soc.culture.asian.american

A Serious Question on Tibet -- Who is Engineering the Riots in Tibet?

By Chen Pokong
The Epoch Times
Apr 05, 2008

http://en.epochtimes.com/news_images/2008-4-1-tibet3-31-08_7763.jpg
Peaceful Protesters in Support of Tibet. In front of Chinese Consulate
in Los Angeles, California. (Dan Sanchez/The Epoch Times)

In March 2008, the largest demonstration in the past 19 years erupted in
Tibet to protest the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) rule. It was
peaceful from March 10th to 13th. On the 14th, it turned violent.

A group of men in their 20s were very systematic. They shouted slogans
and quickly set cars on fire near Jokhang Temple. They then broke in and
robbed nearby stores, and set dozens of them on fire. They were orderly
and purposeful; and they looked trained. At the crossroads near Jokhang
Temple, there were rocks of uniform size and weight (2-5lbs) piled up.
Police and public security patrolling somehow did not find these rocks.
Later, a great number of military police and vehicles arrived and
conveniently started shooting at the 'rioters.'

Who planed this 'riot' and who were these 'rioters?' In 1989, Tang
Daxian, a former Chinese reporter now living in Paris, went to Tibet and
wrote what happened in her book "Events in Lhasa March 2 -10, 1989."
"That year, a few days after the Tibetans held their peaceful
demonstration, the CCP sent in many special agents and plainclothes
police disguised as civilians and monks. They burnt down the sutra
pagodas, smashed and robbed stores and food, and incited civilians to
steal from the shops. After a series of 'shocking events,' the military
came in and started a bloody suppression," Tang said in her book.

Nineteen years later, did the CCP do it again? It is definitely suspect.
After the military police suppressed the 'riot,' Beijing claimed the
Dalai Lama's regime engineered the riot. At the same time, authorities
expelled all foreign reporters from Tibet. (Why not leave them in Tibet
and collect evidence of how the 'Dalai Lama's regime systemically and
premeditatedly planned and stirred up the riot?)

The Dalai Lama categorically denied Beijing's accusation. In fact,
everyone knows the Dalai Lama represents the moderates of exiled Tibetans.

For many years, Beijing has kept contact with and negotiated with the
Dalai Lama under international pressure. However, the CCP blocks all
information about Tibet and many Chinese have not the slightest idea
about what happened in Tibet. The Dalai Lama hopes events will not go to
the extreme. He does not seek independence but wants a highly autonomous
Tibet. He wants to keep the status quo of 'one country, two systems' to
solve the issue in Tibet. The CCP, on the other hand, uses negotiations
as a way to put things off and be perfunctory.

Every time something happens in Tibet, the CCP accuses and scorns the
Dalai Lama, thinking it will make him come out and help to restrain
Tibetans and save the CCP some trouble. What the CCP doesn't know is the
Dalai Lama can no longer restrain all Tibetans. The young generations of
the exiled Tibetans can't wait any more. Since Beijing won't even
tolerate an autonomous Tibet as the Dalai Lama proposed, the relations
between Beijing and Tibetans has evolved into fire and water. This
March, the large-scale demonstrations that spread into three provinces
were a clear portrayal of such tension. The totalitarian rule of the CCP
has pushed Tibetans' last button and called for a revolt. From a certain
aspect, the CCP itself indeed caused the riot in Tibet.

In Zhang Rong's book Mao: The Unknown Story published in 2005, it says
in the 50s, during the CCP's 'democratic reform' in Tibet, over 2500
temples, 97 percent of the total were demolished. The tenth Panchen
Lama, who stayed in China, sighed, "The 'new Tibet under socialism'
looks like it just went through a war and was wrecked by bombs."

The protest in March 2008 shows to the world that the CCP's totalitarian
regime is not invincible. There could be large-scale demonstrations
erupting at anytime in the country and that would put the CCP in an
embarrassing situation. The great wall of the dictatorship can crack at
any time.

The blatant political pressure hidden behind the beautiful economic
development did not win Tibetan's hearts. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway that
cost US$4.2 billion and was said to improve the economy in Tibet.
However, hidden behind it was the CCP's political intention of resource
scavenging and political control.

The history of Tibet and China dates back 300 years. The two regions
managed well separately during the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of
China. After the CCP took over, the high level religious leader went
into long-term exile. The only thing the CCP did to China is split it.
It has sickened people by repeatedly singing the tune of 'national
unification.'

Adopted from Radio Free Asia, March 18, 2008.

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