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The Tibetan clashes
(Monday 24 March 2008)
PAUL WHITE

PAUL WHITE writes from China on events that have grabbed headlines across 
the world.

BEIJING learned in advance that disturbances were planned in Tibet and other 
areas of China where Tibetans live. On March 7, three days before rioting 
broke out in the Tibetan capital Lhasa, President Hu Jintao sent a warning 
to the Dalai Lama via a press conference. "Stability in Tibet concerns the 
stability of the country."

The following day, Tibetan Communist Party secretary Zhang Qingli and Tibet 
autonomous regional government chairman Qiangba Puncog were more specific 
about the objective of the forthcoming orchestrated unrest.

"Anyone who wants to sabotage the Games will get nowhere. We will definitely 
ensure that the Olympics and Olympic-related events in Tibet will proceed 
smoothly."

The Tibet leg of the Olympic torch relay is scheduled to scale Mount 
Qomolangma (Everest) in Tibet shortly.

The protests were started by Buddhist monks in Lhasa on March 10, the 
anniversary of the 1959 uprising against Chinese rule led by the present 
Dalai Lama, the pope of Tibetan Buddhism.

In 1959, the Dalai Lama and many of his followers fled to India, where he 
has headed a government-in-exile ever since.

The present Dalai Lama, the 14th, was given his job in 1944 by Chiang 
Kai-shek, then president of the Republic of China. By declaring Tibet 
independent of China, he would be denying his own legitimacy as 
Beijing-appointed spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet.

He also has rivals for the allegiance of Tibetans - the Beijing-appointed 
Panchen Lama for one.

Although the Dalai Lama has been careful not to call for actual independence 
for Tibet, many of his followers have no such inhibitions and even have 
their own flag. They don't just want independence for the Tibet autonomous 
region, they want to include in Greater Tibet large parts of neighbouring 
Chinese provinces such as Gansu and Sichuanto to create a territory 
stretching across one-fifth of China.

The fact that Tibetans in other parts of China where they are tiny 
minorities swiftly got the message, rioted and raided government offices, 
chanting "Free Tibet" slogans is evidence that they were put up to it by 
someone. Such acts are virtually suicidal and can only have been ordered by 
someone who had fundamentalist power over those people.

But who benefits from turmoil among China's nationalities?

The United States certainly announced swiftly that it will increase radio 
broadcasts to Tibet.

"The violent crackdown by the Chinese authorities in Tibet compels us to 
increase our broadcasts," said James Glassman, chairman of the Broadcasting 
Board of Governors.

It supervises all US government-supported, non-military international 
broadcasting, including the Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia 
(RFA).

VOA will double its weekly Tibetan-language television programming from one 
to two hours via the AsiaSat 3 satellite and the RFA Tibetan service "is 
working around the clock to bring authoritative, breaking news to the 
Tibetan people," RFA president Libby Liu said.

As usual, difficulties for Beijing are a windfall for the separatists on 
Taiwan.

The authorities there have warned that "the violent events in the past few 
days in Tibet have implications for Taiwan."

Certainly, the recent unrest seems suspiciously like a Plan C aimed at 
weakening China and slowing its emergence on the world stage.

Plan A was introduced last October after Buddhist monks and others had 
rioted in Myanmar. China was exhorted by the Western powers to bring 
pressure to bear on the Myanmar government or risk an Olympic boycott.

When this fizzled out, Plan B was trundled out - China had to hamstring the 
government of Sudan in its fight against the Darfur rebellion or risk being 
held accountable for the sufferings in Darfur and an Olympic boycott.

When it was shown that China was doing more to help the people of Darfur and 
ensure stability in the Sudan than anybody else, Plan C was concocted - get 
the Dalai Lama to unleash his religious fifth column. When this piece of 
nastiness is knocked on the head, there will no doubt be a Plan D, also 
threatening an Olympic boycott.

The Dalai Lama has had his chance at ruling Tibet. In his theocratic fiefdom 
in the 1940s and 1950s, the Tibetan people festered in medieval serfdom.

Anyone who claims that the Tibetans want a return to those dark days is 
either a fool or a rogue. This is something which Gordon Brown should keep 
in mind if and when he meets the Dalai Lama in May.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fred Feldman" <ffeldman at bellatlantic.net>
To: <e.c.apling at btinternet.com>
Sent: Sunday, March 23, 2008 6:26 AM
Subject: Re: [Marxism] In Solidarity with the People of Tibet (or why I 
oppose an international solidarity movement)