TIBETSPACE

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WELCOME TANG DANHONG TO THE DIALOGUE--A HAN CHINESE WHO UNDERSTANDS THE TIBETAN SITUATION

Last week, Grace Wang made the headlines of The New York Times at Duke University when she attempted to interject the spirit of dialogue into the vitriolic debates occurring on her campus between the Tibetan supporters and the Chinese.  Welcome now, Tang Danhong, a Han Chinese and filmmaker currently living in Israel.  Her essay, which originally appeared on her Chinese-language blog and is now available here at the Tibetan Women's Association website, is a model in many ways.  It's a moving appeal for human equality coming from someone with first-hand experience of the struggle from both the Tibetan and the Chinese sides.  We can only hope that more people like Tang Danhong will step forward and let their voices be heard.

POPE BENEDICT MAKES A PLEA FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

Pope Benedict said in a speech to the United Nations that all nations have a duty to protect people from human rights violations and humanitarian crises. If states are unable to guarantee such protection, he said, then the international community must intervene. 

He added that supporting human rights remains the most effective way to eliminate inequalities between countries and social groups, and to increase security.  It is important, of course, that a man of the Pope's spiritual prominence--MSNBC and CNN covered him 24/7 in one of the oddest obsessions I've seen on those two cable networks--speak out on human rights.  In doing so, he joins the distinguished company of the Dalai Lama and Bishop Desmond Tutu, and we might hope that he also encouraged a percentage of the Roman Catholic audience seriously to consider the problem in Tibet if they had not done so before.

When it comes to spreading information about the problem in Tibet, enough is never enough.  I was asked to speak last night at a human rights rally on the Tibetan situation; after my speech, a student, expressing concern over China's policies, confessed that he had no idea that the Tibetans were suffering and that the Chinese were engaging in these oppressive policies.

OK, now he knows. 

And he signed a petition.

Another student asked that I post the speech here, but instead of taking up blog-space to do so, I've posted it to the right under "Compassion Watch" as "Human rights speech at the University of Arkansas."  That's a downloadable Word document; to view it online, go to MINDSPACE and look under "Wisdom & Method."

RAMOCHE MONK DIES OF STARVATION IN LHASA AND SAMDHONG RINPOCHE OFFERS INTERNATIONAL APPEAL

Several days after the borders of Tibet were officially closed, Samdhong Rinpoche, the Prime Minister of the Government-in-Exile, today offered this urgent appeal to the international community.  The unspoken but obvious fear of Rinpoche's appeal lies in his realization that having now severely compromised the media's ability to report on the crack-down in Tibet, Chinese authorities are preparing to solve the Tibetan problem with a grim finality.  At Ramoche monastery in Lhasa, one monk has recently died from starvation as a result of the severe difficulties the monastery faces in receiving the fundamentals needed for life:  food and water, for example.  Tear gas, lobbed into the monastery by the Chinese police, is apparently a staple of the Tibetan diet.

This is sinister.  Hunger-strikes, willingly undertaken, have a devastating affect on the community, as the hunger-strikers waste away gradually, highlighting their commitment to their principles and the depravity of the oppression that has triggered such an inhuman protest.  But to see one of your fellow monks slowly starve to death because of a Chinese blockade . . . the sense of helplessness, the sense of a deferred agency, of feeling yourself a pawn in a deadly chess match, all of this is a horrible psy-ops from a military torture manual.

It is difficult to see how this kind of suffering is due to be alleviated in the near future.  But if you have ever felt compelled toward action of any kind, and if you have an interest in these matters--as your having visited this blog might indicate--I would urge you to become involved now.  Samdhong Rinpoche is not a garrulous man.  He speaks with reservation, gravity, and from the heart.

His appeal is of international importance.

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD: SHOULD DUBYA BOYCOTT?

The poll is open through April 28, and the question is:  Should Dubya boycott the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics?  Let me know what you think, and I'll report back on the results in two weeks.  Go to the top right-hand column and exercise your franchise!

DALAI LAMA: TALKS UNDER WAY WITH CHINA

In his most recent trip to America, the Dalai Lama pressed his advantage in several ways:  a five-day talk on compassion in Seattle, a meeting with an unnamed U.S. senior representative regarding the crisis in Tibet, and a recent announcement that a group of his people are meeting with the Chinese to find a solution to the current problems.  And of course His Holiness has reiterated that he will resign if the violence continues in Tibet. 

All told, it's been an important week for His Holiness, as he begins his tour of the United States in Seattle and concludes in New York on April 22.  He seems to be ramping up the pressure, if only by confessing that there is little else now that he can do (which no one, by the way, believes).  Every day, the Dalai Lama proves himself of being entirely capable of new and vigorous tactics for increasing his leverage in the international forum.

On a related note, Wikileaks has posted a helpful gallery of photographs and videos relating to the Tibetan crisis.  Have a look at it here.

For those of you sympathetic to the Tibetan cause, you might have noticed that the Chinese voice is becoming stronger at the lower levels.  Pro-Chinese blogs are humming now, and it's clear that many Chinese are taking very seriously the Dalai Lama's power to shape public opinion.  Popular, Chinese blog-opinion, much like American blog-opinion, runs the gamut from informed to hysterical.  If you haven't looked at the Chinese propaganda website, www.anti-cnn.com, you need to visit it. 

It's difficult to engage many of these pro-Chinese bloggers because their opinions are non-negotiable.  They arrive at the discussion with opinions whose evidence lies simply in the dogmatic nature of their espousal and the volume of the voice that delivers them.  This, of course, make dialogue impossible.  And so it shouldn't be attempted.

But there are questions that should be asked in any discussion regarding the Tibetan situation.  More on that later.

Finally--The Financial Times  is reporting that the Chinese are looking to hire a major public relations firm in the wake of the Tibetan crisis.  The solution to all our major crises:  hire a PR firm. 

So it looks as though China really is ready to step into the modern world.

CHINESE LEADER HOLDS FAST IN FACE OF GROWING INTERNATIONAL PROTEST

1. President Hu Jintao of China today toed the hard and unreasonable line that China's conflict with the Dalai Lama related to nationalist causes, was an internal affair, and was to be handled by China alone.  He was speaking to the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, the Prime Minister, by the way, of a country that has emerged as one of the Dalai Lama's most fervent supporters.

This is not unpredictable.  The current generation of Chinese leaders--President Hu was born in 1942--has focused largely on righting the economic imbalance between the thriving coastline of China and the economically deprived interior.  It is important to realize that these leaders came up through the Cultural Revolution, were educated in its principles, and are wary about opening up real international dialogue about anything regarding their own domestic policy.

There are signs that the younger generation of leaders might have a slightly different outlook on China's future relations with the internationa community.  Many of them, in fact, were educated here in the United States in the 70's, and have a working knowledge of American democracy and market capitalism.  This new generation, slated to assume full power in 2012, represents an opportunity for the world community, but most particularly for Tibetans and for all of those who support the Tibetan cause.

But this does little to address the current problems facing Tibet.  When a group of monks gathered on March 10 in front of the Jokhang Temple, no one foresaw that they would tap a world-wide reservoir of support and concern for a people who have suffered peaceably and authoritatively for over half-a-century. 

But things have changed now.  People who hardly knew where Tibet lies on the map are articulating their concerns about the Tibetan people and their leader, the Dalai Lama.  The fact that China has refused to show even the least tendency toward compromise will attract, I believe, even more supporters to the Tibetan cause.  The Beijing Olympics will keep the matter lurking on or near the headlines.  The boycott of the opening ceremonies seems to be growing week by week, and that for now is the bargaining chip that China most fears.

HOUSE PASSES RESOLUTION ON TIBET, AND BUSH LEAVES DOOR OPEN FOR BOYCOTT

Just as the Dalai Lama arrived in Seattle on Thursday to begin a series of teachings on compassion, the US Congress passed a resolution on Wednesday that called for the Chinese government to end its crackdown in Tibet and to release those who had been imprisoned for peacefully protesting the Chinese occupation.  The vote on the resolution was nearly unanimous:  413-1, with Rep. Ron Paul of Texas voting against it.

The Chinese reaction was predictable:  rage, disbelief, incredulity, the standard arsenal of emotions we've come to expect from them.  It's worth noting, however, that I was writing this post, links to the story on Google News were disappearing as fast as they appeared.  Perhaps this is typical for controversial stories, perhaps not.

Also, White House press secretary, Dana Perino, was recently questioned about Bush's attendance of the opening ceremonies and responded that his schedule had not been finalized yet, a distinct change from Bush's previous declaration that he would be attending the Games.  Here's the the relevant section of the press briefing:

Q Dana, in an interview with EWTN, the President was asked specifically, "You are now planning on going to the Olympics, to be at the Opening Ceremonies at the Olympics. How can you in good conscience go to that ceremony, Mr. President?" He answered, "Because I -- I'm going to the Olympics, for starters, and my plans aren't -- haven't changed." Dana, is he going to the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games?

MS. PERINO: I would just leave it as the how the President stated it. We haven't announced the President's schedule.

Q So you can't say right now whether he's going to the Opening Ceremonies or not?

MS. PERINO: I cannot.

Q You can only say that he is going to the Olympics?

MS. PERINO: Yes, but I'm not trying to signal anything by saying that -- I don't have the President's schedule. It is way too far in advance for us to announce the President's schedule.

Q Nancy Pelosi said today that -- about the Opening Ceremonies and the party -- that she hopes the White House realizes there's not a party going on in Tibet, saying that you shouldn't go to the Opening Ceremonies.

MS. PERINO: Well, maybe she should check out what the President just said on camera about pressuring China, both publically and privately, before, during and after the Olympics. He just said it, just now in the meeting with the Senior Minister from Singapore, in which they spent a lot of time talking about China and human rights and Tibet. And particularly -- in particular, the President said that China would be in good stead if it would just reopen the dialogue that it had with the Dalai Lama or the Dalai Lama's representatives.

Q One last thing. For people who are reading between the lines here that you're not being -- able to be pinned down on this, is it possible that the President could go to the Olympics but not go to the Opening Ceremonies?

MS. PERINO: I'll refer you to my first answer. (Laughter.)

Q But this is different, Dana. If we asked you this question a couple of weeks ago or a couple of months ago, you would have said he's going to the Opening Ceremonies. Does this suggest --

MS. PERINO: That's not true. Did you ask me that? Did I say that?

Q I think it's been pretty clear that he was planning on going.

MS. PERINO: No. He said he was going to the Olympics. We have not given out the President's schedule. And even before -- I've not given out any details about the President's schedule when it comes to Olympics. So it's wrong to say that I have changed my story.

Q Since this issue has become -- sort of moved to the forefront here, is there any reexamination, recalibration, or rethinking of the dynamics that would have the President at the Opening Ceremonies?

MS. PERINO: Not that I'm aware.

Perhaps his decision just might be influenced by the fact that the Prime Minister of England, Gordon Brown, has now declared that he will boycott the opening ceremonies?  Or perhaps that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will miss the opening ceremony?

Or perhaps our President wishes to align himself against these substantial voices?  Or perhaps he will rise to this occasion as he did when he delivered the speech in support of His Holiness at the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony?

As I have said many times in these pages, and to anyone who asks, I believe that when we watch the growing international support of the Tibetan cause, we are witnessing one of the most substantial acts of foreign diplomacy the modern world has seen.  It is a testament to His Holiness's vision, his people's endurance and patience, and to the world's deep and abiding good-heartedness, a good-heartedness that when awakened from its slumber can effect real and lasting change.

   

EU PARLIAMENT ASKS 27 MEMBERS TO CONSIDER BOYCOTT OF OPENING CEREMONY IN BEIJING

An important development in the European Union--its 27 members are being asked by its Parliament to consider boycotting the opening ceremonies.  This is an important development; stay tuned for results, but read about it here.

JOHN MCCAIN ENDORSES BOYCOTT OF OPENING CEREMONIES IF CHINA REFUSES REFORMS

John McCain today on The View, when asked if he supported a boycott of the Olympics opening ceremonies, responded that if China were unable to make the right gestures--including dialogue with the Dalai Lama--then he would support such a boycott.  Yesterday, Richard Gere came out in favor of a boycott as well. 

The bandwagon for this decisive protest is taking on high-profile passengers daily.  There are, of course, significant bystanders who have not yet climbed aboard, and in the future, it will be of great interest to see how this unfolds. 

It is important to realize, however, that no one of real credibility is calling for a boycott of the Olympic Games; they are calling for a boycott of the opening ceremonies, while supporting full participation in the Games themselves. 

On a related note:  several trainers for the American Olympic team have considered the possibility that their athletes skip the opening ceremony for physical, not political, reasons.  Increased exposure to the toxic atmosphere of Beijing could compromise the performance of the endurance athletes, particularly, and as a result, some athletes have considered a late arrival.  A boycott, in effect, of the opening ceremony based on physical, and not political, reasons.