UA community voices opinion of Tibet-China conflict

By: Emile Phaneuf

Posted: 3/31/08

Protests continue around the world against human rights issues in China involving Tibet, and UA professors and students are also voicing their opinions.

In Tibet, protests began March 10, commemorating the 49th anniversary of the Tibetan uprising of 1959. The exiled Tibetan government has reported the deaths of at least 140 protestors, while the Chinese government puts the death toll at 22, according to a March 25 article on CNN.com.

Whatever the number, the protests put human rights issues of the People's Republic of China in the spotlight.

The PRC has been preparing Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games - which begin August 8 - for several years.

Chinese authorities have cracked down on foreign journalists in the region and forced them to leave. When a German journalist was forced to leave Lhasa, he told BBC News that "he was the last foreign journalist in the city … and he had seen [the police] going into houses and carrying out searches," according to a March 20 article.

Phayul.com, a news Web site with special focus on the subject, showed photographs of soldiers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army changing back into their uniforms after taking off robes that they use to pose as Tibetan monks.

The posing soldiers made "tactical moves to justify their violent crackdown by implicating Tibetans as rioters," according to the Web site.

But the protesting doesn't end with Tibet. Countries from around the globe have seen protestors outside government buildings, embassies and more. The lighting of the Olympic torch was interrupted in Greece last week as protestors ran into the camera spotlight holding a black flag that mimicked the Olympic five-ring logo, with each ring replaced by a handcuff, according to a March 24 BBC News article.

Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, issued a press release to the Chinese government Friday from Dharamsala, India, where the Tibetan government in exile is based.

In the release, Gyatso said repeatedly he has supported the Beijing Olympics, yet has been accused by the PRC government of "trying to sabotage the games," intending to create "a rift between the Chinese people" and himself and using his influence to instigate protests.

The Dalai Lama reiterated his "willingness to continue to pursue the process of dialogue" with the PRC. "Except for the independence of Tibet, all other questions can be negotiated," he said, according to the press release.

Chinese Foreign Minister Spokesman Qin Gang said at a press conference that "the door for dialogue between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government is open, but we require the Dalai Lama to completely and genuinely abolish his attempts to separate the country … and recognize that Tibet and Taiwan are indispensable parts of China."

"[In this press release], the Dalai Lama is insisting on nonviolence while increasingly pointing out human rights violations that exist in Tibet," said Sidney Burris, director of the Fulbright College Honors Program and religious studies.

The Dalai Lama, a spiritual leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, went into exile to India in 1959 where he continues to reside.

Tibet today consists of about 20 percent native Tibetan people, according to the Dalai Lama's press release. Many Tibetans flee to India and elsewhere, and Chinese schools teach that Tibet has always been a part of China - an opinion often not shared by the Tibetan minority.

Thupten Dorjee, a Tibetan monk and UA professor, has experienced the difficulties Tibetans face. Dorjee, called "Geshe" by most, crossed the Himalayas with his family when he was a child and went into exile to India.

Dorjee "was ordained a Buddhist monk by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1986," according to a March 26 Traveler article. "After 30 years of study, Geshe received the degree of Geshe Lharampa in 1994, the highest scholastic honor, equivalent to a doctor of philosophy."

Dorjee also received the UA 2008 Outstanding Faculty Award, by having 25 nominations, according to the article.

"The world needs to be aware about what China is doing," Dorjee said. "[The Chinese government] wants to make the Tibetan identity disappear: the people, the culture, the language, the religion.

"This isn't just about Tibetan people… This is about the whole world - the peace of the world."

Dorjee said his vision for Tibet is to see it become the Switzerland of Asia. With the oppression gone, it could be a model of peace to the whole world, he said.

Dorjee also thinks education is key - people need to be aware of the global situation, he said.

"We need to educate young generations … write letters to political and spiritual leaders and let them know [our stance]."

Stephen Coger and Jonathan Gibbs, two UA undergraduate students, have taken the issue personally. They've participated in and organized many events to raise awareness through the UA chapter of Students for a Free Tibet, a Registered Student Organization.

More recently, the RSO hosted a couple of events on campus in respect to Tibetan current events.

Among these events was a vigil in support of Tibet last Tuesday. The event included a short film documentary on the harsh treatment of Tibetans and ended with a ceremony outside Old Main. About 100 people - each holding a candle to show their support - attended the event. Dorjee spoke at the event and his student Rinzin Dorjee performed a polyphonic chant.

Coger, SFT events coordinator, said the RSO will host another event at the Union, Friday April 11. Coger invited all to come to Tibetan Awareness Day, mentioning Dorjee will serve attendees free Tibetan food.