Who needs unrest in Tibet?
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti international commentator Ivan
Zakharchenko) -Tibetans trying to preserve their culture and
traditions deserve respect, but that can hardly justify the recent
unrest in Lhasa and other Chinese cities. The recent unrest was
obviously a case of inter-ethnic strife.
Tibetans were simply beating the Chinese who recently moved to
the region. These are ethnic Chinese of the Han ancestry, which
form the majority of the population in China. It was strange to
read world media reports about peaceful demonstrations by monks,
which nonetheless left behind destroyed shops and cars.
When similar riots took place in the suburbs of Paris, nobody
called them peaceful demonstrations. A CNN blog quoted a young
woman as saying that she landed in the hospital after being beaten
by a crowd of Tibetans just for being a Chinese.
The Chinese Xinhua news agency reported 13 deaths and about 300
local fires due to the unrest. The Dalai Lama's supporters claim
that eighty have died and 72 have been wounded.
Passive on-lookers always have their likes and dislikes. Many
Western politicians have called on the Chinese authorities to
display restraint, but nobody has urged Tibetans to stop beating
the Chinese.
With Hollywood's help, Tibet has long had a reputation of a
magical land, a dream for lovers of exotic destinations and a place
where one can reach "spiritual enlightenment." In Western
mentality, this benevolent stereotype contrasts with Chinese
communist ideology.
The Tibetan separatists are seeking independence from China.
Beijing considers the exiled Dalai Lama a separatist as well. He is
the Tibetan spiritual leader and enjoys high prestige among the
Buddhists all over the world. He says that he is not striving for
Tibet's independence, but for broad autonomy, but Beijing finds it
difficult to understand the existence of the Tibetan government in
exile. The Dalai Lama has promised to resign as its head if the
riots continue, and urged both the authorities and Tibetans to
avoid violence.
Until recently, the government in exile did not disassociate
itself from the violent actions by the radicals, which reaffirmed
Beijing's apprehensions.
Gennady Chufrin, deputy director of the Institute of World
Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) at the Russian Academy
of Sciences, expressed the following view: "Although the Dalai Lama
does not demand independence, his supporters include radicals who
are largely responsible for making the dialogue with the Chinese
authorities impossible."
The Dalai Lama is an old man. By tradition, after his death a
successor to his position is chosen by searching for his
reincarnation among newborn babies. However, the press reported
last November that the Dalai Lama suggested a referendum on
changing the age-old ritual, and allowing the incumbent to choose
his successor.
Some experts believe that using his religious authority in the
world, the Dalai Lama has gone beyond spiritual leadership, and
taken an active role in politics. They see this as the root of the
problem.
Recent unrest in Tibet has come as a surprise to many analysts.
In the last few years, the Chinese government has invested huge
funds into the Tibet Autonomous Region; it has conducted talks with
the Dalai Lama's envoys, and given many freedoms to the Buddhist
clergy.
There are two factors that may explain why the riots have taken
place now - the Beijing Olympics in August, and the unilateral
declaration of Kosovo's independence. For many years, the
Western-supported Albanian separatists were fighting for the
cessation of this province with the now predominantly Albanian
population from Serbia. Recently, Kosovo has been recognized by the
United States, United Kingdom, and some other Western
countries.
Knowing that Beijing cannot afford any aggravations on the eve
of the Olympics, the Tibetan separatists might have also used
anti-Chinese attitudes for staging riots. Some observers believe
that the recent violence in Tibet was provoked in order to fan up
inter-ethnic strife in China and emphasize its problems before the
Olympics.
There is one more factor - the Taiwanese presidential elections
slated for March 22, and a referendum on the self-governed island's
entry into the United Nations as an independent state. Presidential
nominees are already using the Tibetan situation in their election
campaigns.
But no provocation would have worked if everything in Tibet were
in order. Recently, this henceforth deserted Himalayan region has
been flooded by Han people that are good at sales and business.
This may have caused discontent of the local population and
resulted in the periodic attacks on the newcomers, but this
situation is typical not only for China.
Alexander Larin, a leading research fellow at the Institute of
Far Eastern Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted the
importance of the fact that Beijing has allowed national minorities
to freely perform their religious rites, and promoted the economic
development of this mountainous region. He believes that the recent
outbreak of violence could have been caused by some difficulties in
relations between the local authorities and the Tibetan population,
mostly monks.
Lack of information makes it difficult to be more specific.
Foreign access to information is very limited; the authorities have
blocked many Tibetan web sites for fear that some imprudent reports
may further escalate the violence.
The Chinese government has emphasized that the police and the
army have not used force against the rioters; some monks
deliberately wounded each other and then took photos to stir a
sensation. Usually, such pictures produce the desired effect.
Although the situation in Tibet is difficult, experts believe
that it will not spiral out of control, and that the Chinese
government will find a way of settling it before the Olympics.
http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20080319/101735926.html