I’ve seen the bumper stickers everywhere and I’m beginning to think it’s false advertising…
What’s happening over there is heinous. And I’m a little concerned that, because the “Free Tibet” cause seems an issue relegated for decades to the back of VW buses, the turmoil there now seems less mainstream, less urgent… less indicative of human-rights violations. Boldly, the opinion writers of the NYT tackle the issue and provide some directive in today’s paper.
Speak Out on Tibet
China has cracked down on Tibet and neighboring provinces. It sent more troops into restive regions and made scores of arrests in Lhasa. It acknowledged firing on demonstrators in Sichuan. Yet, the response of the international community — and of the International Olympic Committee — has been tepid. Beijing must be called to account, especially since it will host the 2008 Games.
We are just learning details of what happened. China has blocked most news coverage despite a pledge to give freer access to journalists in the run-up to the Olympics. Tibetan exile groups say about 100 people died in violence that followed a week of peaceful protests. Beijing puts the toll at about 20. In any case, the violence is neither acceptable nor particularly surprising.
The State Department says Tibet — taken by force by China in 1951 — is “one of China’s poorest regions.” Authorities have increased controls over the practice of Buddhism and committed serious human rights abuses.
The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, has shown remarkable restraint against what he calls “cultural genocide.” Despite the bloodshed, he reaffirmed a commitment to nonviolence and greater autonomy — rather than independence — for Tibet. In return, Beijing called him a “devil.”
…
The United States and other major countries must go beyond anemic statements urging Chinese restraint. They must make it clear that such repression violates the promise Beijing made to improve its human rights record when it won the Olympics bid. It mocks the Olympic Charter, which extols “human dignity.” It mocks the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognizes “equal and inalienable rights of all.”
…
Boycotting the Olympic Games does not work; we know that from experience. But the idea of Bernard Kouchner, France’s foreign minister, about not attending the opening ceremony is worth considering. What message does it send if Mr. Bush and other dignitaries lend their prestige to China’s coming out party as if nothing happened in Tibet?
The rest is over here. It’s a good editorial, but like so many calls to action, the media give directives to leaders and lets the readers off the hook. The NYT and other publications need to give clear instructions to ordinary citizen about how to affect change without becoming marginalized. So this isn’t just an issue for hippies.
Nevertheless, the timing is perfect. This morning’s paper reports the suspicious absence of police and paramilitary at the scene of extended riots in the Tibet capitol Lhasa. In a nation with one of the strongest military forces, the void of enforcement makes me wonder what sorts of tactics China may employ. China has made it clear they won’t tolerate such an uprising. No doubt the government has something far more insidious in mind than a spate of arrests and slaps on the wrists… and perhaps officials are simply waiting for the media storm and the Olympics to blow over before teaching the uprising’s leaders and participants a lesson. Calls to action, like the one above from the New York Times and these activists who disrupted a flame-lighting ceremony, are the best hope for keeping this issue in the public eye, saving Tibetans from torture and incarceration.
True, some of these folks in Lhasa are simple looters (and some activists may be attention whores), but the problems stem from deeper abuses of the Tibetan people and an unselfish struggle for rights, culture, and dignity. The respectable majority should not be dismissed for the actions of a reckless few.
A stopwatch is counting down until the Olympic Games: If Tibet’s struggle for autonomy and dignity can capture the hearts of the world before the gold medals are awarded, there may be hope. Not only for Tibet, but all the people at the mercy of China dark side. This may be their last chance to speak out. It may be ours, too.
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