The Scotsman
The Olympics offer China a chance to win international approval, and give Tibet a focus for protest, writes Tristan Stewart-Robertson.
ON 7 OCTOBER, 1950, 40,000 Chinese troops attacked Eastern Tibet, defeating the country's army and militia of a mere 8,000 men in just two days, killing half of them in the process.
Or, China "liberated" Tibet and the troops were invited in, signing a "17-Point Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet" the following year.
They are sharply contrasting versions of the same events and have clouded the facts surrounding one of the world's most remote regions ever since.
On 10 March, 1959, tens of thousands of Tibetan men, women and children were killed in an uprising against Chinese rule. The anniversary of that event, which led to the deaths of an estimated 87,000 people in the months that followed, was the spark that lit a long fuse last week, not only threatening the Olympic games, but going to the heart of what the 1.3 billion Chinese people can now believe.
Yesterday violence spilled over into neighbouring provinces as Tibet's spiritual leader in exile, the Dalai Lama, warned of a possible "cultural genocide" and said there were 80 confirmed deaths in the capital, Lhasa.
The remembrances of the 1959 protests have stewed with other complex pressures on Tibetans. Two years ago a new railway, the world's highest in altitude, opened from Lhasa, bringing 21st-century links to the rest of China. And in turn, thousands upon thousands of Chinese tourists and workers have flooded into what China defines as the Tibet autonomous region.
Tibetans are not allowed to work as tour guides in their own country. They struggle for employment against a larger and better educated Chinese workforce. The pressures of the "cultural genocide" and basic economics contributed to the frustration and anger on the streets in time for the remembrance of past uprisings.
Alison Reynolds, director of the International Tibet Support Network, said it was extraordinary how devoted Tibetans remained to the Dalai Lama, despite his 50 years in exile.
She said: "The sense of marginalisation is leading to frustration and anger. After nearly 60 years of occupation, the Tibetans' hearts and minds have not been won. They still want to be Tibetan. It's a failure of Chinese policy. And ironically, although the Chinese government is blaming the Dalai Lama, he is our only way out of this."
The Dalai Lama said yesterday that he was not opposed to the Olympic Games being held in Beijing in August. And the timing of the Olympics is key. China has shown itself desperate to present the best image possible to the world, at almost any price.
Despite the protests and violence, China continues its plans to take the Olympic torch through Tibet this spring. Nepal last week even agreed to close its side of Mount Everest in advance of an ascent by the torch to soothe Chinese fears of the event being disrupted.
The International Tibet Support Network has demanded that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) immediately remove Tibet from the Olympic torch route.
The current protests may be suppressed, but Tsering Tashi, London representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, said every year there was more support for the Tibetan cause from the Chinese people themselves, in spite of their government. And as the power and sway of the Communist Little Red Book decreases and extreme wealth increases in some corners, the population is turning to religion and Tibetan Buddhism.
He told The Scotsman: "The Chinese government policy is quite strange. They do not believe in religion, but in Tibet they control the re-incarnation of His Holiness the Dali Lama.
"The Chinese people are realising they are getting richer and richer, but are still unhappy, so they realise materialism alone cannot bring happiness, and they are turning to Tibetan Buddhism.
"We are quite optimistic because we are getting more sympathy and support from the Chinese people.
"A sort of cultural genocide is taking place and if the Tibetan people and culture are wiped out, it will be a tragedy to the world."
Tibet is one-eighth of China's landmass, and the world's most populous nation is unlikely to give it up soon, particularly given reports of nuclear warheads stationed in the area. The north-eastern province of Amdo is also home to the "Ninth Academy", China's primary weapons research and design facility. It was responsible for designing nuclear bombs through the mid-1970s, and defined as the "antithesis" of the Dalai Lama's teachings.
In 1988, the Dalai Lama made his Strasbourg Proposal. It stated: "Tibet need no longer be an occupied land, oppressed by force, unproductive and scarred by suffering. It can become a free haven where humanity and nature live in harmonious balance; a creative model for the resolution of tensions afflicting the world."
TIBET – THE ISSUES
Q: What is the source of the tension?
A: March is traditionally a month of protest by Tibetans calling for independence or greater autonomy from China. It's when many people mark the anniversary of the Dalai Lama going into exile.
Q: What sparked the violence?
A: It appears protests by Tibetan monks and other locals were put down by the security forces. Chinese state media has released footage of violence and looting.
Q: What do the protesters want?
A: Some Tibetans want the region to be independent of China, others demand more regional self-government and less control by Beijing. There are also demands for human rights to be respected.
Q: What does the Dalai Lama say?
A: He has described the crackdown as "cultural genocide" and called for international action.
Q: What about the Olympics?
A: Tibetan groups have not called for an Olympics boycott. Some protesters think the spotlight may force the authorities to change their ways.
Q: What does Britain think?
A: The government wants to be close to China because of its importance as an emerging giant of economic, military and political power, but it must also condemn human-rights violations and call for greater democracy.
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