In This Article
30-Second Summary
Headline link: ‘Young Tibetans Question Path of Nonviolence’
Related Topics: Nepali police arrest protesters, China accuses monks of abetting terrorism
Background: Tibetans split on resisting Chinese rule, China accused of faking evidence
Opinion & Analysis: Strategies for Tibet’s independence spark debate
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Young Tibetans Reject Dalai Lama’s Nonviolent Stance
by
findingDulcinea Staff
A generational divide is growing in Tibet, as young activists express impatience with their elders’ focus on peaceful dialogue with the Chinese government.
30-Second Summary
In the wake of Chinese crackdowns on Tibetan protesters, young people are growing impatient with the Dalai Lama’s peaceful “Middle Way” of dealing with the Chinese government.
“The middle way has been in existence for 20 years and nothing has come out of it,” said Tsewang Rigzin, president of the Tibetan Youth Congress, which formed in the 1970s with the Dalai Lama’s blessing but now espouses radical tactics over dialogue.
Nepali police on Tuesday arrested 86 exiled Tibetans protesting China’s crackdown on demonstrators in Kathmandu over the past two weeks.
Also on Tuesday, the Chinese government accused Tibetan exiles of planning suicide attacks, saying it found guns, dynamite, hand grenades and knives during searches of monasteries. The Associated Press reported that the Chinese government did not provide any details or evidence.
The Tibetan government-in-exile insists that it remains dedicated to nonviolence. “Tibetan exiles are 100 percent committed to nonviolence. There is no question of suicide attacks,” said Samdhong Rinpoche, Tibetan prime minister-in-exile. “But we fear that Chinese might masquerade as Tibetans and plan such attacks to give bad publicity to Tibetans.”
Some analysts say China’s best hope for allaying tensions in Tibet is to engage in substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama now, before his influence wanes.
“No successor will command such veneration,” an Economist editorial warns. “And so none will be as persuasive an advocate of nonviolence and of a ‘middle way’ for Tibet, short of the full independence many Tibetans believe is their birthright.”
“The middle way has been in existence for 20 years and nothing has come out of it,” said Tsewang Rigzin, president of the Tibetan Youth Congress, which formed in the 1970s with the Dalai Lama’s blessing but now espouses radical tactics over dialogue.
Nepali police on Tuesday arrested 86 exiled Tibetans protesting China’s crackdown on demonstrators in Kathmandu over the past two weeks.
Also on Tuesday, the Chinese government accused Tibetan exiles of planning suicide attacks, saying it found guns, dynamite, hand grenades and knives during searches of monasteries. The Associated Press reported that the Chinese government did not provide any details or evidence.
The Tibetan government-in-exile insists that it remains dedicated to nonviolence. “Tibetan exiles are 100 percent committed to nonviolence. There is no question of suicide attacks,” said Samdhong Rinpoche, Tibetan prime minister-in-exile. “But we fear that Chinese might masquerade as Tibetans and plan such attacks to give bad publicity to Tibetans.”
Some analysts say China’s best hope for allaying tensions in Tibet is to engage in substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama now, before his influence wanes.
“No successor will command such veneration,” an Economist editorial warns. “And so none will be as persuasive an advocate of nonviolence and of a ‘middle way’ for Tibet, short of the full independence many Tibetans believe is their birthright.”
Headline link: ‘Young Tibetans Question Path of Nonviolence’
A generational divide has increasingly become an issue in Tibet, as more young people question the effectiveness of the Dalai Lama’s Buddhist “Middle Way.” The Chinese government’s recent crackdown on protesters and the approach of the Olympics has galvanized young activists. Tsewang Rigzin, president of the Tibetan Youth Congress, expresses impatience with the continued oppression of Tibet by China. The Congress’ roughly 30,000 active members openly disagree with the revered leader and espouse radical tactics over dialogue.
Source: Christian Science Monitor
Related Topics: Nepali police arrest protesters, China accuses monks of abetting terrorism
Nepali police on Tuesday arrested 86 exiled Tibetans protesting China’s two-weeklong crackdown on anti-Chinese demonstrators in Kathmandu. Police dragged and carried the protestors into police vans in front of the Chinese embassy, where protests were held for the first time despite a heavy police presence. Earlier protests were held in front of the United Nations offices and the Chinese embassy’s visa office. The protesters waved the Tibetan flag and held placards saying “Resolve the crisis in Tibet through dialogue” and “U.N. send fact-finding mission to Tibet.”
Source: CNN
China has escalated its rhetoric against supporters of the Dalai Lama, accusing the Nobel Peace laureate's followers of planning suicide attacks. Samdhong Rinpoche, prime minister of the Tibetan government in exile in India, fears the Chinese government will fake evidence to accuse Tibetans of planning violence. Chinese government Spokesman Wu Heping claimed the Chinese Public Security Ministry found explosives and weapons during searches of monasteries, but did not provide any evidence. “To our knowledge, the next plan of the Tibetan independence forces is to organize suicide squads to launch violent attacks,” Wu said.
Source: The Associated Press
Premier Wen Jiabao stated that the Dalai Lama and his “clique” are behind the violence seen in recent Tibetan protests. “There is ample fact and plenty of evidence proving this incident was organized, premeditated, masterminded and incited by the Dalai clique,” Wen said, according to the BBC.
Source: findingDulcinea
Background: Tibetans split on resisting Chinese rule, China accused of faking evidence
Young activists are not the only Tibetans split on how to resist Chinese rule. The Dalai Lama's nonviolent approach has lost favor with other members of the community as well.
Source: findingDulcinea
An article in the International Herald Tribune reports that critics believe China is creating fears of terrorism to draw attention away from other important issues such as human rights violatins in Tibet. According to Amnesty International researcher Mark Allison, “When China has made allegations of terrorist activity, it doesn’t back it up with evidence and restrictions make it impossible for independent investigators to verify.”
Source: International Herald Tribune
Opinion & Analysis: Strategies for Tibet’s independence spark debate
The Economist argues that the best way for China to allay the tensions in Tibet is to engage in substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama. “No successor will command such veneration. And so none will be as persuasive an advocate of nonviolence and of a ‘middle way’ for Tibet, short of the full independence many Tibetans believe is their birthright.” Trying to better Tibet’s economic situation has not been working, according to The Economist, meaning that if Beijing does not want to negotiate with the Dalai Lama, its only other option is brute force.
Source: The Economist
Jayati Chakraborty argues that the Tibetan people will not achieve their goals through peaceful means: “The very essence of communism is violent revolution. Obviously the Lama’s message of peace and nonviolence will fall on deaf ears.”
Source: Merinews
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