up the urgent issue of thecurrent crisis in the Tibetan areas. Theywill convey His Holiness the DalaiLama’s deep concerns about the Chineseauthorities’ handling of the situation andalso provide suggestions to bring peaceto the region.

Since the Chinese leadership hasindicated, publicly as well as in briefingsgiven to foreign governments, itsposition on the continuation of thedialogue, the envoys will raise the issueof moving forward on the process for amutually satisfactory solution to theTibetan issue.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama leadsprayers for Tibetan victims, 3 May

His Holiness the Dalai Lama, along withspiritual leaders from the four mainschools of Tibetan Buddhism and thetraditional Bon religion, presided over aspecial prayer congregation atTsuklakhang (main temple), Dharamsala,in remembrance of Tibetan victims of therecent protests in Tibet

European Parliament Urges China forSubstantive Dialogue on Tibet, 8 May

The President of the EuropeanParliament, Hans-Gert Pottering urgedChina to engage in substantivediscussions with representatives of HisHoliness the Dalai Lama, during hismeeting with Mrs Kesang Yangki Takla,Kalon for the Department of Informationand International Relations in Brussels,on 8 May.

Mr. Pottering said: “The EuropeanParliament has made it crystal clear tothe Chinese authorities in our resolutionlast month, and I repeat that demandnow. China must immediately beginsubstantive discussions leading tomeaningful negotiations, at anappropriately high level, withrepresentatives of the Dalai Lama.”

“I have now met the Dalai Lama three orfour times and his Kalon reconfirmed tome what he himself has always statedclearly: He is not seeking independencefor Tibet but autonomy within theChinese constitution to enable theTibetan people to manage their ownaffairs in the areas of religion, culture,social norms and environment. It is onthis basis that results-oriented talksshould be opened,” he added.

“My exchange of views with Kalon Taklawas an opportunity to hear details of theharsh conditions on the ground. Thecontinued restrictions imposed on themedia are unacceptable. I reiterateParliament’s call on China to open upTibet to media and diplomats. Theremust also be an independent enquiry,under the auspices of the UnitedNations, into the recent riots andrepression in Tibet.”

“I reassured Kalon Takla that theEuropean Parliament is looking forwardto the visit of the Dalai Lama scheduledfor 3 December where he is invited toaddress a plenary sitting. The Dalai Lamais welcome to come sooner if he sochooses,” he added.

Chinese Lawyers suppressed foroffering legal service to Tibetans

The 21 Chinese lawyers who signed their

signature campaign and openlyannounced that they would providelegal services to Tibetans arrested aslegal representatives and defenselawyers were severely suppressed by theauthorities.

Zhou Yongkang, the standing memberof the Standing Committee of thePolitical Bureau of the CPC CentralCommittee and the party secretary of theCentral Political and Law Commission,sent a special memo concerning thisissue; the law firms where these lawyersare working were forbidden by thebureaus/departments of judiciary toaccept the entrust by the Tibetans, andthe annual inspection and registrationof their law firms would also bepostponed.

As for the lawyers themselves, theannual inspection and registration formany of them have also been postponed.

Those who signed their signatures buthave not participated in the annualinspection yet will also meet with thesame fate that theirs will also bepostponed.

The President of the Beijing BarAssociation claimed that they would usetheir wisdom to smash the “rice bowl”for those lawyers who signed theirnames on the statement.

Since the first ten-day period of April,one after another, the law firms wherethe lawyers who signed their namesareworking received the following noticefrom the Administration Section ofLawyers under Beijing Municipal Bureauof Judicature:

“The lawyers from your law firm areinvolved in representing some sensitivecases, therefore, the annual inspectionand registration of your firms will betemporarily postponed.”

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T he Kashag released a press statementon 3 April 2008 welcoming the legalservices offered to Tibetans by theChinese lawyers in China.

In its press release, the Kashag said,“We are equally encouraged to note thatthe lawyers, while expressing theirserious concern for the well being of thearrested Tibetans, have called upon theconcerned Chinese authorities to “obeythe constitution, following the legalprocedures in dealing with the arrestedTibetans..... no torture throughoutinterrogation and respect theindependence of legal system.”

“The Kashag would like to thank allthose Chinese lawyers who have takenupon themselves to protect the legalrights of the Tibetans as well as Chinesepeople and have come forward to savethe arrested Tibetans from the onslaughtof a regime bent on curbing thefundamental rights of its own people tohave a fair and just legal representation.”

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Prays forVictims in China Quake

In a condolence message, His Holinessthe Dalai Lama expressed his deepsympathy and heartfelt condolences tothe affected families by the devastatingearthquake that struck Sichaun provincein China on 12 May.

The message noted: “I am deeplysaddened by the loss of many lives andmany more who have been injured in thecatastrophic earthquake that struckSichuan province of China,”

“I would like to extend my deepsympathy and heartfelt condolences tothose families who have been directlyaffected by the strong earthquake on 12May 2008. I offer my prayers for thosewho have lost their lives and thoseinjured in the quake,” His Holinessadded.

A strong earthquake measuring 7.8 onthe Richter scale jolted WenchuanCounty, in southwest of Sichuan

Province of China, resulting in nearly50,000 deaths and large scale propertyloss, reported China’s official Xinhuanews agency.

Exiled Tibetans offer Solace to ChinaQuake Victims through Prayers, 19May

The Tibetan Solidarity Committeeorganised a prayer congregation at themain Buddhists temple in Dharamshalaon 19 May, to offer Tibetan people’sdeep sympathy and prayers to thefamilies of those thousands of peoplekilled and injured in the two recentnatural calamities - cyclone Nargis inMyanmar and the earthquake that strucksouthwestern parts of China.

On the same day, synchronised prayerswere also held in all the Tibetansettlements across India, Nepal, andBhutan under the aegis of local Tibetansolidarity committees.

In his address during the prayergathering, Karma Chophel, the speakerof the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile said:“The Central Tibetan Administration andall the Tibetan people in exile conveytheir heartfelt condolences to the familiesof the victims of the devastatingearthquake and stands in solidarity withthe Chinese people in this hour of griefand sadness.”

As a mark of respect, the speakerappealed to all Tibetans to put offprotests in front of Chinese embassiesuntil the end of May.

He expressed concern that Tibetansmight also have been affected by theearthquake since the largely hit areas bythe powerful quake also include Tibetaninhabited areas like Lungu county(Ch: Wen Chuang), Tashi Ling county(Ch; Lixian), Sungchu county (Ch:SongPan), Trochu county (Ch: Xiao Jing) andMaowen county (Ch: Mao Wen) underNgaba (Ch: Aba) Tibetan AutonomousPrefecture (TAP) in Sichuan Province.

“In this hour of tragedy, we hope and

appeal to the Central Government of thePeople’s Republic of China to delivertimely rescue and relief to all the affectedareas, without any distinction of peopleand place,” he added.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama saddenedby the Cyclone Disaster in Burma

In a letter to Mr. Jacob Kellenberger,President of International Committee ofthe Red Cross, sent on 8 May 2008, HisHoliness the Dalai Lama expressed:

“I am deeply saddened by thecatastrophe caused in Burma by therecent Cyclone Nargis. I am shocked bythe destruction, especially by the highnumber of people who have perished asa result. This catastrophe hascompounded the problems of povertythat already exist in Burma.”

Cyclone Nargis hit Irrawaddy river deltaregion in Burma on 3 May 2008, killinghundreds and thousands of people, andcausing widespread damage. The worst-hit areas in Irrawaddy Delta are Bogalay,Laputta, Mawlamyaing Gyun andPyapon townships.

According to the U.N., the 3 Maycyclone may have killed between 62,000and 100,000, and left up to 2 millionsurvivors facing disease and starvation.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama visitsGermany and the UK

His Holiness the Dalai Lama appealedfor more cultural autonomy in his nativeTibet, but stressed that he did not wantto see the territory become independentfrom China, during his visit to Germany.

“The Chinese earthquake victims arealso human beings, they are sufferingthe same pain so as soon as we heardand also saw pictures ... in Dharamsala,we really felt very, very sad,” Reutersquoted His Holiness as saying at animpromptu news conference shortlyafter landing in Frankfurt on 15 May.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama was

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received at the airport by the StatePremier of Hesse, Roland Koch and heldbreakfast meeting with him.

In Bochum, His Holiness met withJuergen Ruettgers, Prime Minister ofNorth Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’smost populous state. Ruettgers said afterthe talks that His Holiness the DalaiLama had briefed him on the meetingsbetween his representatives and theChinese government held in theaftermath of the freedom demonstrationsin March that left an undeterminednumber of dead.

Condemning the suppression of thepeaceful demonstration in Tibet, HisHoliness said: “The Chinese politicalauthorities’ reaction, as before, wassuppression. So it is very sad.”

His Holiness the Dalai Lama reiteratedhis commitment of not seekingindependence for Tibet and said we wantto live in peace with our Chinesebrothers and sisters, Agence France-Presse reported. His Holinessaddressed a news conference in thewestern city of Bochum on the secondday of a visit to Germany on 16 May.

“We are not seeking independence, butmerely autonomy and more respect forTibet culture, religion and language,”His Holiness repeated.

His Holiness said that it was in China’sbest interest to improve relations withthe Tibetans but that its policy hadcreated resentment well beyond Tibet’sborders.

The International community heaped achorus of condemnation over China’sviolent handling of the peaceful protestsacross Tibet last month.

Later in the day, His Holiness addressedsome 3,000 people gathered to hear himgive a speech on human rights andglobalisation. “This should be thecentury of peace and dialogue,” HisHoliness told the cheering crowd, callingfor all nuclear weapons to be scrapped

and for the world to be demilitarised.

His Holiness added that globalisationmust be on the wrong path when it leadsto rising food prices, and called forharmony between the world’s religions.

On 19 May, His Holiness met withGermany’s development ministerWieczorek-Zeul and the foreign affairscommittee of the parliament. Theminister said they had a frank discussionMonday about Tibetan autonomy andChinese rule, Agence France-Pressereported.

“I took advantage of the opportunity tolet the Dalai Lama inform me about thesituation in Tibet, based on his point ofview,” AFP quoted her as saying. “Ofcourse, we discussed the necessity forcultural autonomy in this context, as wellas about the dialogue between the PRCand representatives of the Dalai Lama.”

Merkel’s spokesman, Thomas Steg, toldreporters that Merkel, who is on a seven-day tour of Latin America, was notinvolved in Wieczorek-Zeul’s decisionto hold talks with His Holiness the DalaiLama, but was in no way opposed to it.”

His Holiness concluded his 5-day visitto Germany on 20 May with an addressto a large gathering in the heart of thecapital at Brandenburg Gate - a symbolof a reunited Germany.

Calling for dialogue as a means to endviolence, His Holiness said: “The 20thcentury was the century of bloodshed. Isay the 21st century should be one ofdialogue.”

“[This is] the very place the Berlin Walldisappeared, not by force, but by apopular peaceful movement,” HisHoliness said, adding, “So I really feel[there is] something very significant [inthis].”

The Tibetan’s supreme spiritual andtemporal leader said: “We are notseeking separation.” “Tibet is a poorcountry, materially very backward,” His

Holiness said, noting that the “averageTibetan” wanted to live in a more modernsociety.

For this reason, His Holiness said it wasimportant that Tibet remain part of Chinaso it could profit from its boomingeconomy.

“We get maximum benefit, provided(there is) autonomy. That is thesafeguard of Tibet’s unique culturalheritage.”

From Germany, His Holiness proceededto the United Kingdom for a 11-day visitfrom 20 – 31 May.

6th Session of the Tibetan Parliamentbegins 8 September

The members of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile will meet here for the sixthsession from 8 to 16 September 2008.

The Tibetan Parliamentary Secretariathas issued the announcement on 14 May.The members are informed to report atthe Tibetan Parliamentary Secretariat on7 September.

Sessions of the Tibetan Parliament areheld twice every year, with an interval ofsix months between the sessions.The annual budget session of the CentralTibetan Administration is convened inMarch.

The present 14th Parliament consists of43 members. The election is held after aterm of five years, when Tibetans electten members each from the threetraditional provinces of Tibet - U-Tsang,Do-tod and Do-med.

Tibetans representing the four schoolsof Tibetan Buddhism and the traditionalBon faith elect two members each. Threemembers are elected by Tibetans in thewest - two from Europe and one fromNorth America. In addition, His Holinessthe Dalai Lama directly nominates oneto three members with distinction in thefields of art, science, literature andcommunity service.

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Kalon Tripa pays tribute to late NirmalaDeshpande

Kalon Tripa Samdhong Rinpoche,executive head of the Central TibetanAdministration, paid tribute to the non-violent struggle of the eminentGandhian Nirmala Deshpande, whopassed away on 1 May 2008.

A memorial meeting in upholding herwork and legacy of non-violentprinciples was held at the IndiaInternational Centre, Lodhi Road, NewDelhi, on 16 May, Phayul websitereported.

Kalon Tripa said her contribution to theTibetan cause had been immense. “Wegather to discuss how to carry on herlegacy, her prominence and strive to liveup to her achievements. We can pay ourrespect by continuing the work shestarted decades ago and by adopting anon-violent stance in our actions,” headded.

Earlier on 2 May, Dolma Gyari, the deputyspeaker of the Tibetan Parliament in-Exilealong with some members of theparliament and kalon Tempa Tsering,Representative of His Holiness the DalaiLama in Delhi, attended the funeral.

Nirmala Deshpande had devoted morethan 60 years of her life towardspromoting communal harmony andserving women, tribal and thedispossessed.

Born on October 17, 1929 in Nagpur, shejoined Vinoba Bhave’s BhoodanMovement in 1952 and undertookpadyatras across the country to carryMahatma Gandhi’s message of GramSwaraj. She firmly believed that althoughit was difficult to practice Gandhianprinciples, it was the only way towardsa truly democratic society.

Kashag appeals for temporary halt ofprotests to show sympathy to Quake-hitChina

The Kashag (cabinet) of the Central

Tibetan Administration issued thefollowing guidelines for implementationby all the Offices of Tibet.

1) Recently many Tibetan and Chineseareas in the Sichuan Province of thePeople’s Republic of China (PRC) havebeen hit by the earthquake, causingenormous human and property losses.As a way of expressing our solidaritywith the quake victims, Tibetans in Tibethave undertaken many relief activities.Iit is very important for the Tibetans inexile, or Tibetans living in the free world,also to join in this effort and initiatesolidarity actions by organising prayermeetings and raising donations.

As advised by His Holiness the DalaiLama during his recent visit to the US,the Tibetan and Chinese nationals therehave joined together to raise donationsin many areas where Chinese reside. Itis important for the Tibetans living inother parts of the world also to initiatesimilar collaborative activities, andexplore the possibilities of establishingSino-Tibetan Friendship Associationsthrough such programmes.

2) In order to express our solidarity withthe great natural disaster that befell onChina, Tibetans across the world shouldshun staging demonstrations in front ofthe Chinese embassies in the respectivehost countries they live in at least foruntil about the end of May, this year.And write a letter, or send a message, tothe concerned that they are doing so insolidarity with the quake victims.

British PM meets His Holiness, pledgessupport for Tibet-China talks

Prime Minister Gordon Brown pledgedBritain’s support for a meaningfulconstructive dialogue between China andrepresentatives of His Holiness the DalaiLama, during a meeting with His Holinessat Lambeth Palace, the Archbishop ofCanterbury’s official residence in London.

PM Brown’s office said he held “warmand constructive” discussions with theTibetan spiritual leader in a 30-minute

closed-door meeting.

A Downing Street spokesman said the“warm and constructive” talks covered arange of issues, “including theimportance of the dialogue between theDalai Lama’s representatives and theChinese authorities and the PM’s strongcommitment to the human rights of theTibetan people.

“The PM expressed his determination towork with both sides to encouragereconciliation.”

In an interview with AFP on Friday, HisHoliness the Dalai Lama expressedconcern that violence could flare up inTibet again if talks between hisrepresentatives and Beijing collapse.

“Demonstrations I think will happen, fromour past experience. Seriousdemonstrations, not only demonstrationsbut also involving violence,” HisHoliness said, when asked if he feared aresurgence of unrest.

His Holiness said he believed a seventhround of negotiations between hisrepresentatives and China would takeplace in Beijing on 11 June.

The meeting with Brown was “good, verygood,” His Holiness told AFP.

“He showed genuine concerns and alsohe repeated the three points the Chineseprime minister has mentioned: not seekingindependence, no violence and then(support for) the Olympics,” His Holinesssaid, saying he supported those pointsas a basis for the talks.

His Holiness said the British governmentwas “willing to help” facilitate“meaningful or constructive dialogue”with Beijing.

The Downing Street spokesman said thepair also discussed the aftermath of theearthquake in Sichuan “and the stepsbeing taken by the UK to assist the peopleof western China.”

His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be inBritain until May 30.

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His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Appeal to Chinese SpiritualBrothers and Sisters

Today I would like to make a personalappeal to all Chinese spiritual brothersand sisters, both inside as well asoutside the People’s Republic ofChina, and especially to the followersof the Buddha. I do this as a Buddhistmonk and a student of our most reveredteacher, the Buddha. I have alreadymade an appeal to the general Chinesecommunity. Here I am appealing to you,my spiritual brothers and sisters, onan urgent humanitarian matter.

The Chinese and the Tibetan peopleshare common spiritual heritage inMahayana Buddhism. We worship theBuddha of Compassion - Guan Yin inthe Chinese tradition and Chenrezig inTibetan tradit ion - and cherishcompassion for all suffering beings asone of the highest spiritual ideals.Furthermore , s ince Buddhismflourished in China before it came toTibet from India, I have always viewedthe Chinese Buddhists with thereverence due to senior spiritualbrothers and sisters.

As most of you are aware, beginningwith the 10th of March this year, aseries of demonstrations have takenplace in Lhasa and across manyTibetan areas. These are caused bydeep Tibetan resentment against thepolicies of the Chinese government. I

have been deeply saddened by theloss of life, both Chinese and Tibetans,and immediately appealed to both theChinese authorities and the Tibetansfor restraint. I specially appealed to theTibetans not to resort to violence.

Unfortunately, the Chinese authoritieshave resorted to brutal methods to dealwith the development despite appealsfor restraint by many world leaders,NGOs and noted world cit izens,particularly many Chinese scholars. Inthe process, there has been loss of life,injuries to many, and the detention oflarge number of Tibetans . Thecrackdown still continues, especiallytargeting monastic institutions, whichhave traditionally been the repositoryof ancient Buddhist knowledge andtradition. Many of these have beensealed off. We have reports that manyof those detained are beaten andtreated harshly. These repressivemeasures seem to be part of anofficially sanctioned systematic policy.

With no international observers,journalists or even tourists allowed toTibet, I am deeply worried about thefate of the Tibetans. Many of thoseinjured in the crackdown, especially inthe remote areas, are too terrified toseek medical treatment for fear ofarrest. According to some reliablesources, people are fleeing to the

mountains where they have no accessto food and shelter. Those whoremained behind are living in aconstant state of fear of being the nextto be arrested.

I am deeply pained by this ongoingsuffering. I am very worried where allthese tragic developments might lead toultimately. I do not believe thatrepressive measures can achieve anylong-term solution. The best wayforward is to resolve the issues betweenthe Tibetans and the Chinese leadershipthrough dialogue, as I have beenadvocating for a long time. I haverepeatedly assured the leadership of thePeople’s Republic of China that I am notseeking independence. What I amseeking is a meaningful autonomy forthe Tibetan people that would ensurethe long-term survival of our Buddhistculture, our language and our distinctidentity as a people. The rich TibetanBuddhist culture is part of the largercultural heritage of the People’s Republicof China and has the potential to benefitour Chinese brothers and sisters.

In the light of the present crisis, Iappeal to all of you to help call for animmediate end to the ongoing brutalcrackdown, for the release of all whohave been detained, and to call forproviding immediate medical care tothe injured.

World Leaders’ Take on the resolution of Tibet issue“Nobody is asking for independencefor Tibet. The Dalai Lama has neverasked for that. What is at stake ispreserving the autonomy of Tibet.”In a statement issued by Costa RicanPresident and Nobel Laureate OscarArias.

“Officials from China’s Cent ra lGovernment made contacts recentlywith private representatives of the

Dalai Lama, and the next round ofcontact will be held at an appropriatetime. The PRC’s att itude towardcontacts and consultation with theDalai Lama is serious. We hope thecontacts to yield positive results.”President Hu Jintao

“The European Parliament has madeit crystal clear to the Chineseauthorities in our resolution lastmonth, and I repeat that demand now.

China must immediate ly beginsubstantive discussions leading tomeaningful negotiat ions, a t anappropr ia te ly high level , wi threpresentatives of the Dalai Lama. Ihave now met the Dalai Lama three orfour times and his minister (KalonKesang Y Takla) reconfirmed to mewhat he himself has always statedclea rly: He is no t seekingindependence for Tibet but autonomywithin the Chinese Constitution to

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enable the Tibetan people to managetheir own affairs in the areas ofreligion, culture, social norms andenvironment. It is on this basis thatresul ts-oriented ta lks should beopened. The continued restrictionsimposedon the media areunacceptab le. I re iterate theParliament’s call on China to open upTibet to media and diplomats. Theremust also be an independent enquiry,under the auspices of the UnitedNations, into the recent riots andrepression in Tibet.” Hans-GertPotter ing, the President of theEuropean Parliament.

“In all of his recent speeches, theDalai Lama has stressed that it is thecultural and religious freedom of hispeople that is the top of his agendaof negotiation. He has not soughtpolitical independence for Tibet. It isclear that the international communityhas not been able to influence Chinato the degree that it would accept theopening of talks on such a reasonablebasis, demanding instead that allTibetans declare that they are part ofChina as a precondition for any talks.What is unfolding now in Tibet couldlead to such a brutal crackdown aswas witnessed in Burma. I t isimportant that Ireland, the EuropeanUnion and those members ofInternational Community who havedealings with China urges it to returnto the path of peaceful negotiationsoffered by Dalai Lama so that abloodbath can be avoided.” MichaelD Higgins TD, Irish Foreign AffairsSpokesperson.

“We appealed to the Chineseauthorities to respect the right of freeexpression and avoid anyunreasonable use of force against thedemonstrators. The Foreign Ministercalled upon Beijing to take up directdialogue with the Dalai Lama. Such adialogue could give rise to decisivestmuli for a peaceful coexistencebetween the people of Tibet. It is longoverdue. Recent developments show

the importance of further measures forthe protection of Tibetan culture andre ligion. Together wi th i t s EUpartners, Austria will continue toadvocate such moves with convictionand urge Beij ing to take them.”Ursula Plassnik, foreign minister ofAustria.

“I strongly demand peaceful solutionof Tibet problem. I should say thatthese riots in Tibet is caused byoppression of human r ights anddestruction of Tibetan culture byChina for all these 49 years. HisHoliness the Dalai Lama and theTibetan people always maintainednon-violent approach to solve theissue peacefully. Our governmentdemand Chinese government to solvethis situation peacefully and respecthuman rights. Also, I want Chinesegovernment to talk directly with HisHoliness the Dalai Lam and makepeace with open mind ,” YukioHatoyama, MP, Democratic Party ofJapan.

“The unfolding tragedy in Tibet should draw the attention of theentire world. I deplore the violentcrackdown by Chinese authoritiesand the continuing oppression inTibet of those merely wishing topractice their faith and preserve theirculture and heritage. I have listenedcarefully to the Dalai Lama and amconvinced he is a man of peace whoreflects the hopes and aspirations ofTibetans. I urge the government ofthe People’s Republic of China toaddress the root causes of the unrestin T ibet by opening a genuinedialogue with His Holiness the DalaiLama.” US senator John McCain.

“I co-sponsored the 14th Dalai LamaCongressional Gold Medal Act andco-sponsored the Tibetan Policy Acto f 2001, suppor t ing a dia loguebetween the People’s Republic ofChina and the Dalai Lama. I havepersonally met with the Dalai Lama. Iasked President J iang Zemin to

explain China’s repression of theTibetans and their religion during his1997 state visit to the United States.More than 10 years later, Chineserepression in Tibet continues. Thisweek, Tibetan monks have sent amessage to the wor ld tha t theiraspirat ions for rel igious l iber tyremain as s t rong as ever,” USsenator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

“T he German Government i sconcerned about reports of unrest inLhasa. We call on Chinese authoritiesto act with restraint and to deal withprotestors peacefully. We urge theChinese Government to a l lowpeaceful expression of dissent,”Chancellor Angela Merkel

“We want to see an end to theviolence. We have long urged Chinato engage in meaningful dialoguewith representatives of the Tibetanpeople, as we think this is the bestway to achieve a lasting resolutionof problems in Tibet,” Helen Clark,New Zealand Prime Minister.

“It is a human nature that wheneveryo ur ne ighbor is in t roub le ,especially when they belong to thesame religion and culture, we haveto extend all possible help. We havegenerally seen that even animals,if at tacked by a di ffe rent kind,collectively resists by shouting, bybiting, by crying and by all means inorder to try to re lease from theenemy. We are supposed to be betterthan animals. Today we have seenand heard about the situation inTibet. I cannot say whether peoplewho voluntarily pretend not to seeand hear are being bribed/ paid ornot. But if they blindly choose tojump down the cliff in full sense, Ihave nothing to say.” An excerptfrom Nepali view on Tibet: Peoplein Nepal should support Tibet byAng Dawa Sherpa , E l ec tedLegislature, CPM, Nepal.

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Tibet: Her Pain, My Shame- by Tang Danhong

Tang Danhong, born in 1965, is a poet and documentary filmmaker from Chengdu, Sichuan. She has made severaldocumentaries in and about Tibet since the 1990s. She wrote the following essay this week and published it on herown blog (hosted outside of China), partially translated by Chinadigitaltimes.net.

have no beliefs, and now worship thecult of money. This religious belief iswhat Tibetans care about the most.They project this belief onto the DalaiLama as a religious persona.

For anyone who has been to Tibet, itshould not be strange to see the“common Tibetan scene”: Is there anyTibetan who does not worship him (theDalai Lama)? Is there any Tibetanunwilling to hang up his photo in hisown shrine? (These photos aresmuggled back in from abroad, secretlycopied and enlarged, not like those Maoportraits printed by the governmentthat we Han Chinese once had to hangup.) Is there any Tibetan who wants toverbally disrespect the Dalai Lama? Isthere a Tibetan who does not want tosee him? Is there any Tibetan who doesnot want to present Kada [whitewelcoming scarf] to him?

Other than those voices that the rulerswant to hear, have we ever heard theTibetans’ full, real voices? Those HanChinese who have been in Tibet, nowmatter if one is a high official,government cadre, tourist orbusinessman, have we all heard theirreal voices, which are silenced, but arestill echoing everywhere?

Is this the real reason that al lmonasteries in Tibet are forbidden fromhanging up the Dalai Lama’s picture?Is this the reason that all work unitshave officials to check in everyhousehold and to punish those whohang up his picture? Is this the reasonthat the government has people to stopthose believers on the pilgrimage pathon every religious celebration day? Isthis the reason for the policy barringgovernment employees from havingtheir children study in Dharamsala;otherwise, they will be fired and theirhouse will be taken away? Is this the

reason that at all sensitive times,government officials will hold meetingsin monasteries, to force monks topromise to “support the Party’sleadership” and “Have no relations withthe Dalai splitist cliques”? Is this thereason we refuse to negotiate, andconstantly use dehumanizing languageto humiliate him? After all, isn’t this thevery reason to reinforce the “commonTibetan scene,” making this symbol ofnationality more holy?

Why can’t we sit down with the DalaiLama who has abandoned calls for“independence” and now advocates a“middle way,” and negotiate with himwith sincerity, to achieve “stability” and“unity” through him?

Because the power difference of the twosides is too big. We are too manypeople, too powerful: Other than gunsand money, and cultural destructionand spiritual rape, we do not knowother ways to achieve “harmony.”

This group of people who believe inBuddhism because they believe incause and effect and transmigration ofsouls, oppose anger and hatred,developed a philosophy that Hannationalists will never be able tounderstand. Several Tibetan monkfriends, just the “troublemaker monk”type that are in the monasteriesexplained to me their view on“independence”: “actually, we may wellhave been ethnic Han in a previousincarnation, and in our next incarnationwe might well become ethnic Han. Andsome ethnic Han in a previous life maywell have been Tibetan or may becomeTibetan in their next life. Foreigners orChinese, men or women, lovers andenemies, the souls of the worldtransmigrate without end. As the wheelturns, states arise and die, so what needis there for independence?” This kind

For more than a decade, I havefrequently entered Tibet and oftenstayed there for a long time, travelingor working. I have met all kinds ofTibetans, from youngsters on thestreets, folk artists, herders on thegrasslands, mystic doctors in mountainvillages, to ordinary cadres in stateagencies, street vendors in Lhasa,monks and cleaners in monasteries,artists and writers. Among thoseTibetans I have met, some frankly toldme that Tibet was a small countryseveral decades ago, with its owngovernment, religious leader, currencyand military; some stay silent, with asense of helplessness, and avoidtalking with me, a Han Chinese, afraidthis is an awkward subject. Some thinkthat no matter what happened, it is anhistorical fact that Chinese andTibetans had a long history ofexchanges with each other, and therelationship must be carefullymaintained by both sides. Some wereangered by the railway project, and bythose roads named “Beijing Road,”“Jiangsu Road,” “Sichuan-Tibet road,”but others accept them happily. Somesay that you (Han Chinese) investmillions in Tibet but you also got whatyou wanted and even more; some sayyou invest in the development but youalso destroy, and what you destroy isexactly what we treasure. What I wantto say here is that no matter howdifferent these people are, they haveone thing in common: They have theirown view of history, and a profoundreligious belief.

For anyone who has been to Tibet, he/she should sense such a religious beliefamong Tibetans. As the matter of fact,many are shocked by it. Such attitudehas carried on throughout their history,and is expressed in their daily lives.This is a very different value, especiallycompared with those Han Chinese who

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of religion, this kind of believer, can oneever think that they would be easy tocontrol? Yet there is a paradox here: ifone wants them to give up the desirefor independence, then one mustrespect and protect their religion.

Not long ago, I read some posts bysome radical Tibetans on an onlineforum about Tibet. These posts wereroughly saying: “We do not believe inBuddhism, we do not believe in karma.But we have not forgotten that we areTibetan. We have not forgotten ourhomeland. Now we believe thephilosophy of you Han Chinese: Powercomes out of the barrel of a gun! Whydid you Han Chinese come to Tibet?Tibet belongs to Tibetans. Get out ofTibet!”

Of course behind those posts, there arean overwhelming number of posts fromHan “ patr iots.” Almost withoutexception, those replies are full of wordssuch as “Kill them!” “Wipe them out!”“Wash them with blood!” “Dalai is aliar!” — those “passions” of theworshippers of violence that we are allso familiar with.

When I read these posts, I feel so sad.So this is karma...

In the last week, after I put down thephone which cannot reach anyone onthe the other end, when I face theinformation black hole caused byinternet blockage, even I believe whatXinhua has said — strangely I dobelieve this part: There were Tibetanswho set fire to shops and killed thosepoor innocent Han Chinese who werejust there to make a living. And I stillfeel extremely sad. Since when weresuch seeds planted? During thegunshots of 1959? During the massivedestruction during the CulturalRevolution? During the crackdown in1989? During the time we put theirPanchen Lama under house arrest andreplaced him with our own puppet?During those countless poli ticalmeetings and confessions in themonasteries? Or during the time whena seventeen-year-old nun was shot on

the magnificent snowy mountain, justbecause she wanted to see the DalaiLama?

Or during numerous moments whichseem trivial but which makes meashamed: I was ashamed when I sawTibetans buy live fish from Han fishsellers on the street and put them backin the Lhasa river; I was ashamed whenI saw more and more Han beggars onthe streets of Lhasa–even beggarsknow it is easier to beg in Tibet than inHan areas; I felt ashamed when I sawthose ugly scars from mines on thesacred mountains in the morningsunlight; I felt ashamed when I heardthe Han Chinese elite complain that theChinese government has invested somany millions of yuan, that economicpolicy favours Tibetans, and that theGDP has grown so fast, so, “What elsedo these Tibetans want?”

Why can’t you understand that peoplehave different values? While youbelieve in brainwashing, the power of agun and of money, there is a spiritualbelief that has been in their minds forthousands of years and cannot bewashed away. When you claimyourselves as “saviors of Tibetans fromslavery society,” I am ashamed for yourarrogance and your delusions. Whenmilitary police with their guns pass byme in the streets of Lhasa, and eachtime I am there I can see row upon rowof military bases… yes, I, a HanChinese, feel ashamed.

What makes me feel most ashamed isthe “patriotic majority”: You people arethe descendents of Qinshi Huangdiwho knows only conquering by killing;you are the chauvinists who rule theweak by force; you are those cowardswho hide behind guns and call forshooting the victims; you suffer fromStockholm Syndrome; you are theblood-thirsty crazies of an “advanced”culture of Slow slicing and Castration.You are the sick minds waving the“patriotic” flag. I look down on you. Ifyou are Han Chinese, I am ashamed tobe one of you.

Lhasa is on fire, and there are gunshotsin Tibetan areas in Sichuan andQinghai. Even I believe this — actually,I do believe this part of the facts. Inthose “patriotic” posts which shout“Kill them!” “Wipe them out!” “Washthem with blood!” “Dalai is a liar!” I sawthe mirror image of those Tibetanradicals. Let me say that you people(patriotic youth) are Han chauvinistswho destroy thousands of years offriendship between Han and Tibetanpeople; you are the main contributorsto the hatred between ethnic groups.You people do not really “highlysupport” the authority; rather, youpeople are in effect “highly supporting”“Tibetan independence.”

Tibet is disappearing. The spirit whichmakes her beautiful and peaceful isdisappearing. She is becoming us,becoming what she does not want tobecome. What other choice does shehave when facing the anxiety of beingalienated? To hold onto her traditionand culture, and revive her ancientcivilization? Or to commit suicidal actswhich will only add to Han nationalists’bloody, shameful glory?

Yes, I love Tibet. I am a Han Chinesewho loves Tibet, regardless of whethershe is a nation or a province, as long asshe is so voluntarily. Personally, Iwould like to have them (Tibetans)belong to the same big family with me. Iembrace relationships which come self-selected and on equal footing, notcontrolled or forced, both betweenpeoples and nations. I have no interestin feeling “powerful,” to make othersfear you and be forced to obey you,both between people and betweennations, because what’s behind such a“feeling” is truly disgusting. I have lefther (Tibet) several years ago, andmissing her has become part of my dailylife. I long to go back to Tibet, as awelcomed Han Chinese, to enjoy a realfriendship as equal neighbor or a familymember.

Tang Danhong moved to Israel fromChengdu in 2005, and is currently teachingChinese language at Tel Aviv University.

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His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Theposition of His Holiness in hearts ofthe Tibetan people’s is akin to thelove and respect offered to parentsby their children. It is highly unlikelyto get a favourable response inasking children to denounce theirparents.

The Chinese government’s usingforce and intimidation in handlingthe recent p ro tests in Tibet aresolely responsible for aggravatingthe situation.

This time, the Chinese governmentwent to the ex treme miss tep ofwhipping up Chinese nat ionalistsentiment to create a rift betweenChinese and Tibetan people andhatred against His Holiness the DalaiLa ma . China’s s ta t e con tro l l edpropaganda machinery called theevents in Lhasa as “3.14.

Fur ther mo re , i t i s ex t re me lydisingenuous on the part of Chinesejournalists and writers working inthe official media to link Tibetannon-governmental organisations toterrorists outfits. Tibetan NGOs havenever taken to violent means andwork within the confines of the“Middle-Way Approach” endorsedby majority of Tibetans - includingTibetans living in and outside Tibet- as proposed by His Holiness theDalai Lama. Protests, which marredOlympics torch relay, should not beseen as acts of saboteurs but as anappe al to t he go ve rnment o fPeople’s Republic of China to reviewits hard line policy on Tibet.

Tibetan Efforts to Bring Peace andProgress

Kasur Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari, specialenvoy of His Holiness the Dalai

From This Side of the Himalaya: Time for China to hold out OliveBranch

- by Lobsang Choedakadamant to crush the people’s voicewith violent means, which resultedin hundreds of innocent Tibetanski l l ed , thousands wounded nowwithout medical care and thousandsmore languishing in prisons. Despiterepeated appeals from His Holinessthe Dalai Lama, China virtuallysealed off Tibet and denied appealsto unfe t te red med ia access andme dical a ss i s ta nce t o inj ur edTibetans.

The unprecedented upsurge of theTibe tan peop le’s pent upfrustrations is the manifestation ofChina’s wrong policies on Tibet.China’s policy of “Charm Offensive”of pumping millions of Yuan intoT ibe t o n the o ne hand a ndma rg ina l i s ing e ver y aspect s ofTibetan identity on the other hasfailed to cover up the issue of Tibet.Tibetans in their own land have beensubjected to inequality and injusticein economic , po li t ica l o r socialaspects.

Willy Lam, a Hong Kong based Chinascho lar a t t r ib uted the cause o fescalation of protests in Tibet to theTAR Party Secretary Zhang Qingli,who characterized Beijing’s battlewith the “Dalai Lama clique” as a“life-and-death struggle betweenourselves and the enemies.”

During the recent crisis, far fromaddr es sing the p rob lem in aconc i l i a tory wa y, the Chine seauthorities acted more belligerentand under the garb of “work teams”stepped up “patr io tic educat ioncampaigns” particularly targetingT ibe tan monaste r ie s . The mo stp rovo king tac t i cs emp loyed byChinese authorities is in hurting thesentiments of Tibetans by forcingthem to vilify their supreme leader,

Longs ta nd ing gr i evances a ndaspirations of the Tibetan peopleunder nearly five decades of China’sflawed policies and repressive ruletook the form of protests, whichengulfed Lhasa on the 49th nationaluprising day, 10 March 2008. Itgr ad ual ly sp i l l ed ac ros s l a r geswathes of the Tibe tan pla teau.

Premier Wen Jiabao blamed HisHo l ine ss the Da la i La ma fo rmasterminding the protests in Tibetand sabotaging China Olympics. HisHoliness the Dalai Lama and theCent ra l T ibe tan Adminis t r a t ionreceived a barrage of accusationsfr om the Ch inese communis t sgovernment for fomenting riots,which started in the Tibetan capitalof Lhasa and spilled across otherparts of Tibet.

These accusations remained emptywords - as Chinese authorities havebeen ad aman t no t to a l l owindependent inquiry into the causesof riots. It thus reinforced the factthat blames put on His Holiness theDalai Lama and the Central TibetanAdminis t r at ion were absolu te lybaseless. On the contrary, it showedthat something is seriously wrongwi th China’s ap proac h towa rdsTibet.

China’s Tibet Blunder

10 March events in Tibet put China’sviolations of basic human rights inTibet on the spotlight. There wasfire on the roof of the world. Howcan one remain calm when the roofof house is burning? The officialr esponse to the pro tes t s by theChinese authorities received a flurryo f c ond emnat ion f rom theinternational community. But, theChinese government looked more

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Lama, forewarned tha t Chinesepolicies - such as authorizing theCo mmuni st Pa r ty to r e cognizereincarnate lamas — or by actionsBeijing has taken — such as theabduction of the young PanchenLama, would trigger crisis in Tibet.

Since the beginning of the crisis inTibet, His Holiness the Dalai Lamaand the Cent ra l T ib et anAdministration have tried to reachout to Tibetans in and outside Tibetto not to resor t to vio lence. Indesperation, His Holiness the DalaiLama even threatened to resign fromleading the Tibetan people. OnMarch 19, with deep concern, HisHoliness himself sent a letter toChinese President Hu Jintao to begina discussion on a peaceful wayforward. His Holiness also proposedto send a delegation to Tibet that hebelieved could ease anxiety amongT ibe tans a nd co nt r ib u te to t herestoration of calm.

To e ase the co mmunal ha t r edwhip ped up by the Chine seauthorities, His Holiness the DalaiLama made appeals to Chinesepeople that he is committed to find agenuine solution to the problem ofT ibe t , ensur ing the long- te rminte res t s o f bo th Ch inese a ndTibetans. His Holiness appealed tothe Chinese leadership to makesincere efforts to contribute to thestability and harmony of the PRCand avoid creating rifts between thenationalities.

Wa y For wa rd to Pe ace a ndReconciliation

The Chinese leadership must followlate Deng Xiao Ping’s aphorism of“seek truthing from facts” to resolvethe i s sue of T ibe t . They mustdevelop the courage and wisdom top rove the i r emphas is o f “greatpa t i ence and s inc e r i ty” inconduct ing talks. The talks cansucceed if China fulfills its promise.

T hey must address the genuinegrievances and deep resentments ofthe Tibetan people inside Tibet,r ea l is t ica l l y i n t he sp ir i t o freconciliation.

The Chinese and the Tibetan peopleshare common spiritual heritage inMa ha yana Bud dhi sm, s inceBuddhism flourished in China beforeit came to Tibet from India. People’sRepublic of China has everything togain in finding a mutually beneficialsolution to the issue of Tibet. Therich Tibetan Buddhist culture is partof the larger cultural heritage of thePeople’s Republic of China and it willadd r ic hness t o the nat ion ’seconomic boom. An open-mindedappr oac h by the concernedauthorities of PRC government inholding meaningful negotiations onequal footing with the Tibetans willhelp to materialise this objective.

Encouraging signs came with somesuggestions from the mainstreamChinese intellectuals that they feltconcerned over t he one-s id edpropaganda of the official Chinesemedia is having the effect of stirringup inte r -e thnic a nimos i ty a ndaggravating the tense situation inTibet. They suggested that Chinesego ve rnment to a l low T ibe t anpeople’s freedom of religious beliefsand the freedom of speech explicitlyenshr ined in the Chine seCo ns t i tu t io n. They opined tha tTibetan people should be allowed toexpress their grievances and hopesand pe r mi t c i t i z ens o f o the rnationalities freely to criticise andmake suggestions regarding thegovernment’s nat ional ity policy.T hey be l i eve d in e l imina t inganimosity and bring about nationalreco nc i l i a t io n, no t to incr ea sedivisions between nationalities.

Grace Wang, a Chinese studentstudying at the Duke University setan e xample o f b r idging theunderstanding between Chinese andTibetans, which is the need of hour.

She had courage to mediate betweenChinese and T ibetan protesters,caught up in unnecessary emotionand anger, at her university campus.Her audacity to foster goodwill andunderstanding between the Chineseand T ib e t an peop le should beencouraged, instead of threateningher life for doing so.

It was equally inspiring that Chineselawyers based in Mainland Chinaoffered their legal assistance toTibetans arbitrarily arrested andimprisoned by Chinese authoritiesfo l lowing the peaceful p rotest sstarting March 10, 2008 in Lhasa andother Tibetan areas. The lawyersexpressed their serious concern forthe we l l b e ing o f the a r re s t edT ibetans , have ca l led upon theconcerned Chinese authorities toresp ec t t he indep endent l ega lsystem and conduct fair trials of thecases.

The Chinese leadership must viewthese small developments as an eyeopener and take the m in toconsideration for a policy review inbuilding a harmonious and peacefulChina.

On his part, His Holiness the DalaiLama has been very sincere andconciliatory in giving up the demandof complete independence for Tibetand instead, on umpteenth occasion,called for a meaningful autonomywithin the People’s Republic ofChina. His Holiness the Dalai Lamabelieved the future of Tibet andChina will move beyond mistrust toa re la t ionship based on mutua lrespect, trust and recognit ion ofcommon interests.

T he recent o ver tu res f rom theCentral People’s Government ofChina to conduct talks in a spirit of“great sincerity and patience” withrepresentatives of His Holiness theDalai Lama may augur well to thesuccess of future talks in resolvingthe core issues concerning Tibet.

D O C U M E N T A T I O N

TIBETAN BULLETIN 15MAY- JUNE 2008

CHRONOLOGICAL DETAILS OF RECENT EVENTS IN TIBETSINCE MAY 1, 2008

(last updated: 24 May 2008)- compiled and edited Tenzin Sonam Gonsar and Kunsang Dorjee, re-edited by Tenzin Dickyi

1 May

Toelung Dechen (Ch: Duilongdeqing)County, Lhasa Municipality- Evidencesbeing destroyed by the Chinese army

The Chinese armed forces in theirattempt to wipe out any kind of evidencerelated to the recent protests in Tibet areburning all the dead bodies of people whohave been killed since the 14 Marchprotest in Tibet.

On 28 March, around 83 corpses wereburnt altogether in an electricalcrematorium, which was built by theChinese government a few years back inthe Yabdha Township in ToelungDechen, under Lhasa Municipality.

Some eyewitnesses accounts confirmedon 15 March and 17 March that deadbodies of several were seen in two armytrucks near a gas station (one of the mostrestricted sites since the protests began).

During a heavy traffic jam around thispetrol pump, a few Tibetans reportedhaving seen blood discharges from thetwo trucks that were carrying deadbodies. There are more reports of deadbodies being transported to ToelungDechen.

Many injured Tibetans continue to diein People’s Hospital with no immediatemedical care. Moreover, one monk whowas arrested from Drepung Monasteryon 12 April also died in prison. Two morewomen are also reported deadimmediately after their release from aprison in Lhasa.

Lhakpa Tsering, a taxi driver in Lhasa waskilled after a gun shot to his forehead bythe Chinese Armed Forces on 14 Marchon Lugug Street. He is survived by his 2year old child. Although his family didreceive his dead body, but the local

security forces took the body awayclaiming that they needed to investigatethe body, which was later burnt inToelung County. His family was justgiven a bag containing some ashes withhis name written on it.

2 May

28 April 2008, Darlag (Ch: Dari)County, Golog “TAP,” Qinghai Province– Tibetan man shot dead by PublicSecurity official

Following several subsequent peacefulprotests in Darlag County since 21March, countless monks and lay peoplehave been arrested but few managed toescape. Additional armed forces weredeployed to catch the escapees and onesecurity official had died in the process.During Chinese official’s attempt toarrest protestors on 28 April, Choedhenalias Choetop (age 22) of Pongkor ToemaTownship was shot dead on the spot.

Shugseb Nunnery, Tselnashang,Chushul (Ch: Chushui) County, Lhasamunicipality - 19 nuns and 4 monksarrested and detained

On 28 April, 19 nuns including Dangdugand Tsondue of Shugseb Nunnery, andfour monks from the Gangri-ThoekarMonastery have been arrested fororganizing a peaceful protest and arecurrently detained in the ChushulCounty prison. They protested for theimmediate release of all those other nunsdetained.

On 15 March evening, few masked peoplehave reportedly beaten some officials ofthe “work teams.” This incident furtherled to the imposition of more restrictionswithin the monastery, suspecting thosemasked people to be nuns from themonastery.

Currently, the armed forces have imposedtight restrictions within the nunnery and

the monastery. There are about 300 nunsin the Shugseb Nunnery and about 20monks in the Thoekar Monastery.

Derge (Ch: Dege) County, Karze “TAP,”Sichuan Province- Arrest and protestscontinue

Tashi Gyaltsen, former abbot andSamphel, a chant master of the ZakhogMonastery were arrested around 8 a.m.,on 26 April . On 27 April , around mid-night, tutor Lobsang Dhonyoe, Phurgaand Tanam were arrested. Meanwhile,Tanam and Phurga were released early inthe morning the next day on 28 April.Others still remain detained and theirregion continues to be under very tightrestriction.

On 7 April, some flyers supportingTibetan independence were found in theneighborhood of Zabharma Monastaryarea.

Sershul (Ch: Shiqu) County, Karze“TAP,” Sichuan Province – Chinesegovernmental “work teams” attempt tobeef up “Patriotic re-educationcampaign”

Chinese governmental “work teams”were hoping to conduct a “patriotic re-education campaign” at the monasterybut the monks refused and walked out.Out of 70 monks who study at themonastery, Gelek Thapkhey (age 27),Gelek Drakpa (age 28) and TenzinPhuntsok (age 17) were arrested duringone of the protests in March in Lhasa.No available details of where they arebeing detained.

Lhundrup (Ch: Lingzhi) County, LhasaMunicipality- A nun Shar Bhumpa incritical condition after receivingbeatings for her participation inpeaceful protest

Around 20 people from Gaden Choekhortown who were arrested during the



protests in March, were transferred toLhasa on 25 April.

Sog (Ch: Sou) Dzong County, Nagchu(Ch: Naqu shen) Prefecture- Manarrested for opposing “patriotic re-education” class

During a “patriotic re-education” classbeing held on 17 April in Yang-ngaevillage, Rawa Township, Sog County,Chinese police arrested a man namedChambu Gudup (age 52) from Yonagvillage.

Labrang Tashi-kyil Monastery,Sangchu (Ch: Xiahe) County, Kanlho“TAP,” Gansu Province – Mid-nightRaid in Monastery, three badly injured

On 15 April, the Chinese police performeda late night raid inside the monks’ quartersof Labrang Tashi-kyil Monastery inSangchu County. Among the manyarrested that night, three monks fromGyuerme monastery, and LuShoepaTenzin, Reptsa Gedun Nagdag,andSangkhog Jamyang Jinpa were severelyhurt and injured by the Chinese policeand are currently admitted to a hospital.The location of the hospital is not known.

5 May

Derge (Ch: Dege) County, Karze “TAP,”Kham incorporated into Chineseprovince of Sichuan- Tight Restrictionsimposed at Dza Gonsar monastery

At Dza Gonsar monastery in Dza BharmaTownship, Derge County, Chinesegovernmental ‘work-teams‘ pressuredthe monks in the name of “patriotic re-education” to sign a letter stating thatthey strictly oppose all “separatists.”Since the monks rejected, the Chineseofficial surrounded the monasterypremises and imposed tight restrictions.

Ngaba (Ch: Aba) County, Ngaba “TAP”Amdo incorporated into Chineseprovince of Sichuan- Those arrested andinjured not receiving proper medicalcareOn 28 April, additional People‘s ArmedPolice (PAP) were deployed in NgabaCounty. Concerned Chinese officialsarrived at Namtso monastery, in Mehu-

ruma village and attempted to hoist theChinese flag. A monk from the monasterywho tried to stop them from hoisting theflag was severely beaten by the People’sSecurity Bureau (PSB) officials.

Many of the monks and laypeoplearrested in Ngaba County over the pastfew weeks are detained in Tawu ChangYen (located near Chengdu). Manyarrestees are suffering from broken limbsand lacking medical attention.

Two additional arrested are beingtransferred to the prison in Tawu ChangYen. The two arrested are Ra Tsedak (age32) and Gondon Sangay (age 35) bothfrom Mehu-ruma village.

Sershul (Ch: Shiqu) County, Karze“TAP,” Sichuan Province- Monksexpress discontent over so called“patriotic re-education”

Monks from Voen-po monastery, SershulCounty were called for a meeting byChinese governmental “work teams” inDzamey sub-district to discuss theiropposition of “separatists.” Monks werealso given orders to fly the Chinese flagon their monastery rooftop. However, themonks resented compelling the “workteams” to rescind their flag order.

On 25 April, around three local peoplefrom near Voen-po monastery werearrested and severely beaten by theChinese police.

Gyalong Sonam Nyendak (age 70) fromVoen-po monastery has been sufferingfrom depression due to the intensesuppression that has been imposed bythe Chinese authorities.

6 May

Tawu (Ch: Daofu) County, Karze “TAP,”Kham (incorporated into Chineseprovince of Sichuan)

Without any warning or justification, thePeople’s Security Bureau (PSB) officialsarrested Nyima Drakpa (age 41, formermonk of Nya-tso monastery) in BardziTownship. In 1998, he was arrested forsuspicion of being one of the first people

to stick pro-independence posters inTawu County.

Lhasa- Business as usual: ChineseCourt imposes arbitrary sentences on30 Tibetans

On 29 April, a Chinese court imposedarbitrary sentences on 30 Tibetansinvolved in the recent protests of March14. Three of them were given lifeimprisonment sentences and seven weregiven sentences for over 15 years andthe remaining twenty were given threeto fourteen year sentences. At ToelungCounty and Phenpo Lhundup County,protests only took place after 14 March;therefore those sentenced cannot belinked to the 14 March protests in Lhasa.

Sershul (Ch: Shiqu) County, Karze“TAP,” Sichuan Province- Continuedrepression leads Tibetan woman tocommit suicide

The People’s Armed Police (PAP)conducted a raid at a village near Voen-po Gaden Dho-ngak ShedupDhargeyling. During the raid, altars withportraits of His Holiness the Dalai Lamawere mishandled. During one suchincident, T. Lhamo boldly shouted thatHis Holiness the Dalai Lama is oursupreme protector and he should beimmediately welcomed back to Tibet. Shealso shouted Long Live His Holiness theDalai Lama and demanded an explanationfor the arbitrary arrests of A-drel LamaRinpoche and monks of the localmonastery. Few days later, she committedsuicide by strangling herself with a rope.

The death toll as of 6 May stands at205.

7 May

Chamdo (Ch: Changdu) County, Kham(incorporated into Chamdo Prefecture,“TAR”) - Tibetan man shot and killedafter he refused arrest

At around 9 A.M. on 4 May, sevenPeople’s Security Bureau (PSB) official’sarrived at the home of Akar Tashi (38years old) in Lathok Yuchu Township inChamdo County to arrest him for his



alleged involvement in recent Lhasaprotest and past political activities. Theofficials attempted to arrest Akar Tashiwhich resulted in a scuffle. During thescuffle, Akar Tashi was shot dead by thesoldiers and one solider was stabbed byAkar.

Drakgo (Ch: Luhuo) County, Karze“TAP,” Kham (incorporated intoChinese province of Sichuan) –TibetanStudents shout slogans

Four students (two boys and two girls)from a middle school in Drakgo Countyshouted slogans such as “Tibet is anindependent country” and “His Holinessshould be welcomed to Tibet and beenthroned.” They shouted for around 15minutes.

Drakgo (Ch: Luhuo) County, Karze“TAP,” Kham (incorporated intoChinese province of Sichuan)

Around four to five days ago, Samtenling(also known as Watak) nunnery, in SibmoTownship, Drakgo County, people hungbanners for a stretch of almost twokilometers. These banners had pro-independence slogans written in Tibetanand Chinese.

Later, the local authorities sent “workteams” to impart “patriotic re-education”inside the nunnery but nuns walked outin a sign of defiance leaving the workteam with no one to re-educate. Thereare over 300 nuns at Samtenling nunnery.

8 May

Nagchu (Ch: Naqu) Prefecture, Kham(incorporated into “TAR”) – Authoritiesre-locate Stupas to create space for apark, however, monks and laypeople ofthe region strongly opposed

Eleven stupas behind the prayer hall ofNagchu Shabten Monastery have beenre-located near a crematorium. Countyand Prefecture officials said stupas werebeing re-located since they did not look“appealing” to the many tourists whovisited the monastery and the originalsite will be used to build a park.

The stupas are decades old and althoughthere were partially damaged during theCultural Revolution, Tibetans haverepaired the stupas overtime.

9 May

Chushul (Ch: Chushui) County, Lhasamunicipality- Fifty monks arrested afterPAP conducts raid at 4am in themorning

Around 4 A.M. on 16 April, hugenumbers of People’s Armed Police (PAP)surrounded Ratoe monastery, inNyethang Townhip, Chushul County.Monks were summoned to the monasterycourtyard and told to give up their arms(if they had any). A raid was thenconducted at the monastery.

Portraits of His Holiness the Dalai Lama,political books, others materials andmobile phones belonging to 70 monks’were confiscated. In addition, thetelephone of the monastery wasconfiscated too.

Following the raid, 50 monks from Ratoemonastery were arrested and taken toChushul County prison. 32 of the monksare still arrested while others have beenreleased. Thupchok (head of themonastery) and Namkar (a former politicalprisoner who spent over three years inDrapchi prison) are among those stillbeing arrested.

The remaining monks of Ratoemonastery are being forced to attend theso-called patriotic re-education classes.

13 May

Karze (Ch: Ganzi) County, Karze “TAP”,Kham (incorporated into ChineseProvince of Sichuan) – Nuns and monksprotested at county headquarters

Lobsang Choeden, Palden Tsultrim andLobsang Tenpa (age 20), monks fromKarze monastery, in Karze County,peacefully protested at countyheadquarters on 13 May. However, all ofthem were arrested.

A day before, on 12 May, ten nunspeacefully protested at countyheadquarters which resulted in theirarrest by the Public Security Bureau(PSB) and People’s Armed Police (PAP).Few nuns, including Tagha, were alsoseverely beaten.

Rebgong (Ch: Tongren) County, Malho“TAP”, Amdo (incorporated intoChinese Province of Qinghai) – Courtimposes arbitrary sentences on 3Tibetans

On 24 March, a Chinese court imposedarbitrary sentences on 3 Tibetans fromDowa area, Rebgong County, forallegedly leading anti-Chinesegovernment protests in Dowa area on 17March. The three arrested were ChakDhargyal, age 17, sentenced for 2 years,Choepa, age 20, sentenced for 1 year and9 months, and Talo, age 19, sentencedfor 9 months. The exact duration of theirsentences is not known and they haven’tbeen given the opportunity even to meettheir family.

Thewo (Ch: Thewo) County, Kanlho“TAP”, Amdo (incorporated intoChinese Province of Qinghai) – Over100 people arrested for participatingin peaceful protest

A big group of local people from DrakGham Village, Thewo County, hasundertaken peaceful procession, whilecarrying the portrait of His Holiness theDalai Lama and shouting pro-independence slogans, towards thecounty headquarters.

They were stopped and dispersed by PSBand PAP officials and some even receivedbeatings.

Few days later, county’s PSB and PAPofficials arrested and detained over 100lay and monks (including monks fromLhasol monastery, Drak Gham Village).Pema Kyab and Sonam Lobsang, bothlay were hospitalized after sustainingsevere injuries from beating.

Some arrestees were released afterpunishing them with a fine ranging from



1000 yuan to 5000 yuan. Some are to besentenced later.

Lhasa – Wherabouts of some arresteesturning unknownThe whereabouts of Passang Dhondup,who was arrested on 14 March from hisresidential area of Karma Kunsang (EastLhasa) for participating in the Lhasaprotests, became unknown. His father’sname was Lobsang Soepa (late). He hasa wife and children. His brother TashiTsephel (former monk of Drikung Thilmonastery) disappeared after Lhasaprotest on 14 March. Tashi Tsephel wasimprisoned earlier for five years for hispolitical involvement.

15 May

Karze (Ch: Ganzi) County, Karze “TAP”,Kham (incorporated into ChineseProvince of Sichuan) – 52 nuns fromPangri-Na nunnery arrested forparticipating in a peaceful protest

Over 60 nuns from Pangri-Na nunnery,in Sib-ngo Township, Karze County,undertook a peaceful protest on 14 Mayat county government office. 52 nunswere arrested during the protest, whilebeing severely beaten, by the PublicSecurity Bureau (PSB) and People’sArmed Police (PAP). Whereabouts of theremaining nuns who have escaped arrestare unknown.

No Specific Date

Karze (Ch: Ganzi) County, Karze “TAP”,Kham (incorporated into ChineseProvince of Sichuan) – Chinesegovernment shooting film conveyingfalse picture of the nature of protests byTibetans

Chinese government has been shootinga film every evening for the last few days,with a performing group merelyconsisting of PAP officials, at the oldairport (known as Mara-thang) nearKarze monastery, Karze County.

The film contains deceitful scenesshowing Tibetan protestors engaging inviolent acts (such as striking Chinese

PSB and PAP officials), and then, as aresult, PSB and PAP resorting to violentmeans for self-protection.

There is a likely plan that this film couldbe used for propaganda purpose to deceitthe international communities. Therefore,this issue requires special focus from allof us.

17 May

Karze (Ch: Ganzi) County, Karze “TAP”,Kham (incorporated into ChineseProvince of Sichuan) – Three differentprotests took place on the same day

Four nuns (Yeshi Choetso alias Yigha,age 36, Gyalgha Lhamo, age 54, Deyang,age 31, Choetso, age 25) from GadenChoeling nunnery, in Karze County, werearrested after they peacefully protestedat the county government office ataround 4 PM local time on 14 May. Withthis, three different peaceful protestswere held on the same day in KarzeCounty.

Serthar (Ch: Seda) County, Karze“TAP”, incorporated into ChineseProvince of Sichuan – A monk arrestedfor protesting at county

Bhumgha, a 22-year monk, protested atSerthar County on 14 May. He wasarrested thereafter by Public SecurityBureau (PSB) personnel. He was born inGonjo (Ch: Gongjue) County, ChamdoPrefecture. However, the name of themonastery where he resides is notknown. PSB said that he is a resident ofLarung Ngarig Nangten Loblingmonastery in Serthar County to whichhe has denied. It is said that additionalPeople’s Armed Police personnel havebeen deployed at the county.

Sangchu (Ch: Xiahe) County, Kanlho“TAP”, Amdo (incorporated intoChinese Province of Gansu) – One ofthe monks of Labrang Tashi-khilmonastery who protested in front ofmedia was arrested

Drakpa, a monk from Gyuto monastery(part of Labrang Tashi-khil monastery in

Sangchu County), was arrested by localPSB in the beginning of May. He is oneof those who protested in front ofChinese the media group, who visitedLabrang in April, informing them of theprevailing human rights abuses anddemanding freedom. Currently, noinformation is available about him,including where he has been detained.On 18 March, a protest was held by themonks of Thangsar monastery and laypeople from Gitsang and Meygyavillages, in Mey-shul Township,Sangchu County. 23 monk protestorswere arrested. Many of them werereleased later, and some of them were alsofined with cash.

Due to the continued restrictionsimposed on the Monastery and villagesby the PAP personnel, monks are notbeing able to conduct their major annualprayer ceremony. It is said that there arearound 110 monks in Labrang Tashi-khilmonastery.

19 May

Karze (Ch: Ganzi) County, Karze “TAP”,Kham (incorporated into ChineseProvince of Sichuan) – High lamas,trulkus and senior monks are beingarbitrarily arrested

Trulku (reincarnated lama) PhurbuTsering, head, and Khado, deputy head,of (Trehor) Pangri-Na nunnery, KarzeCounty, were arrested at around 4 PMon 18 May by Public Security Bureau(PSB) personnel.

Trulku Phurbu Tsering has been takingthe prime responsibility of Pangri-Na andYa-tsek/Yarti nunneries. He hasestablished a home for destitute andaged people and two medical stores aswell for the welfare of local people. He isa monk revered by all the local people.The local people have great concern forhis arbitrary arrest.

Recently, numerous high lamas, trulkusand senior monks, throughout the threetraditional provinces of Tibet, are beingarbitrarily detained and harassed whichhas led to deterioration of their health.This is a matter of great concern to us.



Jampa Dorjee (lay) and another one fromthe same area were also arrested on thesame day. Details are not available.

21 May

Karze (Ch: Ganzi) County, Karze “TAP”,Kham (incorporated into ChineseProvince of Sichuan) – A series ofpeaceful protests carried out at Countygovernment office.On 19 May, Dorjee Gyaltsen and TashiWangyal, both lay, from Tharmey Village,Karze County, undertook a peacefulprotest at County government office.They were arrested thereafter byPeople’s Armed Police (PAP) personnel.

Similar peaceful protests were carriedabout the past two days. On 18 May ataround 10 A.M., Jampa Dorjee, PaldenThinlay, Kunga Thinlay, Tsehog, andJamyang Tsering, all monks from Karzemonastery, shouted slogans at Countygovernment office. They were arrestedthereafter by PAP personnel.

On 17 May, Thupten, Loong Sonam,Yeshi Jigmey, Choephel, Choe-nga, PemaYangchen, and another woman wereimmediately arrested by PAP personnelwhen they carried out a peaceful protestat County government office.

During the above protests, they stronglydemanded that “His Holiness the DalaiLama must be welcomed back to his owncountry,” “freedom for Tibet,”“immediately release all the arrestees” etc.They also shouted slogans wishing longlife for His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

All the above protestors were severelybeaten by PAP personnel. The situationin Karze is extremely tense these days.Authorities imposed heavy restrictionson local people in the aftermath of a seriesof protests at County office.

No Specific Date

Tawu (Ch: Daofu) County, Karze “TAP”,Kham (incorporated into ChineseProvince of Sichuan) – Peopleundertake a distinct peaceful means toprotest against Chinese government

For around two weeks, Tibetan driversin Tawu County stopped running theirtaxis and other goods carrier vehicles asa mark to show their solidarity with thoseTibetans killed and are suffering Chineserepression and to protest against Chinesegovernment.

The concerned local Chinese authorities,in turn, offered to provide concessionon road tax for those who would resumerunning their taxis and goods carriervehicles. However, the drivers continueto stop running taxis and other vehicles.

23 May

Karze (Ch: Ganzi) County, Karze “TAP”,

Kham (incorporated into ChineseProvince of Sichuan) – Peaceful protestscontinue amidst heavy restrictions

Loyang and Tenzin Ngodup, both monksfrom Tse-tsang monastery, situated inKarze County, staged a peaceful protestat County government office in theafternoon of 20 May. During protest,they called for “freedom for Tibetans,”“His Holiness the Dalai Lama must bewelcomed back,” “Long live His Holinessthe Dalai Lama” etc.

Some nuns from Nyagey nunnery,Karze County, were arrested forprotesting at County office in themorning of the same day.

Lhasa – A Tibetan doctor and herhusband arrested for providingmedical treatment to injuredprotestors and sharing protestinformation with outsiders

Dr. Yangzom and her husband Shilokwere arrested, without any notice, byLhasa Public Security Bureau (PSB)personnel at around 10:00 P.M. on 7 May.Dr. Yangzom, a retired staff, after hermany years of service at Lhasa People’sHospital was arrested for treating injuredvictims and her husband was arrestedfor his alleged involvement in passinginformation related to protests in Marchto outsiders. They both live in the areaunder Key-ray Neighbourhood

Committee in Lhasa and their currentwhereabouts are unknown.

No Specific Date

Chinese authorities release hundreds ofdetainees in TAR areas, while keep onarresting many in eastern Tibet

Beginning from 6/7 May, groups ofpeople who have been arrested anddetained from Meldro Gungkar (Ch:Mozhugongka) County, Lhundrup (Ch:Lingzhi) County, Taktse (Ch: Dazi)County, etc. are being released.

Out of over 500 people arrested earlierfrom Lhundrup County, around 300 havebeen released this month, including agroup of around 35 nuns from Shar-Bhumpa nunnery. Among those released,a group of people from Lhasa prison weresent to their respective families inLhundrup County at night of 18 May.

Some of the released people are sufferingfrom injuries. Kunga (around 60 years ofage) from Meldro Gungkar Countysuccumbed to injury after around threedays of his release and passed away.

(With this, total death toll rises to 207)

Such incidents wherein peoplesuccumbed to injuries immediately aftertheir release have been prevalent muchearlier. For instance, Nechung, a womanfrom Ngapa (Ch: Aba) County in Ngapa“TAP” died immediately after her releasein the previous month.

On 5 May, three people includingLobsang Dawa, a monk from Gaden, werereleased from Chushul prison, in ChushulCounty, after completing their 10-yearprison term. They were handed out totheir respective families through CountyPSB office. He was arrested in 1996 foropposing the so-called patriotic re-education in Gaden monastery.

Some former-political prisoners are beingarrested, without any explanation, byLhasa PSB personnel in the aftermath ofprotests in March. They are secretlydetained in a county nearby Lhasa. The



Statement by Special Envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama,Kasur Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen

(Photo: Kasur Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari(right) special envoy of His Holinessthe Dalai Lama and envoy KelsangGyaltsen, addressing media personsin Dharamsala, 8 May 2008)

Envoy Kelsang Gyaltsen and I had thehonour of briefing His Holiness theDalai Lama immediately after our arrivalyesterday from China. Kalon Tripa,Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, joined usin the briefing. We also briefed theDeputy Speaker, Mrs. Dolma Gyari, thismorning. The Speaker, Mr. KarmaChoephel, is currently on an officialvisit.

On 4 May 2008 in Shenzhen, China, wemet with Executive Vice Minister ZhuWeiqun and Vice Minister Sithar of the

United Front Work Department of theChinese Communist Party. We wouldlike to express our appreciation to thehosts for accepting our suggestion tohold this informal meeting in Shenzhenas well as agreeing to a meeting ofprincipals without aides. Executive

Vice Minister Zhu Weiqun and ViceMinister Sithar were our counterpartsfor the last several years. This longrelationship made it possible to haveopen and frank discussions in afriendly and respectful atmosphere,despite the prevailing tense and gravesituation in Tibet.

Our main purpose of seeking thisurgent informal meeting was to discussthe critical situation in Tibet. Therewere strong and divergent views onthe nature as well as the causes of therecent tragic events in Tibet. Theseviews were expressed in a frank andcandid manner. On our part we rejectedcategorically the accusation madeagainst His Holiness the Dalai Lamaof instigating the demonstrations andunrest in Tibet. Instead we made itclear that the events in Tibet are theinescapable consequences of wrongpolicies of the authorities towards theTibetans, which goes back severaldecades. The recent crisis in Tibet is aclear symptom of deeply fe ltgrievances and resentment of theTibetans with these policies. The taskat hand is to address the legitimateconcerns of the Tibetan people in arealistic and constructive way.

We have stressed the importance ofending the current repressionthroughout Tibet. We have called forthe release of prisoners, to allow thoseinjured to be given proper medicaltreatment and give unfettered accessto visitors, including the media. We

have also called for an end to the“patriotic re-education” campaignwhich is deeply resented by theTibetan people.

We also rejected the accusation thatHis Holiness the Dalai Lama issabotaging the Olympic Games 2008.On the

contrary, we made it clear that HisHoliness the Dalai Lama hasconsistently and unambiguouslysupported the Beijing Olympic Gamesright from the beginning.

Despite major differences on importantissues both sides demonstrated awillingness to seek commonapproaches in addressing the issuesat hand. In this regard, each side madesome concrete proposals, which canbe part of the future agenda. As aresult an understanding was reachedto continue the formal round ofdiscussions. A date for the seventhround will be finalised soon aftermutual consultations.

We welcome the recent statement ofPresident Hu J intao that hisgovernment is “serious” about thedialogue and his acknowledging thatHis Holiness the Dalai Lama is being“conscientious and serious”. Thisstatement is encouraging at a timewhen there is growing skepticism aboutChina’s sincerity in resolving the Tibetissue through dialogue.

members of their families have not beentold why they had been arrested.

24 May

Sog (Ch: Sou) County, NagchuPrefecture (Ch: Naqu Shen), “TAR” –A 15-year boy protested againstChinese government and was arrestedOn 9 May, Sonam Gyalpo, a 15-year boy,shouted slogans such as “Tibet is an

independent country”, “long live HisHoliness the Dalai Lama” at the marketintersection in Sog County. He wasarrested by County Public SecurityBureau (PSB) personnel and taken awayto Nagchu Town.

Sog (Ch: Sou) County, NagchuPrefecture (Ch: Naqu Shen), “TAR” a19-year monk arrested for allegedlyscattering pro-independence posters

In April, many pro-independence posterswere found scattered in Nagchu Townand Sog County. Chokdhen Tsultrim, a19-year monk from Zendhen monasteryin Sog County, was arrested on 20 Aprilfrom Nagchu Town for his allegedinvolvement in scattering the posters.Currently, he is being detained in SogCounty prison.

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I Pray for China’s LeadershipHis Holiness the Dalai Lama talks to Der Spiegel

to provide a blood sample, so thatscientists can determine whether I amman or beast. But what I do condemnto the fullest and consider a serioushuman rights violation is when theChinese authorities force the Tibetansin my native Tibet to vilify me and,while threatening them, to compel themto denounce me in writing.

SPIEGEL: Beijing admits to thisapproach, call ing it a “patr iot iceducation campaign ...”

His Holiness: ... which, in truth, is aviolation of religious freedom and,therefore, of the laws of the People’sRepublic.

SPIEGEL: Despite the name-calling —even concurrently with it — theChinese political leadership has madeovertures to meet with you. Does thismake any sense to you? And do youfeel that the Communist Party leadersin Beijing truly believe that you haveagitated the people in Lhasa and otherparts of Tibet, or even incited them tocommit acts of violence?

His Holiness: I don’t know whetherthey believe it, but if they do, perhapsthey should go to Oslo and have theNobel Peace Prize taken away from me.No, of course I am committed tononviolence — I have been for myentire life and will always be. I haveasked the Chinese authorities to comehere to Dharamsala and examine all ofmy documents and speeches, to whichthey will be given access. And thenthey can present evidence for theiraccusations.

SPIEGEL: But you cannot deny thatin addit ion to the peacefuldemonstrations by monks, which werebrutally suppressed, Tibetan youth inLhasa have also been guilty of lootingand arson.

His Holiness: I assume that this wasthe case. I condemn it, and it makes mesad to see my fellow Tibetans acting inthis way — even though it was mostcertainly the result of deep-seateddisillusionment and despair over beingsecond-class citizens in their owncountry. But this is no excuse forviolence. I have proposed aninternational investigation of the eventsin Tibet, to be completed by arecognized, independent institution. Butone thing is certain: It was, for the mostpart, innocent Tibetans who sufferedunder the brutality of the police andmilitary. We deplore the loss of more than200 lives. But we too lack a completeand detailed picture of what happenedand is still happening in Tibet.

SPIEGEL: Where do you get yourinformation?

His Holiness: We have little that isexclusive: the occasional call on amobile phone, or an e-mail. Of course,these new media are heavily censored,but it is difficult for Beijing to get themcompletely under control.

SPIEGEL: What was your reactionwhen you received the first reports ofthe atrocities, and when you saw thefirst images of the dead?

His Holiness: I wept. I was sitting withthe prime minister of our government-in-exile, and we were both wiping thetears from our eyes. So much suffering,so much despair. I was simply sad,deeply sad.

SPIEGEL: But not angry?

His Holiness: Sometimes an angryword slips out, which is bad enough.But no, anger is foreign to me, becauseanger means wanting to do harm tosomeone. My faith helps me overcomesuch negative emotions and find my

Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness the 14thDalai Lama, leader of the Tibetanpeople, discusses the uprising in hisnative Tibet, why he doesn’t supportprotests against the Olympic torchre lay and his proposals for acompromise with Beijing.

SPIEGEL: Your Holiness, have youalready received your invitation forthe opening ceremony of the OlympicGames in Beijing?

His Holiness: The Chinese havechosen a different option: not to inviteme, but to exclude me. And to blameme. Just yesterday, the Tibet Daily inLhasa wrote some harsh words aboutme, once again. Your fellow journalists,there are very inventive.

SPIEGEL: Some of the expressions weremember from the last few weeksinclude: criminal, traitor, separatist andthen, coming from the head of theCommunist Party of the TibetAutonomous Region: “A wolf inmonk’s robes, a devil with a human facebut the heart of a beast.” Does thisname-calling hurt?

His Holiness: Oh no, not at all. Youforgot “demon,” by the way. These arejust empty words. If using this sort oflanguage to describe me makes theChinese officials happy, then theyshould continue. I will also be happy

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equilibrium. Each of my Buddhistrituals is part of a process of givingand taking. I receive Chinese mistrust,and I send out compassion. I mustadmit that it hasn’t always been easyfor me in recent weeks.SPIEGEL: Have you also prayed forthe Chinese , including theperpetrators?

His Holiness: Despite all fears andworries, I am at peace with mysubconscious, so that I can performmy duties quite normally. I have notrouble sleeping. Perhaps this isbecause I also pray for the Chinese, ofcourse. For their leadership. And alsofor those who have blood on theirhands.

SPIEGEL: You aren’t just praying forthe Chinese. More recently, you arealso negotiating with them once again,through two of your representatives.These emissaries have just come hereto Dharamsala to deliver their reportto you on a series of talks with Chinesenegotiators in Shenzhen. What is yourassessment of the meeting?

His Holiness: During this informal,one-day meeting, my two envoys andtheir Chinese counterparts agreed tohold a seventh round of formal talksas soon as possible. A day will be setin the coming days following mutualconsultation. In the meeting, therewere considerable differences overboth the cause and nature of the recentunrest in Tibet. But despite theirdiffering views, the two sides showeda willingness to agree to a jointapproach to overcoming the problemsat issue in Tibet.

SPIEGEL: This sounds more like adiscussion of procedural issues.

His Holiness: In this spirit, both sidesoffered concrete proposals that can beused as the basis for formal talks inthe next round.

SPIEGEL: Is that progress?

His Holiness: We must seek truth fromfacts, as Deng Xiaoping liked to say,and rightly so. In any event, this timethe mood was apparently pleasant.The other side took a respectful andnot an aggressive stance. But this isstill far from a breakthrough. Therecent meeting in Shenzhen was merelya dialogue, but at least the Chineseside, for the first time, sought out thisdialogue in advance, as a meeting withDalai Lama representatives, andannounced it in the press.

SPIEGEL: Many assume that Beijingonly made the offer to engage in adialogue for tactical reasons, to stopthe wave of worldwide criticism ofBeijing’s behavior in Tibet, to give ittime to conduct the Olympics withouthaving to face protests. And to be ableto say to Western leaders: Look, weare negotiat ing. Are you beinghoodwinked by the Communist Partyleadership?

His Holiness: Indeed, talks for thesake of talks are pointless. I am onlyinterested in serious discussions toaddress the core of the problems. Theyare highly welcome, and withoutprecondit ions. But they must beconducted in a way that is transparentfor the outside world — enough of thesecret talks behind closed doors. Ofcourse, the international pressure onBeij ing has worked. I can onlyencourage every free society,especially Germany, to keep up thepressure. The whole world must helpus. The Chinese are very muchconcerned about their internationalreputation.

SPIEGEL: And what, specifically, doyou want from China?

His Holiness: The Chinese must finallyadmit that there is a Tibet problem.This is supposed to be the focus ofthe next talks to which we just agreed.Unlike earlier unrests, this time theynot only affected Lhasa, and not justthe so-called Tibet Autonomous

Region. The protests encompassed allTibetan-speaking parts of China. EvenTibetan students at Beijing Universitywere demonstrating. Thisoverwhelming and complete rebuff ofthe Communist Party government andits policies can’t just be ignored.Beijing must know that something hasgone terribly wrong in the last 50 years.

SPIEGEL: What?

His Holiness: Everything they havetried. Oppression and torture didn’t doany good in Tibet, and politicalreeducation has failed. Poli ticalindoctrination and the resettlement ofmore and more immigrant Han Chinesein Tibet did not succeed in muzzlingthe Tibetans. Then Beij ing’sCommunist Party leaders triedprograms to improve the standard ofliving and pumped money intoinfrastructure projects, only todiscover that the Tibetans valued theircultural independence and spiritualityfar more. After years of oppression,the Tibetans simply no longer trust theChinese. Now the people in power inBeijing, those nine members of thePolitburo whose decisions affect 1.3billion people, stand at a crossroads. Ihope that they will choose afundamentally new policy, a realistpolicy.

Part 2: ‘I Welcomed the Awarding ofthe Games to Beijing from the Start.’

SPIEGEL: What do you see aspotential solutions? And in whatdirection do think Beijing will go?

His Holiness: Our policy of extensiveautonomy for Tibet offers the bestprospects. The Tibetans must have thepower to decide on all issues relatingto culture, re ligion and theenvironment. This is somethingcompletely different from being anindependent state. Under internationallaw, this new Tibet would also be partof the People’s Republic of China,which would remain responsible for

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foreign and security policy. If Beijingwould agree to such a model, I canguarantee you that we would no longerhave such unrest and such a crisis aswe have now. This is the one variant,the positive one.

SPIEGEL: Is there a negative variant?

His Holiness: There is a risk that theChinese leadership believes that it nolonger stands a chance of pacifyingTibet, and that it has lost the loyaltyof the Tibetans forever. At the sametime, the Chinese want to completelycontrol a country with such richnatural resources. In that case, theywill oppress our people even morebrutally, eventually turning them intoan insignificant minority in their ownhomeland. Variant number two is aTibet for Han Chinese. It would be theend of all dialogue with us, and theend of all measures to build trust.

SPIEGEL: Which road is Beijing likelyto choose? Will there already be asense of it on June 20 in Lhasa, whenthe controversial Olympic torch iscarried through the Tibetan capital andmore demonstrations are a possibility?

His Holiness: I have advised mycountrymen in Lhasa and elsewhere,including San Francisco, not to stagedemonstrations against the Olympictorch. I don’t know what the pointwould be. Perhaps I will make anotherappeal. The Chinese are constantlyaccusing me of sabotaging theOlympic Games and the torch relay. Intruth, I welcomed the awarding of thegames to Beijing from the start.

SPIEGEL: Many Tibetans see thetorch relay from Mount Everest, whichis sacred to the Tibetans, along withthe Lhasa route, which passesyourformer seat of government, thePotala Palace, as a provocation. Don’tyou?

His Holiness: If times were calm, Iwouldn’t get upset about it. But now I

do understand the protests, withoutsupporting them, of course. I alsocounseled the organizers of the so-called peace march, from here inDharamsala to the border of thePeople’s Republic, to cancel the plan,because it could lead to clashes withthe armed border guards. But all I cando is dispense advice, not suppressother opinions. I hope that the Chinesewill not use all of this as an excuse tocommit another bloodbath.

SPIEGEL: Your nonviolent path islosing support among yourcountrymen in exile, even though youcontinue to be revered as a symbol ofTibet. The militants in the TibetanYouth Congress, who insist onfighting for independence, are gaininginfluence. The Chinese leadershiprecently dubbed the TYC a “terroristorganization.”

His Holiness: Of course I understandthe impatience of the young. But theyhave no concept, just emotions. I havebeen familiar with such dreams formany years, and I had hoped that theyhad subsided long ago. Aside from themoral question, what would this mean?That the Tibetans should take up armsto achieve their independence? Whicharms, and where would they comefrom? From the mujahedeen inPakistan, perhaps? And if we get theweapons, how do we get them to Tibet?And once that a rmed war ofindependence has begun, will theAmericans come to our aid? Or theGermans?

SPIEGEL: Of course not.Nevertheless, some Tibetans believethat you are too willing to compromise.Your role model, Mahatma Gandhi,preached both nonviolent resistanceand c ivil disobedience. Non-cooperation with the occupiers andprovocative marches through thecountry seemed like a good idea to him.

His Holiness: You’re right. And yetthere is one big difference: Gandhi was

free to argue his case in a court of law.Try doing that in Lhasa. The Britishimperialists were bad enough, but nocomparison with the Chinese of today— they are far worse. And, besides, Ibelieve that a hunger strike to thedeath would be an inadmissible act ofviolence. One doesn’t stand a chanceagainst the Chinese with that sort ofthing.

SPIEGEL: Now you are condemningthe People’s Republic rather broadly.China is certainly no constitutionalstate. But there are unmistakable signsof a slowly growing civil society:courageous journalists, lawyers andenvironmentalists. And China’seconomic progress is phenomenal.

His Holiness: That’s true. You shouldknow that I am a great fan of the“harmonious society” that the partyleadership is currently promoting. Butwords must also be fo llowed byactions. I am certainly optimistic aboutChina in the long term. It is difficult toviolently suppress people in the longrun, as the example of the Soviet Unionand the Eastern European countrieshas shown. China’s society is alreadyin flux today, and this has led to manypositive changes. The Chinese arerediscovering religion. Former partyleader Jiang Zemin is a Buddhist, andso is former Prime Minister Zhu Rongji.Many businesspeople and artists havealso begun showing an interest inBuddhism. Exciting and certainlynonconformist essays critical of theregime are appearing on the Internet.This could lead to growing sympathyand solidarity with the Tibetan cause.

SPIEGEL: Are you homesick forTibet?

His Holiness: Homesick? No. Home iswhere you feel at home and are treatedwell. This is, of course, the case inIndia, but also in Switzerland, in theUnited States — and in Germany,which I like very much.

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SPIEGEL: Have you given up hope ofseeing Lhasa again, and the PotalaPalace, where you grew up and ruledthe country?

His Holiness: Oh no, not at all. I amoptimistic that I will be able to returnone day.

SPIEGEL: When and under whatconditions?

His Holiness: I already considermyself semi-retired today. The day-to-day business of government is alreadyhandled by the cabinet led by PrimeMinis ter Rinpoche, which wasdemocratically elected here in exile. Iwould like to retire completely in a fewyears.

SPIEGEL: You recently said, duringthe days of the worst violence in Lhasaand the militant protests here inDharamsala: “If things go out ofcontrol then my only option is tocompletely resign.” Some interpretedyour remarks as an open threat to theradicals from the Youth Congress, thatthey could no longer count on yoursupport. Others saw them as a hiddenthreat to China’s leadership, as thelast, best chance to seek a compromise.

His Holiness: It was meant the way Isaid it. I look forward to a life as asimple monk. Well okay, perhaps therewas a bit of a warning to it, in thesense you mentioned.

SPIEGEL: The Chinese will demandother concessions from you beforethey will even consider allowing youto return to Lhasa. After all, you claimto speak for all Tibetans, and you havecalled for extensive autonomy for aGreater Tibet, which includes both thecurrent Autonomous Region and partsof the provinces of Qinghai?

His Holiness: ... where I was born?

SPIEGEL: ... Sichuan, Gansu andYunnan, or close to a quarter of the

landmass of the People’s Republic.His Holiness: It is my moral obligationto speak for 6 million Tibetans, andthe cultural rights and freedoms mustapply to all Tibetans — as it is statedin the Constitution.

SPIEGEL: Can you even resign as theDalai Lama, essentially handing in areligious and political title and itsobligations?

His Holiness: I will no longer play apolitical role or a pronounced spiritualrole. When the day of my return comes,when a certain measure of pluralism,freedom of opinion and rule of law hasreturned to Tibet, I will relinquish allof my historic authority to the localgovernment.

SPIEGEL: Will you be the last DalaiLama? To what extent do you intendto be involved in the process ofchoosing your successor?

His Holiness: We discussed this issuewithin a high-ranking group here inDharamsala just the other day. Thereare various models, but the key factorshould be the will of the Tibetanpeople. I have already considered areferendum on this question.Everything is possible: a conclave, likein the Catholic Church, a woman asmy successor, no Dalai Lama anymore,or perhaps even two, since theCommunist Party has, astonishinglyenough, given itself the right to beresponsible for reincarnations.

SPIEGEL: And what is the most likelyscenario?

His Holiness: I was unanimouslyasked to take part in choosing mysuccessor and to keep the institutionalive. But I hope that there is still plentyof time, and that I will have another 10or even 20 years to think about things.Of course, if we are still in exile then,my successor will presumably have tobe found somewhere in India, certainlyoutside Tibet.

SPIEGEL: You travel around the worlda lot ...

His Holiness: ... and that’s the way itwill remain for a long time. Even if I amto return to Lhasa, I would like tocontinue traveling. I consider myselfa citizen of the world and am veryinterested in the relationships betweenscience and Buddhism. My main goalsare to promote fundamental humanvalues and exchange among thereligions. Then comes Tibet.

SPIEGEL: You will be coming toGermany for a few days again nextweek — a country you visit often.

His Holiness: Yes, I like being in yourcountry very much. I will give talksand probably meet wi th a fewpoliticians.

SPIEGEL: The chancel lor willtraveling in Latin America at that time,but Norbert Lammert, the president ofthe German parliament, and JürgenRüttgers, the governor of the state ofNorth Rhine Westphalia, apparentlywant to meet with you.

His Holiness: Well, let’s hope that theChinese can contain their protests thistime.

SPIEGEL: You know that you areespecially popular in Germany, and thatmore Germans name you as a role modelthan the pope, who is German?

His Holiness: I cannot account forthat. It puts me to shame.

SPIEGEL: Your Holiness, we thankyou for this interview.

Interview conducted by Erich Follathand Padma Rao at the exileheadquarters of His Holiness theDalai Lama in Dharamsala, India.

Reproduced from SPIEGEL ONLINETuesday, 13 May 2008.

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Hope for a Better Tibet Policyby William Lam

The question of “Who lost Tibet” isbound to haunt the ChineseCommunist Party at least through tothe 18th CCP Congress of 2012, whenParty General Secretary and PresidentHu Jintao is set to hand over powerto the “Fifth Generation” leadershipheaded by Vice President Xi Jinping.The ongoing disturbances in Tibetand four neighboring provinces, aswell as the possible boycott of theopening ceremony of the Olympicsby several Western countries, couldbecome the biggest blot on the legacyof President Hu.

A revision to the CCP’s longstandingtough tactics against Tibetans as wellas the “splitist Dalai Lama clique”—which the Hu leadership has accusedof instigating the current anti-Beijingconspiracy—is unlikely in the nearterm. Yet the possibility cannot beruled out that after 2012, Fifth-Generation stalwarts like Mr. Xi andVice Premier Li Keqiang mightundertake a reappraisal of Beijing’spolicies toward increasingly restiveethnic minorities.

To assess the impact of the Tibetandisturbances on the Chinese politicallandscape, it is instructive to gaugethe extraordinary nature of this frontalassault on the CCP’s authority. Interms of numbers and geographicaldistribution, the series of protests thatfirst hit Lhasa, capital of the TibetAutonomous Region on March 10 isthe most horrendous display of anti-Beij ing and anti-Han Chinesesentiments since the 1959 TibetInsurrection, after which the DalaiLama fled to India.

According to reports in internal newsdigests for senior CCP cadres, morethan 30,000 Tibetans took part innearly 100 “mass incidents” ofvarying size in Tibet and the

provinces of Sichuan, Gansu, Qinghaiand Yunnan. The March 2008 cases ofwhat Beijing calls “beating, looting,smashing and burning” are thus muchmore serious than disturbances inFebruary and March 1989. Thatculminated in ruthless suppressionwhen then Tibet Party Secretary HuJintao ordered the paramili taryPeople’s Armed Police to use liveammunition against the “rioters.”

Mr. Lam is a Hong Kong-based Chinascholar and author of Chinese Politicsin the Hu Jintao Era (M.E. Sharpe,2006).

There seems li t tle doubt thatauthorities in both Beijing and Tibethave to bear at least poli ticalresponsibility for faulty intelligenceand inadequate precautionarymeasures to forestall these blatantacts of defiance. In internal briefingsto cadres nationwide, President Huand his colleagues had warned thatunderground groups in the tworegions would, in collusion with“hostile, anti-China elements in theWest,” stage incidents to embarrassBeijing in the run-up to the Olympicsin August. More People’s LiberationArmy units as well as PAP officerswere ordered into Tibet and Xinjiangbefore snowfall last year. Blanketsurveillance and arrests of suspectsbegan in earnest in the winter. Forinstance, po lice shot dead twosuspects and arrested 15 e thnicUighur activists during a PAP swoopon an underground, “terrorist” groupin Urumqi last January.

Despite all this, PLA, PAP as well asstate security of officers guardingTibet fa iled to anticipate thatrecalcitrant lamas and their followersthroughout Tibetan communities infive provinces could stage aquasirebellion of such magnitude.Since the 1989 riots, PAP officers and

state secur ity agents have beenstationed inside major monasterieswithin the TAR. Yet Tibetan andcentral authorit ies seemed to becaught off guard by the 10 May rally,which marked the 49th anniversary ofthe 1959 insurrection.

Local and foreign eyewitness to theMarch 14 riots—in which 13 HanChinese were allegedly killed—saidthey were surprised that few policewere on hand during much of therampage. Authori ties in theneighboring provinces of Sichuan,Gansu, Qinghai and Yunnan were alsoslow to respond to demonstrations intowns and count ies wi th largeTibetan communities.

And then there is Beijing’s failure towin the hearts and minds of Tibetansdespite record amounts of transferpayments to and massive commercialinvestments in the autonomous region.The central government spent 96.87billion yuan ($13.8 billion) in the TARin the four decades from 1965 to 2005.Since 1993, 90% of the revenues of theTAR administration came fromBeijing’s largesse. The region’s GDPreached 34.2 billion yuan in 2007,meaning that Tibetans have acomparatively high per capita GDP of12,000 yuan ($1,712). Many coastal andeven central provinces and cities haveto observe “aid-Tibet quotas,” meaningthey must regularly help the TARthrough means including buildingfactories and helping local farmers andtechnicians. The registered capital ofdomestic Chinese enterprises in Tibetwas 22.3 billion yuan in 2007, up 54%from five years ago.

Yet from the Tibetan point of view,capital outlays are just one more wayBeijing tries to Sinicize the region.The two-year-old Qinghai-TibetRailway, which was built at a cost of$4.2 billion, is seen as a symbol of

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Beijing’s effort to control the ethnicminorities through Han Chinesemigration, or what the Dalai Lama hascalled “demographic aggression.” Innon-winter months, an estimated 6,000Chinese—mostly tourists but alsotraders—flock into Lhasa every day.The capital’s population has swollento 300,000 with Han Chineseoutnumbering Tibetans by two to one.Radical monks in the TAR say that ifno action is taken, the erosion ofTibetan culture will becomeirrevocable within a few years.

The extent and ferocity of the Marchprotests means that despite the massarrests of monks and other“instigators,” Tibet remains a timebomb that could at any momentshatter Beijing’s increasingly fragilecontrol over the Himalayan redoubt.Moreover, Chinese authorities’repeated broadcast of propagandafootage of Lhasa “rioters” attackingdefenseless Chinese residents hasfurther exacerbated antagonismbetween Tibetans and Han Chinese.

Who then will have to shoulder theblame for this colossal policy failure?Given the fact that President Hu is theonly member of the Politburo StandingCommittee with experience in theTAR,he can hardly shirk responsibilityfor growing instability in one ofChina’s most strategic regions.Moreover, as chairman of the CentralMilitary Commission since 2004, Mr.Hu is responsible for the deploymentof PLA and PAP units around thecountry.

Much more important is the fact thatmost of the cadres running westernChina are protégés of the 65-year-oldsupremo. Having spent 21 years of hiscareer in Gansu, Guizhou and Tibetprovinces, Mr. Hu has taken apersonal interest in the appointmentof top officials in TAR, the XinjiangAutonomous Region and neighboringprovinces. Many of these “westernwarlords” are veteran members of theCommunist Youth League faction—

which is headed by Mr. Hu, who ranthe league from 1983-85.

The most senior of these Hu croniesis Politburo member Wang Lequan,who headed the CYL’s Shandongbranch in the 1980s. Mr. Wang oweshis promotion to the Politburo in 2002to Mr. Hu, who has kept his protégéin the top Xinjiang post for 12 years.While Mr. Wang fights what he calls“wreckers, separatists and terrorists”among the Uighur population, headvises President Hu on the overallpolicy of “pacification” of ethnicminorities through a mixture ofeconomic aid, iron-fisted control, andrelentless Sinicization.

The cadre who bears directresponsibility for the Tibet mess isTAR Party Secretary Zhang Qingli,who doubles as political commissar ofthe PAP’s Tibet command. Mr. Zhang,a former deputy to Mr. Wang in theXAR, was appointed to his currentpost in mid-2006. The 56-year-old Mr.Zhang worked closely with Mr. Hu inCYL headquarters in Beijing. It wasMr. Zhang who, at a meeting of cadresin Lhasa on March 15, fir stcharacterized Beijing’s battle with the“Dalai Lama clique” as a “life-and-death struggle between ourselves andthe enemies.” Using languagereminiscent of the CulturalRevolution, Mr. Zhang said “we mustwage a people’s war to counterseparatism and to maintain stability.”Famous for his acerbic tongue, Mr.Zhang once called the Dalai Lama “awolf in monk’s clothes, a devil with ahuman face.”

Other members of Mr. Hu’s “westernChina clique” who have failed to, inDeng Xiaoping’s words, “nip the forcesof instability in the bud,” include theparty secretaries and governors of thefour provinces of Sichuan, Qinghai,Gansu and Yunnan. A look at theircareers demonstrates the CYL faction’sstranglehold on top slots in this crucialpart of China. Like Zhang Qingli, newlyappointed Sichuan Party Secretary Liu

Qibao worked with Mr. Hu at CYLheadquarters in the mid-1980s, whileQinghai Party Secretary Qiang Wei andYunnan Governor Qin Guangrong areformer chiefs of provincial-level CYLparty committees. This runs counter toDeng Xiaoping’s famous “credo of thefive lakes and four seas”—officials fromdifferent backgrounds and factionalaffiliations should be considered forimportant posts.

The central government units thatplay a pivotal role in Tibetan andXinj iang affairs —the NationalNationalities Affairs Commission andthe National Adminis tra tion forReligious Affairs—are also dominatedby Mr. Hu’s trusted associates. Boththe just-appointed NNAC minister,Yang Jing, and his predecessor LiDezhu are former bosses of provincialCYL party committees. And NARAdirector, Ye Xiaowen, headed theGuizhou provincial CYL when Mr. Huwas party secretary of the provincefrom 1985-88. Li Dezhu, who served asNNAC minister from 1998 until earlythisyear, was an exponent ofSinicization as a solution to the“assimilation problem” of minoritygroupings. An ethnic Korean, Mr. Lihas warned in recent speeches that“hostile enemy forces in the West” arebehind a conspiracy to “Westernizeand divide and rule” China throughestablishing beachheads in regionswith large ethnic minorities. BothMessrs. Li and Ye were behind theDraconian policy announced last yearthat the reincarnations of deceasedlamas— including the successor ofthe Dalai Lama— must be ratified byBeijing authorities.

At least in the near term, none of Mr.Hu’s allies in Tibet and neighboringareas are expected to be penalized for“losing Tibet.” (So far, only a mid-ranked Tibet official, Danzeng Langjie,has been sacked apparently formishandling the March crisis.) Thereis also little possibility of Beijing fine-tuning, let alone reversing, its take-noprisoners approach toward Tibet in

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MY CHINA, MY TIBETCaught in the Middle, Called a Traitor

By Grace Wang

threatened and forced to go into hiding.And I became persona non grata in mynative country.

It has been a frightening and unsettlingexperience. But I’m determined to speakout, even in the face of threats andabuse. If I stay silent, then the samething will happen to someone elsesomeday.

So here’s my story.

When I first arrived at Duke lastAugust, I was afraid I wouldn’t like it.It’s in the small town of Durham, N.C.,

general and the “Dalai Lama clique”in particular. This is despite the factthat the Nobel Peace Prize laureate isan advocate of nonviolence and hastenuous control over factions withinthe “free Tibet” movement . Theyounger, radical leaders do not ruleout nonpeaceful tactics against theirBeijing oppressors.

It is perhaps for fear of furtheralienating global opinion that the CCPleadership has rei terated i tswillingness to “reopen dialogue” withthe Dalai Lama. While visiting Laos inlate March, Premier Wen J iabaorepeated a pledge he made at theNational People’s Congress afortnight earlier that “the door fornegotiation remains open” providedthat the Lama would recognize thatTibet and Taiwan were “inalienableparts of the Chinese ter ritory.”Chinese sources familiar with Beijing’sTibetan policies say, however, that asPAP and state security personnel goabout rounding up more monks and“rabble-rousers” in the run-up to theOlympics, the possibilities for talksare remote.

In the meantime, free-thinkingintellectuals as well as members of the

CCP’s marginalized liberal wing haveurged the authorities to considerreverting to the more magnanimousTibetan policy initiated by disgracedparty chief, Hu Yaobang. In the early1980s, the late Hu, an early leader ofthe CYL and a patron of President Hu,won a broad following amongTibetans for the zeal with which hewent about repairing damages done tomonaster ies and Buddhist relicsduring the Cultural Revolution. Thelate Hu also reduced the number ofHan-Chinese cadres in TAR and wasthe first to invite emissaries of theDalai Lama to Beij ing for“reconciliation talks.”

Another big-name advocate ofto lerant policies toward ethnicminorities was deceased party elderXi Zhongxun. An ally of Hu Yaobang,Xi ran the CCP’s Northwest Bureau,which was in charge of provincessuch as Gansu, Qinghai and Xinjiangin the 1950s. Brushing asideobjections from diehard conservativessuch as Chairman Mao Zedong andGeneral Wang Zhen, Xi mastermindedconciliatory measures that preventedbloody confrontation with Tibetansand Uighurs. Xi’s eldest son XiJinping, a former governor of Fujian

province and party boss of Zhejiangprovince, is due to become China’sparty chief in 2012 and state presidentin 2013. There is no definite indicationthat the younger Xi is as liberal as hisfather, or that he would want tochallenge the scorched-earth ethnicpolicy initiated by President Hu.However, it is in the interest of everynew CCP supremo to establish hiscredentials by exposing—albeit in anindirect fashion—policy mistakes ofhis predecessor. Deng savagedMao’s legacy. And the Hu-Wen teamhas launched a crusade to rectifyformer President J iang Zemin’spenchant for putt ing coastaldevelopment above improving thelivelihood of disadvantaged sectors,including peasants in western China.

Despite his long experience in westernChina, President Hu has turned Tibetand swathes of Sichuan, Qinghai andGansu into a virtual powder keg. Andthe possibility remains that to winback Tibet—and to establish hiscredibility—Mr. Xi may yet attempt toresurrect the more rational minoritypolicies associated with his father.

Reprinted from Fa r E a s t e r n E c o n -om i c R e v i e w, 14 April 2008

I study languages — Italian, Frenchand German. And this summer — nowthat it looks as though I won’t be ableto go home to China — I’ll take upArabic. My goal is to master 10languages, in addition to Chinese andEnglish, by the time I’m 30.

I want to do this because I believe thatlanguage is the bridge tounderstanding. Take China and Tibet.If more Chinese learned the Tibetanlanguage, and if Tibetans learned moreabout China, I’m convinced that ourtwo peoples would understand one

another better and we could overcomethe current crisis between uspeacefully. I feel that even morestrongly after what happened here atDuke University a little more than aweek ago.

Trying to mediate between Chinese andpro-Tibetan campus protesters, I wascaught in the middle and vilified andthreatened by the Chinese. After theprotest, the intimidation continuedonline, and I began receivingthreatening phone calls. Then it gotworse — my parents in China were also

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and I’m from Qingdao, a city of 4.3million. But I eventually adjusted, andnow I really love it. It’s a diverseenvironment, with people from all overthe world. Over Christmas break, all theAmerican students went home, butthat’s too expensive for students fromChina. Since the dorms and the dininghalls were closed, I was housed off-campus with four Tibetan classmatesfor more than three weeks.

I had never really met or talked to aTibetan before, even though we’refrom the same country. Every day wecooked together, ate together, playedchess and cards. And of course, wetalked about our different experiencesgrowing up on opposite sides of thePeople’s Republic of China. It was eye-opening for me.

I’d long been interested in Tibet andhad a romantic vision of the Land ofSnows, but I’d never been there. Now Ilearned that the Tibetans have adifferent way of seeing the world. Myclassmates were Buddhist and had astrong faith, which inspired me to reflecton my own views about the meaning oflife. I had been a materialist, as allChinese are taught to be, but now Icould see that there’s something more,that there’s a spiritual side to life.

We talked a lot in those three weeks,and of course we spoke in Chinese. TheTibetan language isn’t the language ofinstruction in the better secondaryschools there and is in danger ofdisappearing. Tibetans must beeducated in Mandarin Chinese tosucceed in our extremely capitalisticculture. This made me sad, and mademe want to learn their language as theyhad learned mine.

I was reminded of all this on the eveningof April 9. As I left the cafeteriaplanning to head to the library to study,I saw people holding Tibetan andChinese flags facing each other in themiddle of the quad. I hadn’t heardanything about a protest, so I wascurious and went to have a look. I knew

people in both groups, and I went backand forth between them, asking theirviews. It seemed silly to me that theywere standing apart, not talking to eachother. I know that this is often due to alanguage barrier, as many Chinese hereare scientists and engineers and aren’tconfident of their English.

I thought I’d try to get the two groupstogether and initiate some dialogue, tryto get everybody thinking from abroader perspective. That’s what LaoTzu, Sun Tzu and Confucius remind usto do. And I’d learned from my dad earlyon that disagreement is nothing to beafraid of. Unfortunately, there’s a strongChinese view nowadays that criticalthinking and dissidence createproblems, so everyone should just keepquiet and maintain harmony.

A lot has been made of the fact that Iwrote the words “Free Tibet” on theback of the American organizer of theprotest, who was someone I knew. ButI did this at his request, and only aftermaking him promise that he would talkto the Chinese group. I never dreamedhow the Chinese would seize on thisinnocent action. The leaders of the twogroups did at one point try tocommunicate, but the attempt wasn’tvery successful.

The Chinese protesters thought that,being Chinese, I should be on theirside. The participants on the Tibet sidewere mostly Americans, who reallydon’t have a good understanding ofhow complex the situation is.Truthfully, both sides were being quiteclosed-minded and refusing to considerthe other’s perspective. I thought Icould help try to turn a shouting matchinto an exchange of ideas. So I stood inthe middle and urged both sides to cometogether in peace and mutual respect. Ibelieve that they have a lot in commonand many more similarities thandifferences.

But the Chinese protesters — who weremuch more numerous, may be 100 ormore — got increasingly emotional and

vocal and wouldn’t let the other sidespeak. They pushed the small Tibetangroup of just a dozen or so up againstthe Duke Chapel doors, yelling “Liars,liars, liars!” This upset me. It was soaggressive, and all Chinese know themoral injunction: Junzi dongkou, budongshou (The wise person uses histongue, not his fists).

I was scared. But I believed that I hadto try to promote mutual understanding.I went back and forth between the twogroups, mostly talking to the Chinesein our language. I kept urging everyoneto calm down, but it only seemed tomake them angrier. Some young men inthe Chinese group — those we call fenqing (angry youth) — started yellingand cursing at me.

What a lot of people don’t know is thatthere were many on the Chinese sidewho supported me and were saying,“Let her talk.” But they were drownedout by the loud minority who had reallylost their cool.

Some people on the Chinese side startedto insult me for speaking English andtold me to speak Chinese only. But theAmericans didn’t understand Chinese.It’s strange to me that some Chineseseem to feel as though not speakingEnglish is expressing a kind of nationalpride. But language is a tool, a way ofthinking and communicating.

At the height of the protest, a group ofChinese men surrounded me, pointedat me and, referring to the young womanwho led the 1989 student democracyprotests in Tiananmen Square, said,“Remember Chai Ling? All Chinesewant to burn her in oil, and you looklike her.” They said that I had mentalproblems and that I would go to hell.They asked me where I was from andwhat school I had attended. I told them.I had nothing to hide. But then it startedto feel as though an angry mob wasabout to attack me. Finally, I left theprotest with a police escort.

Back in my dorm room, I logged onto

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the Duke Chinese Students andScholars Association (DCSSA) Website and listserv to see what people weresaying. Qian Fangzhou, an officer ofDCSSA, was gloating, “We reallyshowed them our colors!”

I posted a letter in response, explainingthat I don’t support Tibetanindependence, as some accused me of,but that I do support Tibetan freedom,as well as Chinese freedom. All peopleshould be free and have their basicrights protected, just as the Chineseconstitution says. I hoped that the letterwould spark some substantivediscussion. But people just criticizedand ridiculed me more.

The next morning, a storm was ragingonline. Photographs of me had beenposted on the Internet with the words“Traitor to her country!” printed acrossmy forehead. Then I saw somethingreally alarming: Both my parents’ citizenID numbers had been posted. I wasshocked, because this information couldonly have come from the Chinese police.

I saw detailed directions to my parents’home in China, accompanied by callsfor people to go there and teach “thisshameless dog” a lesson. It was thenthat I realized how serious this hadbecome. My phone rang with callersmaking threats against my life. It wasironic: What I had tried so hard toprevent was precisely what had cometo pass. And I was the target.

I talked to my mom the next morning,and she said that she and my dad weregoing into hiding because they weregetting death threats, too. She told methat I shouldn’t call them. Since then,short e-mail messages have been ouronly communication. The other day, Isaw photos of our apartment online; abucket of feces had been emptied onthe doorstep. More recently I’ve heardthat the windows have been smashedand obscene posters have been hungon the door. Also, I’ve been told thatafter convening an assembly tocondemn me, my high school revokedmy diploma and has reinforcedpatriotic education.

I understand why people are soemotional and angry; the events inTibet have been tragic. But thiscrucifying of me is unacceptable. Ibelieve that individual Chinese knowthis. It’s when they fire each other upand act like a mob that things get sodangerous.

Now, Duke is providing me with policeprotection, and the attacks in Chinesecyberspace continue. But contrary tomy detractors’ expectations, I haven’tshriveled up and slunk away. Instead,I’ve responded by publicizing thisshameful incident, both to protect myparents and to get people to reflect ontheir behavior. I’m no longer afraid, andI’m determined to exercise my right tofree speech.

Because language is the bridge tounderstanding.

Grace Wang is a freshman at DukeUniversity. Scott Savitt, a visitingscholar in Duke’s Chinese mediastudies program, assisted in writingthis article. Washitong Post, 20 April2008.

FOR TALKS TO SUCCEED, CHINA MUST ADMIT TO A TIBET PROBLEMChina should view the Dalai Lama as a partner, not an opponent

Michael C. Davis

Under the glare of the Beijing Olympics,China’s failed policies in Tibet havemoved to the front pages of newspapersworldwide. Under international pressureChinese officials resumed their dialoguewith the representatives of the DalaiLama on May 4. The parties agreed tocontinue the ongoing dialogue thatbegan in 2002 and included six roundsof meetings. Chinese officialsemphasized that they’ll approach theserenewed meetings with “great patienceand sincerity.” Chinese officials havelong promised that anything can bediscussed if the Dalai Lama stopsseeking independence, which the DalaiLama has repeatedly said is not his goal.The talks can succeed if China provesits promised sincerity by first

acknowledging that there is a Tibet issueand the Dalai Lama’s representatives arethe best interlocutors to resolve it.

The depth of Tibetan anger aboutChinese policies, expressed duringMarch demonstrations, shocked theworld. Tibetans who took to the streetsfaced certain Chinese crackdown. Theworld was disappointed by the toxicChinese official reaction and by therather nationalistic populardemonstrations that followed theOlympic torch around the world. HighOfficials labeled the Nobel PeaceLaureate Dalai Lama a “wolf in monk’srobes,” a “serial liar” and a “slaveowner.” Is sincerity likely in the face ofthis continuing vilification?

For the Chinese, hosting the Olympicssymbolizes China’s emergence on theworld stage as a responsible great power,and indeed, people expect a high standardof behavior from an Olympic host. Whilethe Tibet issue is generally seen asposing a serious challenge to Beijing, itcan also offer an opportunity for Chinato prove its sincerity and responsiblebehavior. China has historically set upobstacles to successful dialogue onTibet, yet can now take steps todemonstrate its sincerity.

First, China should accept at face valuethe Dalai Lama’s repeated statementsthat he does not seek independence. Aprotracted discussion about the “trueintentions” of this highly respected

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Tibetan leader serves no purpose. Bothsides have long conceded that Tibetshould remain part of China and that itshould be autonomous. The Dalai Lamahas proposed “genuine autonomy”under what he calls the “middle way”approach. The Chinese side has notoffered a response through six years ofprotracted discussions.

Second, China should drop its attackson traditional Tibetan governance. TheChinese side has long accused the DalaiLama of formerly running a feudaltheocracy, as if this is what awaits anautonomous Tibet. Surely China wasequally feudal before the founding of thePeople’s Republic of China. But theseaccusations are irrelevant since the DalaiLama proposes to step down from anytemporal role and to establish democracy,human rights and the rule of law underhis “middle way” approach.

Third, in these discussions Chinashould avoid its oft-stated historical titleclaim. Chinese officials are fond ofarguing that Tibet has for centuries been“an inseparable part of China” as astrategy to deny that there is a Tibetissue. If independence is off the tableand the goal is autonomy, this claim isirrelevant. Even if such history weretaken seriously, it is not clear it wouldwork in China’s favor. China’s claim of700 years of imperial patronage offerslittle that would justify a modern state’sclaims to territory. Of more relevance toautonomy, China never directlygoverned Tibet until the PRC took overin the 1950s. It is uncontested thatthrough these long centuries Tibetremained largely Tibetan. Chinesecensus data reports that the TibetAutonomous Region, the largest Tibetanarea, is still 92 percent inhabited byethnic Tibetans today.

Fourth, China should accept that theTibet issue is one of human rights ratherthan insist that the only issue is nationalunity. A superficial examination of realityrefutes this claim. In the heady days afterthe Chinese revolution, the Chinesefailed to live up to their obligations,imposing repressive radical leftist

policies. China’s former party leader, HuYaobang acknowledged this in the 1980sand apologized. Human-rights violationscontinue, and the Dalai Lama recentlyasked China to end repressive policies,release prisoners, open Tibet up to themedia and stop the “patrioticreeducation” campaign which denigratestraditional Tibetan culture.

Fifth, China should avoid using its ownconstitution as an obstacle to settlement.On its face, the Chinese constitutionallows greater flexibility than Chineseofficials concede. The ChineseConstitution allows for two forms ofautonomy, including the type of nationalminority autonomy now applied toTibetan areas and the more substantialautonomy reflected in the creation ofspecial administrative regions, as nowapplies in Hong Kong. The former, appliednationwide to implement CommunistParty control in designated minorityareas, offers little genuine autonomy anddoes not seem to allow the level ofautonomy proposed under the “middleway” approach. Chinese officials haveargued that the Hong Kong model cannotbe applied in Tibet because Tibet has notinvolved the regaining of sovereignty andhas already undergone democratic andsocialist reform. Tibetan efforts to pushforward their genuine autonomy modelunder either approach have proven futile.Even a superficial look at Tibetan historyrefutes the claim that sovereignty hasnever been an issue and that Tibet hasalways been an inseparable part of China.The failure of democratic and socialistreform in Tibet and nationwide is equallyobvious.

Sixth, China should stop viewinggenuine autonomy as “splittist.”Officially the country has 55 nationalminorities. Would other minoritiesdemand the same treatment or wouldTibetans use autonomy as a platformfor independence? That Tibetans havelong been considered distinctive amongthese groups is evident in the 1951 “17-point Agreement for the PeacefulLiberation of Tibet,” the only agreementof its kind entered with a so-callednational minority. Practically, only one

other minority in China poses such risk– the Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.Because of assimilation or location,other minorities are not likely to seekindependence. A peaceful and fairTibetan settlement, in fact, would offera positive example for the Uighurs.

Seventh, China should abandon theconstant suspicion of foreigninterference. China is too big andpowerful a nation to wallow in this victimmentality. In an age of ethnic wars andterror, the treatment of a domesticindigenous minority is increasingly amatter of international concern. Withthe September 2007 passage of the UNDeclaration on the Rights of IndigenousPeoples, standards for the autonomyof indigenous ethnic groups havebecome more concrete. While Chinaclaims not to have any indigenouspeoples, these standards may stillprovide a useful guideline. Tibetans areclearly distinctive as to their land,history, language, culture, religion,customs and traditions.

Eighth, China should simply enter intonegotiations with the Tibetan side over theboundary of an autonomous Tibet.Historically dividing Tibet into 13 areas,China has objected to the Tibetan requestthat all contiguous Tibetan-populated areasbe united into one autonomous Tibet.Tibetans argue that since they are notseeking independence this should not be aproblem. Compromise that considers currentethnic distribution and the protection ofTibetan culture should be possible.

The suggested actions offer a yardstickby which China can prove its sincerityand win the confidence of the Tibetanpeople and the world. The Dalai Lama isthe rare negotiating partner with thecapability to win over even the moreskeptical segment of the Tibetancommunity. China should takeadvantage of this opportunity.

Michael C. Davis is a professor of law at ChineseUniversity of Hong Kong. For further analysisof this issue see Michael C. Davis, “Establishinga Workable Autonomy in Tibet, Human RightsQuarterly, Vol 30, 227-58, May 2008.

TIBETAN BULLETIN 31NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2007

Contacts for the Central Tibetan Administration

tibetanBulletiNNeeds yoU

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Tibetan Media

Edited by Lobsang Choedak and Tenzin Dickyi (Dhela), printed and published by the Secretary, Department of Information& International Relations, Central Tibetan Administration, Gangchen Kyishong, Dharamshala-176 215, HP, INDIAPrinted at Narthang Press, Gangchen Kyishong, Dharamshala 176 215, HP, INDIA

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