Pedestrian Observer GB: Dalai Lama

China’s bid for the 2008 Olympics was made on a promise to the International Olympic Committee to improve its human rights record. The recent crackdown in Tibet, where hundreds of fatalities with thousands of Tibetans in jail only showed Beijing’s broken promises.

It is unfortunate that the Olympics has been turned into a political event not that it has not been used before but how can the Olympic Committee be so "naïve" to allow China to host the games based on a promise where there is no intent to follow in the first place.

In London 37 people were arrested during the torch relay while Paris had 20 protesters arrested due largely to the strong police contingents deployed to create a human shield to prevent protestors from grabbing the torch.

Despite the number of police to guard against the protesters the Olympic torch relay was still disrupted forcing the Chinese officials to snuff the flames numerous times and bundled the torchbearers onto buses midway through the 18 mile route.

The Olympic torch is on the way to the US and 3 Members of the student group for a Free Tibet scaled the Golden Gate of San Francisco, each carrying a Tibetan flag unfurled a banner that reads, “One World. One Dream. Free Tibet.”

What a sight it is if only Tibetans can be free with such a feat but it is not as simple as that when you have a government as repressive as the one they have in China.

As usual China blocked the news in the mainland and trumpeted the “success” of the Olympic torch relay while condemning the demonstration as a work of a small number of Tibetan separatists. Foreign Ministry spokesman in their website as usual dished out their shallow rhetoric’s or lies, to quote:

Their despicable activities tarnish the lofty Olympic spirit and challenge all people loving the Olympic Games around the world.

Uh huh, I think it is the other way around….. having a corrupt human rights violator hosting the Olympic Games is despicable and unacceptable that destroys the very spirit of the games. The LA Times article quoting Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democrat Hilary Clinton says it all:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had a different view, saying protesters should "show how displeased they are with [China's] policies." Meanwhile, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-New York), suggesting that President Bush boycott the opening ceremony in Beijing, said: "These events underscore why I believe the Bush administration has been wrong to downplay human rights in its policy toward China."

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Free Tibet

6 decades after the Red Army under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party marched to Tibet the “autonomous region” which is really another term for illegal and brutal occupation of Tibet is in turmoil.

44 Tibetans continues peaceful march to Tibet from India despite earlier arrest of 101 monks

The occupation of Tibet over the years has undermined their culture and religion through repressive and exploitative policies against the Tibetan people. The resettlement of the once nomad people used to grazed livestock on grasslands that make up 80 percent of their land into farming community while the land is literally taken from under their feet has contributed to the severe marginalization of Tibetans. As if this is not enough in the cities Chinese people are setting up business operations hiring their own instead of locals while pushing Tibetans out of business. As if to add insult to injury in the square outside the 1,400 year-old Jokhang temple, traditional Tibetan scarves are hawked by Chinese traders.

6 decades of repressive policies and when the pent up anger boils over the Chinese Communist Party blames the Dalai Lama for “instigating” or “plotting” the protest. What a surprise, they exploit and destroy their culture and religion while marginalizing majority of the occupied people and they blame them in what appeared to be a crime of “SPILITISM”, say what now? So the Dalai Lama “plots” to overthrow a very powerful army armed to the teeth complete with tanks and armored personnel with what may I ask? A plot to pray complete with Buddhist chanting ohms with beads and bells marching down the street is not exactly a plot unless these “proletariat dictator” are on to some drugs or something and seeing things or hallucinating.

There will be violent response from Chinese authorities that has not hesitated to crush major protest in Tibet and jail dissident monks in the past. Hu Jintao the newly elected president of China served as party boss in Tibet during a violent crackdown in 1989 earning him “goodwill” or was it criminal camaraderie to then party god Deng Xiaoping. His ascendancy from local thug to puwitburo (ass) errr politburo top boss is a grim reminder of what awaits the monks in their struggle to free Tibet from Communist rule.

When monks protest they surround the temple with tanks and armored personnel against unarmed peace loving monks only radicalize and anger Tibetan people while ridiculously painting a “One World One Dream” as the Olympic host. The protest are ongoing since March 10 to commemorate the 1959 uprising that resulted in the Dalai Lama's exile to India with reports on casualties ranging from 10 to 100 due to the news blackout and restrictions imposed by authorities preventing international press coverage. They prevent the monks from peaceful redress of grievances angering the people so they shoot protesters with live bullets, torture and detain those they caught and blame the protesters for the violence while enforcing a news blackout should make people think twice if they should go to the Olympics.

Related aticles:

The Tibetan People's Uprising Movement
Chinese Officials Call for Tibetan Protesters to Surrender
Chinese police search door-to-door in Lhasa
His Holiness the Dalai Lama's Vision for a Future Free Tibet
The Tibetan National Flag
An Overview of Sino-Tibetan Dialogue
Snow Lion And Dragon: Can They Coexist In Harmony?