Tibet: the truth or the distortion
On March10, Tibetan Buddhist monks started protesting the Chinese government in Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet. As the tension is elevating between Tibet and China, the world is having trouble to access the truth of the on-going issue in Tibet.
As the Chinese government insists, separatism aided by Western countries and plotted by the Dalai Llama stimulates the Tibetan mob’s anger. Otherwise, motivations such as freedom of religion, an autonomous government, and succession of Tibetan tradition might be at the heart of the protest. Despite the Dalai Lama’s strict policy of peaceful demonstration, the reason why Tibetans are getting violent is not obvious at this point in time.
According to a Chinese government spokesman, a Tibetan mob exploded with anger and committed arson, looting, and homicide. They burned police and government offices, and stores owned by Han Chinese who are the major ethnic group in mainland China while the mob was looting goods and beating the Han Chinese owners to death. The mob even allegedly killed several para-military police officers.
Other Western media say that white toilet paper is stumbling on the vacant streets of Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet, people articulate a hostile feeling against the Chinese occupation over the Tibet’s territory for over a half century. Tibetans, who are well-known as peaceful and gentle, observe a curfew while armed trucks and soldiers patrol every single streets and temples. Since the outbreak of the demonstration against the Chinese government, Tibetans are shot to death by the Chinese armed para-millitary police and they are getting impatient and violent.
The Xinhua, a government-controlled news agency, is eagerly publishing the violent scenes of Tibetan protest. It also says that regional discontent circulates among separatists who are supported by Western countries. The protest abets to destroy the unity of China and to threaten the hosting of the Olympic Games in August 2008. Furthermore, showing and emphasizing the violence of the protesters, the media conveys government propaganda to generate an anti-Tibetan sentiment throughout the nation. The strictly regulated and censored information which is released by the government-controlled media and inaccessibility for Western media might distort the truth and make us blind.
Western eyewitnesses reported that the Chinese government sent armed forces to push down the clash and closed the border to Tibet. The government said that closing the border was inevitable to protect Westerners from the exposure of potential dangers, so none of the Westerners, including journalists, can cross the border or stay closely to Tibet to collect information.
The beginning of Tibetans’ resentment goes back to the middle of 20th century. While the Chinese Communist army occupied the Tibetan territory with guns, the Chinese Government pledged an autonomous government of Tibet and freedom of religion. Since the pledge was announced, the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Tibetans, has been exiled from his homeland and religious freedom has been taken from people as they did before by the Chinese atheistic government. In these days, the New York Times says that the government policies and subsidies for the Han have promoted immigration of the Han into Tibetan territory and polarized the economic gap between Tibetans and Hans. In addition, the increase of the Han population in Lhasa dilutes the way of Tibetan traditional life and threatens its continuation.
Preparing the Beijing Olympic Games, the Chinese government promised the rest of the world to promote human rights and to give complete freedom to report on all aspects of China. However, the issue in Tibet has been spot-lighted by the West, the government closes the door to Tibet in order to make the West as well as its own people blind. The government censoring of Internet and western media keep Chinese from the issue that goes on in the Tibetan territory.
Condemning Western media for manipulating the story of Tibet, the Chinese government conceals the truth and explains it with their own view. As the government is trying to hide it and close the border, the West is getting suspicious about it. To verify what is going on in Tibet, people need accurate information to tell how the reality is, and people hope that the Chinese government keeps what they promise to the rest of the world. Opening the border to the rest of the world and allowing freedom of speech would be a stepping stone to ’One World, One Dream.’