Chinese Relentlessly Patrol A Subdued but Jittery Lhasa

Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, April 15, 2008; A01

LHASA, China — Two elderly Tibetan women lay prostrate before the Potala Palace on a recent day, venerating the 1,000-room hilltop monument that was once the seat of an independent Tibetan government and the Dalai Lama’s winter residence.

About 30 feet away, two helmeted Chinese guards observed the display of traditional Buddhist devotion. Elsewhere in the Tibetan capital, other guards barred entrance to the city’s most celebrated temples. Residents moved about their business, nervous and subdued.

One month after the explosion of violence that catapulted remote Tibet into the international spotlight, protests over Chinese policies here continue to unfold in many parts of the world, undermining China’s effort to make the 2008 Beijing Olympics a display of progress at home and amity abroad. But here in Lhasa, the most visible outcome has been relentless street patrols by men in People’s Armed Police uniforms who carry automatic rifles, check Tibetans’ identification cards at random, and guard intersections and gasoline stations.

Partly as a result, the city’s economic life has started to resume in commercial areas away from the main temples and Tibetan residential quarters. Street traffic has picked up in recent days, for instance, and Han Chinese merchants — who run most businesses here — have reopened some of the shops that were burned out by crimson-robed monks and other Tibetan rioters on March 14.

Some businessmen have moved their salvaged wares onto sidewalk tables. Others have taken to shouting out promises of discounts to lure customers inside, where debris still crunches on the floor and the odor of smoke still fouls the air. Among the customers one recent day were off-duty Chinese security forces, seeking bargain DVDs to while away downtime in their barracks.

According to three Chinese sources, some of the security forces in People’s Armed Police uniforms are in fact soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army who have been ordered to disguise the extent of their deployment in Lhasa — most likely because of concerns over international reaction. Soldiers have taped newspapers over the plates and other insignia on their vehicles and have been discreet in conversations with local residents, Chinese as well as Tibetan, these sources said.

A tourist visiting from the southern city of Shenzhen said she had been told by a friend in the army that his unit had assigned 2,000 men to patrols in Lhasa and expected the mission to last until after the Beijing Olympics in August.

Walks around Lhasa over several days showed that the security forces are most numerous around Jokhang and Ramoche temples, in the central zone, and in the residential Gama Kusang neighborhood immediately to the east. Anyone seen loitering outside the temples was told to move along by the security forces.

These areas, with temples at the center, were at the center of the rioting that killed 22 people by official count, almost all Han Chinese, and touched off a week of similar unrest among monks in Tibetan-inhabited areas of Sichuan, Gansu, Qinghai and Yunnan provinces.

Another site of anti-government unrest, Seyrat Temple, three miles north of the city center, was closed off entirely. Security forces with bayonets fixed on their automatic rifles prevented people from drawing near to the temple over the weekend, allowing passage only to those who could prove they lived in the area.

The security forces seemed relaxed, suggesting they did not feel threatened by more violence. But Tibetans in the streets avoided eye contact with the guards, then stared at them when they were not looking. Many Tibetans have never bothered to get government identity cards, residents said, making the street checks an ordeal and creating long lines at neighborhood police stations where they are issued.

The identity checks are one method to spot fugitive monks wanted for participation in the riots. More than 1,000 Tibetans have been arrested since the violence, according to Chinese authorities.

China’s government-controlled press has reported that tourism is resuming in Tibet, publishing pictures of smiling Chinese getting off airplanes and trains. In fact, although Potala Palace has reopened for tours, Jokhang and the other major temples have remained closed, with armed guards preventing monks from leaving. Streets around such traditional tourist sites seemed quiet over the weekend, and a local tourist hostel had only two customers.

A Han Chinese who runs a noodle shop near the Jokhang Temple voiced fears that the situation might not improve for some time. He reopened his restaurant recently, he said, but so far has attracted few customers. “Sometimes, we just cook for ourselves,” he joked.

One of the hostel customers said she had made friends on the Internet with a soldier stationed here as part of the security forces and later met him in person. Many soldiers on duty in Tibet strike up such online friendships, she said, since there is little else for them to do in their leisure time.

Since the rioting, the Beijing government has conducted one tour to Lhasa for several dozen journalists and another for a party of diplomats. Both were supervised by officials and limited in their movements.

Otherwise, the Tibet Autonomous Region has been placed off-limits to foreigners. Plans to reopen May 1 were canceled without explanation. The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games has not said whether correspondents will be allowed to cover what was envisioned as a festive leg of the torch relay from Mount Everest to Lhasa.

As a result, most reporting from the region has been limited to assurances from government officials that all is returning to normal. An outbreak of new protests by monks at Lhasa’s Drepung Monastery on Thursday, for instance, was reported by foreign human rights activists and residents here but was neither confirmed nor denied by the Chinese government.

Instead, the Communist Party’s Propaganda Bureau has mounted a campaign apparently designed to link Tibet’s independence advocates to terrorism sponsored by al-Qaeda. The official New China News Agency said recently that the Tibetan Youth Congress, which is part of the Dalai Lama’s exile organization, has advocated terrorist tactics and forged links with Islamic separatists trained by al-Qaeda in the far western Xingjiang region.

President Hu Jintao, the Communist Party leader, also indicated that a hard line had been decided on by party propagandists in remarks Saturday to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of Australia. In a meeting with Rudd, Hu said the issue in Tibet is not human rights or cultural diversity, as presented in the West, but whether “to safeguard national unification or split the motherland.”

The bloodshed last month has apparently left many of Tibet’s Buddhist monks with a similarly hard attitude. The tourist from Shenzhen said she had pressed a Chinese soldier to allow entry to the Jokhang Monastery. He replied: “If you want to stay alive, you better not go in there.”

But among Tibetans who have benefited from the region’s swift economic progress over the last several decades, sentiments were sharply different. A 23-year-old tourist car operator said the monks’ protests were futile and served mostly to slow business. A Buddhist, he also criticized the violence as a violation of religious beliefs.

“I think monks should not be doing things like that,” he said.

But in some ways, a Han Chinese businessman and army veteran said, Tibetan anger is understandable. Even though Chinese rule has brought considerable material improvement to the region since Beijing took over in 1951, he said, Tibetans still consider the Han Chinese who come to run the government and open businesses as outsiders.

“Tibet is their home, and we outsiders come in and take over,” he said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “Of course, they are not happy about that. It’s like an outsider who would come and make your home nice for you, fix it up and make it nice, but he’s still an outsider.”

Correspondent Edward Cody in Beijing contributed to this report.

demon
APRIL 11, 2008

NARITA, Japan April 10, 2008 (AFP) — The Dalai Lama, starting his first
foreign trip since unrest broke out in Tibet, on Thursday renewed
support for the Beijing Olympics and appealed to China not to brand him
as a demon.

Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader said he has personally urged the Tibetan
community to respect the Olympic torch relay, although he also defended people’s right to protest in his homeland.

The Dalai Lama, meeting reporters on a brief stopover in Japan on his
way to the United States, jokingly put his fingers over his head to
represent horns.

“I really feel sad the government there almost demonises me. But it’s
OK,” the Dalai Lama said of China. “I’m just a human being — hopefully
not a demon.”

“Some people create (the) impression we are anti-Chinese. So I make an
appeal to Chinese brothers and sisters all over the world, particularly in mainland China — firstly we are not anti-Chinese.”

Tibet last month saw the biggest protests in years against China’s
controversial rule on the anniversary of a failed 1959 uprising that
sent the Dalai Lama fleeing into exile in India.

Beijing has accused the Nobel peace laureate of instigating the deadly
violence and of seeking to split the predominantly Buddhist Himalayan
territory from China.

The Dalai Lama repeated on Thursday that he is seeking Tibetan autonomy
and cultural freedoms within China — and that he supports the right of Beijing to host the Olympics in August.

“I support the Chinese host for the world game because China is the most
populous nation, ancient nation,” the Dalai Lama said.

“They really deserve” the Olympics, he said. “In spite of the
unfortunate event in Tibet, my position has not changed.”

China’s clampdown has triggered international outrage, with major
protests during the Beijing Olympic torch relay in London, Paris and San
Francisco.

The San Francisco stop was less chaotic after authorities ordered
hundreds of police onto the streets and changed the route to throw off protesters.

“In fact, after some troubles in London, I sent a message to Tibetans in
San Francisco area: Please do not make any violent activity,” the Dalai Lama said.

But he also defended Tibetan protests to China.

“Of course the expression of their feelings is up to them. Nobody has
sort of rights to say, ‘Shut up,’” he said. “Actually one source of problem inside

Tibet is there is no freedom of speech.”

“This crisis is an expression of their deep resentment.”

The Dalai Lama is due to start his US tour with a series of lectures on
spirituality in Seattle. He said his visit to the United States was “not political.”

The Dalai Lama’s lectures on faith have won him a wide global following, including in Japan.

But Japanese leaders, unlike many of their Western counterparts, have almost always refused to meet with the Dalai Lama, whose frequent world travels are opposed by China.

Japan has had uneasy ties with China due in part to the legacy of
Japanese aggression in the 1930s. But Japan has been working on improved

relations with China, its largest commercial partner, in a process
launched by then premier Shinzo Abe in 2006.

The Dalai Lama nonetheless met at a hotel near Narita airport with Akie
Abe, the former premier’s wife, although he did not hold talks with any
government officials.

The Tibetan leader smiled and put his hands together in a traditional
Buddhist greeting as several dozen supporters cheered him on at the
airport,

holding Tibetan flags and signs reading “Free Tibet — We are friends.”

“I’m here to show support from the bottom of my heart for the Dalai Lama
and Tibet,” said Kumi Shimada, 39.

“It’s OK even if I can’t meet His Holiness. I just want to encourage
him,” she said.

Via : Tibet.ca

Tibet and China’s imperialism
Posted on April 7th, 2008 by Lhasa Rising

Canada’s Globe & Mail carried an interesting piece, looking at how China’s rule in Tibet is an anacronistic throwback to imperialism even as Beijing tries to present a more modern face to the world:

The struggle in Tibet is a reminder that China is not just a nation but an empire, and a communist empire at that. […] All of this tends to be overlooked in the glittering reflection of Shanghai’s skyscrapers. We have been so dazzled by China’s amazing rise as a modern economic power that we forget what a throwback it is. […]

It has been clear for many years that China is pursuing what is essentially an imperial policy in Tibet, encouraging Han Chinese to colonize the region and dilute the native Tibetan majority, building railways, airports and other links to bind Tibet to the metropolitan power, using its secret police and other coercive powers to crush any dissent. All of these techniques were familiar to empires of the past, from the British to the Portuguese to the Russian. Empires always fear the untamed people on their distant edges, and Beijing’s attitude to the Tibetans and the Muslim Uighurs of Xinjiang has been like Rome’s to the Gauls. […]

Like other empires, the modern Chinese empire is held together through force. Ultimately, however, China’s rule over Tibet is unstable because the Tibetan people, like other colonized peoples, will not accept foreign occupation. The Chinese government is on the wrong side of history if it thinks it can hold on to Tibet forever:

All this was known before last month’s protests in Lhasa and beyond, but China’s reaction - defensive, paranoiac, often laughable in its Orwellian denial of the facts - brought home that, for all its modern airs, this is still at root an imperial, communist power.

Denouncing “the Dalai Lama clique” - opponents of communists seem always to gather in “cliques” - the Communist Party chief in Tibet, Zhang Qingli, called Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader “a wolf in monk’s robes, a devil with a human face but the heart of a beast.” Last year, he said “the Communist Party is like the parent to the Tibetan people, and it is always considerate about what the children need. The Central Party Committee is the real Buddha for Tibetans.” Yes, and Stalin was the benevolent father of the Soviet minorities.

China hopes that, if it folds its minorities into the paternal embrace of the state, they will end their futile attempts at independence and come to see themselves as Chinese just like everyone else. History suggests this kind of consent can rarely be coerced. The fraternal brotherhood of the Soviet peoples dissolved the moment Soviet power did. Yugoslavia, too, flew apart after the demise of communism.

Via : StudentsForAFreeTibet.org

An Open Letter to Tibetans and Tibet Supporters
By Email[Tuesday, April 08, 2008 14:40]
An Open Letter to Tibetans and Tibet Supporters on the Occasion of the
April 7th Day of Victory for Tibet

”First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” –Gandhi

Dear friends,

It is working.

It…is…WORKING.

This is our time.

Everything that has happened since 1950 right up until this day has been leading us to this.

All the Tibetans inside Tibet who have endured the brutal occupation, all those Tibetans who gave their lives along the way, all the brave Khampas who took up arms to resist China’s rule –and those Khampas who could not face the pain of defeat and took their own lives – all the thousands of Ama-las and Pa-las who toiled and died in labor camps and government farms, all the monks and nuns who kept their spirits strong through years of forced ‘re-education’ — and all those that were finally broken — all the political prisoners, the Drapchi 14, the unsung heroes like Thrinley Chodron who died years before anyone in the outside world knew of Tibet and her pain… all of their sacrifice has led us to this moment.

All the tireless efforts of His Holiness to seek a solution, all the constant work of Tibetans in Exile, all the injis who recognized an unjust situation and gave their time and energy, all the groundwork we set so we would be prepared when the time came, all the protests we all have weathered, all the many times handing out leaflets in the snow outside shut embassy doors and wondering when the world would listen…

The world is listening.

And this is our time.

Tibetans in Tibet have shown the world exactly what it means to live under Chinese rule. They have shown us how much the actions of a few brave souls can change the course of history. They have poured out of monasteries, ridden in on horseback, raised the Tibetan flag, and faced unimaginable consequences to show us that THEY ARE NOT FREE.

As much as our Tibetan brothers and sisters have shown us that they are not free, the Chinese government has shown us that THEY HAVE NOT CHANGED. They have shown the world exactly who they are. All notions of ‘progress’ and ‘development’ have been cast to the wind. A tiny flame, a little Olympic flame — right from the country that invented democracy — has cast a light that reveals the monster for exactly what it is. The light is on them now, and it will not go away.

They have ignored us, they have laughed at us, now they are fighting us. Next up…. We win.

This is our time.

The world is listening.

Today, China’s dream of Han unity was completely dashed, on the global stage. Today, Hu Jintao and his cronies are sweating in backroom meetings wondering what went wrong and trying to resurrect the party line. Today, the International Olympic Committee is staring down the throat of the biggest disgrace they have ever witnessed. Heads are rolling. And change is coming.

To Tibetans in Tibet: I will not presume to advise you on what course to take. You know far better than I what to do. But I will tell you this. Whatever you do, we will support you. We will counter their lies, scale their walls, rattle their doors, hang banners off their bridges, pursue their leaders, confront their ambassadors, and continue to protest in all ways open to us, until you have your freedom.

We will not fail you.

Tibetans, we will not stop until you are free.

Bhöd Gyalo!

From Josh Schrei

Via : Phayul.com

EU assembly eyes Beijing boycott, if no Tibet talks
Reuters[Monday, April 07, 2008 23:00]
By Darren Ennis

BRUSSELS, April 7 - The European Parliament is expected to call on Wednesday for a boycott by EU leaders of the opening ceremony at the Beijing Olympics, unless China engages in talks with the Dalai Lama over the violence in Tibet.

The main political groups within the EU assembly met on Monday to agree a cross-party resolution outlining how they believe the 27-member bloc should respond to last month’s anti-Chinese protests in the Himalayan province.

The resolution, to be voted upon on Wednesday and obtained by Reuters, says: “The European Parliament calls on the EU presidency in office to strive to find a common EU position with regard to attendance at the Olympic Games opening ceremony with the option of non-attendance in the event if there is no resumption of dialogue between the Chinese authorities and His Holiness the Dalai Lama.”

Last month Tibet’s capital Lhasa was the centre of protests by Buddhist monks opposed to Chinese rule, which Beijing blamed on the Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in India.

Tibet’s spiritual leader denies inciting the bloody rioting and said he wants talks with China to discuss Tibetan autonomy, not independence. Beijing refuses to talk to him.

So far Slovenia, which holds the six-month presidency of the bloc, and senior officials in Brussels have condemned the unrest in Lhasa, which has overshadowed the Asian powerhouse’s Olympic preparations. They have urged talks between both sides, but have stopped short of calling for any boycott of the Games.

“This resolution by the parliament sends an ultimatum to China to talk to the Dalai Lama or face the prospect of a boycott,” a senior parliament official involved in drawing up the resolution told Reuters.

“Basically the message is: talk to the Dalai Lama before August or risk a half-empty stadium and more embarrassment.”

Wednesday’s vote in Brussels takes place after a relay of the Olympic torch ran into crowds of pro-Tibet protesters in London on Sunday and Paris a day later, forcing it to be extinguished a number of times.

The directly-elected legislature — which is a co-decision maker in about 90 percent of the bloc’s policies — has no direct say in EU foreign matters.

But it can put huge political pressure on the EU presidency, the bloc’s executive Commission and EU High Representative Javier Solana to act in accordance with their views.

Last month, parliament president Hans-Gert Poettering, a close ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said the EU should examine the possibility of not attending the opening ceremony in Beijing.

Some EU leaders and foreign ministers, such as French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner, have also mooted the idea of staying away from the Games.

Some leaders say the two issues must remain separate, while others are concerned that any boycott might damage lucrative EU-China trade and economic ties.

(Editing by Matthew Jones)

Via : Phayul.com

Olympic torch hit by protests during Paris leg

(CNN) — The last part of the Olympic torch relay in Paris was canceled Monday after a day of chaos in which anti-China protesters forced authorities to extinguish the flame at least five times, take to a bus and skip some scheduled stops, including city hall.

There were confrontations between the authorities and demonstrators throughout the day as the relay attempted to crisscross Paris, birthplace of the modern Olympic movement, passing landmarks including l’Arc d’Triomphe, the Place de la Concord, The Louvre and Notre Dame.

The torch was eventually driven by bus to its ending destination, where it was displayed again during a public ceremony at a stadium.

Numerous protesters, some armed with fire extinguishers, were taken away by police, The Associated Press reported. At other times police used tear gas to remove demonstrators who lay in the road and tried to block the route.

The chaos came one day after human rights activist demonstrators made the torch’s journey through London more like running the gauntlet than a journey of celebration, as UK police made more than two dozen arrests. What do you think of protests at the Olympic torch relay?

The chaos began almost immediately as French 400-meter athlete Stephane Diagana, the first torch bearer, left the Eiffel Tower at around 1030 GMT (0630 ET) — only for Sylvain Garel, a Green Party activist, to try to grab the torch, agencies reported.

The torch was being carried by a wheelchair athlete when it was halted and extinguished for a second time due to demonstrators shouting, according to AP.

The procession was interrupted for a third time when police spotted a crowd of demonstrators waiting for the torch on a bridge as they approached, the agency added.

Protesters close to the River Seine twice forced authorities to put the torch out and take to a bus so they could continue the relay.

But the Olympic flame itself, lit from the birthplace of the ancient games in Olympia, Greece and used to light the torch, continued to burn in a small lantern in the bus.

Jim Bittermann, CNN’s senior European correspondent based in Paris, said that while it was hard to gauge numbers, it looked like thousands of demonstrators had taken to the streets — although some were Chinese backing the Olympics. Watch report on the Olympic torch relay in Paris. »

“There was a small punch-up between some supporters of Tibet and some supporters of the Olympics,” he added.

Paris police had conceived a security strategy to keep the torch in a safe zone during its 17-mile (28 km) journey — significantly shorter than the 48-kilometer (31-mile) relay undertaken in London Sunday.

The plan was for the torchbearers to be encircled by several hundred officers, some in riot police vehicles and on motorcycles, others on rollerblades and on foot. Closest to the torchbearer would be the Chinese torch escorts, with Paris police on rollerblades moving around them. French firefighters in jogging shoes would encircle the rollerbladers, while motorcycle police would form the outer layer of security.

French Olympic champion Marie-Josee Perec, Portugal forward Pedro Miguel Pauleta and badminton player Pi Hongyan are among the featured torch bearers, although some were expected to wear protest buttons.

The head of Reporters Without Borders, a French-based group that disrupted last month’s torch lighting ceremony in Olympia, Greece, had told CNN before the relay began that his group has planned “something spectacular” to protest the relay.

At least six groups had permits to protest along the route, but only for demonstrations well away from the flame’s path. The Paris mayor had ordered a banner to be hung from city hall that reads “Paris City of Human Rights.”

The protests have been timed to coincide with the run-up to the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing in August. Look at a map of the international torch relay route »

On Monday, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said all options remained open for Paris concerning a possible boycott of the opening of the Beijing Olympics, AP reported.

In London Sunday, the Olympic torch was met with widespread protests and scuffles between demonstrators and police as thousands turned out to protest Olympic host China’s human rights record and its recent clampdown on Tibet. Watch supporters, opponents of Beijing Olympics in London »

Some demonstrators threw themselves at the torch, and at least one tried to snatch it away during the 48-kilometer (31-mile) relay. Another tried to put out the flame with a fire extinguisher. They were quickly pushed back and cuffed by Metropolitan Police, which said its officers made 36 arrests on a variety of charges.

Beijing Olympic spokesman condemned “attempts to sabotage” the London relay, according to China’s state-run Xinhua news agency. The official was not named in the article.

China has come under international criticism because of its crackdown last month on protesters calling for democratic freedoms and self-rule in Tibet and neighboring Chinese provinces.

Chinese authorities have denied those allegations and have accused the Dalai Lama of instigating violence among his followers — an allegation he rejects. U.S. and other Western leaders have called on China to provide civil rights and freedoms to those in Tibet and to enter peaceful discussions aimed at resolving the crisis.

In most cases, however, the torch passed through London without incident. Tessa Jowell, Britain’s Olympics minister, called it “a demanding day for the police” and for the Beijing Organizing Committee, but also noted thousands had come out “to welcome the torch.”

Copyright 2008 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

Via : CNN.com

Des députés crient “Liberté pour le Tibet” devant une flamme… invisible
lundi 07 avril 2008, 19h57 | AFP

“Ça y est, elle est passée!”, lance Lionnel Luca, sautant prestement du mur du Palais-Bourbon où une quarantaine de députés, ceints de leur écharpe tricolore, scandent “Liberté pour le Tibet!” au passage, en trombe, d’une flamme olympique… que -quasiment- personne n’a vue.
Le président (UMP) du groupe Tibet à l’Assemblée est l’un des rares élus à avoir entr’aperçu lundi, tout près de la Seine, la torche bien camouflée dans un bus roulant à vive allure et surprotégée par moult policiers là où on l’attendait brandie par un sportif.
“On n’a pas vu la flamme. On a vu des cars, des policiers, c’est vraiment dommage, c’est d’une tristesse!”, regrette la députée UMP Chantal Brunel.
Les étiquettes politiques sont tombées pour l’occasion. Mme Brunel est debout sur le mur d’enceinte aux côtés du patron des députés PS, Jean-Marc Ayrault, qui regrette encore l’absence des couleurs tibétaines sur le fronton.
Debout, en rang serré, La quarantaine de députés présents se sont toutefois rattrapés en accrochant à la grille du Palais les drapeaux multicolores du Tibet et, à l’initiative du PS, une large banderole barrée d’un “Respect des droits de l’homme en Chine”.
“Je veux saluer ce grand mouvement de défense des droits de l’homme en Chine. Le groupe socialiste a été au premier rang de ce mouvement”, se félicite M. Ayrault, devenu le 154ème membre du groupe Tibet (soit 11 de mieux que pour France-Chine).
Fait plutôt rare, l’Assemblée a même suspendu ses travaux -le projet de loi OGM- pour permettre aux députés d’être présents au passage de la torche olympique.
Une demande émanant de tous les groupes politiques et acceptée… après le feu vert du président de l’Assemblée nationale, Bernard Accoyer.
Pour les députés, c’est la première manifestation aussi solennelle en faveur des droits de l’homme en Chine et au Tibet. Certains agitent des drapeaux tibétains et portent des T-shirts de Reporters sans frontières. A quelques mètres de là, des passants applaudissent.
Le quartier est quadrillé depuis le début de l’après-midi par un dispositif impressionnant de forces de l’ordre en voiture, à cheval ou à pied, tenant à l’écart le groupe d’étudiants chinois agitant, sans jamais être inquiétés, des drapeaux rouges face à des pro-Tibet, encadrés eux de près.
Pour répondre aux étudiants chinois qui scandent des slogans pro-Pékin à l’approche du cortège olympique, M. Luca entonne la Marseillaise, repris en choeur par ses collègues, dont Patrick Bloche (PS), Philippe Folliot (Nouveau centre) ou encore les Verts Noël Mamère et Yves Cochet.
“C’est un moment émouvant”, confie à l’AFP Jean-Louis Bianco, un badge “liberté” en caractères chinois accroché au revers de la veste. “Tous les groupes politiques se sont rassemblés. C’est important que les députés de la Nation rappellent qu’on est toujours fidèles à nos valeurs”, poursuit l’ancien ministre de François Mitterrand.
Seul député PCF présent, André Chassaigne, n’est pas en reste: “les droits de l’homme ne se divisent pas”. “Ce qui se passe au Tibet est absolument inacceptable. L’esprit olympique ne doit pas écraser les droits de l’homme”, fait valoir l’élu communiste.
“Mais, c’est une manifestation de CRS !”, commente, amusé, le ministre d’Etat, Jean-Louis Borloo, qui observe de loin, attendant que son débat OGM reprenne.

“Ça y est, elle est passée!”, lance Lionnel Luca, sautant prestement du mur du Palais-Bourbon où une quarantaine de députés, ceints de leur écharpe tricolore, scandent “Liberté pour le Tibet!” au passage, en trombe, d’une flamme olympique… que -quasimen (Jacques Demarthon - AFP)

Via : LeParisien.fr

A Paris, la flamme olympique achève son parcours à l’abri des regards
LEMONDE.FR | 07.04.08 | 12h53

Malgré un important dispositif de sécurité, le parcours de la flamme olympique à Paris a été interrompu à plusieurs reprises, lundi 7 avril, par des incidents opposant des militants pro-tibétains et des membres de Reporters sans frontières (RSF) aux forces de l’ordre. La torche a été par quatre fois mise à l’abri dans un bus de la sécurité, et un temps éteinte, avant d’être rallumée peu après 13 h 30 et de nouveau confiée à un relayeur, selon la préfecture. Huit personnes, dont la vice-présidente du conseil régional d’Ile-de-France, Mireille Ferri (Verts), qui transportait un extincteur, ont été interpellées par la police.

Au départ de la flamme du premier étage de la tour Eiffel, l’athlète Stéphane Diagana, premier des quatre-vingts relayeurs à transporter le symbole olympique, n’a pu courir que quinze mètres avant d’être confronté à un premier incident. Le président des élus Verts au conseil de Paris, Sylvain Garel, a essayé de lui arracher la flamme. M. Garel a été interpellé par “des policiers français et chinois” avant d’être relâché. Sa collègue Mireille Ferri a en revanche été arrêtée alors qu’elle se dirigeait vers la tour Eiffel avec un extincteur. Un peu plus loin, au moins quatre personnes, deux militants pro-tibétains et deux membres de RSF, ont été interpellées pour avoir voulu se rapprocher de la flamme.

UN DRAPEAU DÉPLOYÉ SUR LA TOUR EIFFEL

Aux environs de la tour Eiffel, les forces de l’ordre étaient très présentes, bloquant tous les accès depuis la Seine jusqu’aux avenues bordant le champ de Mars. La foule des manifestants pro-tibétains, très encadrée par la police sur la place du Trocadéro, selon une journaliste du Monde.fr présente sur place, a accueilli le passage de la flamme par des huées ou en jetant des drapeaux imprimés par Reporters sans frontières représentant des anneaux olympiques en forme de menottes.

RSF a également réussi à déployer un de ces drapeaux depuis le premier étage de la tour Eiffel. Après de nouveaux incidents aux alentours d’Issy-les-Moulineaux, le symbole olympique a été monté à bord d’un bus de la sécurité, et éteinte pour des raisons techniques, a indiqué la préfecture. Les organisateurs ont ensuite tenté de relancer le cortège, avant qu’il soit à nouveau interrompu.

Des incidents se sont produits sur l’ensemble du parcours prévu par les organisateurs, avant même le passage de la flamme. Des hommes et des femmes tentaient ainsi de s’allonger sur la chaussée mais étaient aussitôt délogés par la police avant l’arrivée du cortège.

Au passage d’un relais, RSF a une nouvelle fois déployé un de ses larges drapeaux sur un immeuble de l’avenue des Champs-Elysées. Quelques mètres en contrebas, une foule importante de militants anti-chinois a sifflé et hué au passage de la torche. Un jeune homme est monté sur le toit d’un Abribus, un drapeau tibétain à la main, avant d’être maîtrisé par des CRS. La foule a aussitôt entouré les forces de l’ordre, provoquant une légère et brève bousculade.

A l’approche du jardin des Tuileries, la flamme, qui devait rejoindre l’Hôtel de Ville, a de nouveau été mise à l’abri dans un bus. La façade de la mairie a été parée d’un drapeau de RSF et de celui du Tibet, déployés par des élus écologistes. Le maire de Paris, Bertrand Delanoë, a décidé d’annuler la cérémonie qui devait se tenir à l’Hôtel de Ville. La préfecture de police a indiqué que l’itinéraire du cortège avait été modifié sur décision des organisateurs. Après le passage du relais devant l’Assemblée nationale, les organisateurs ont décidé que la flamme achèverait son parcours, jusqu’au stade Charléty, à l’abri des regards et des manifestants. Elle a retrouvé le bus de la sécurité où elle avait déjà effectué une partie du parcours.

Le Monde.fr, avec AFP

Via : LeMonde.fr

Statement of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to All Tibetans
OHHDL[Sunday, April 06, 2008 20:43]

While extending my warm greetings to all the Tibetans in Tibet, I would like to share some of my thoughts.

1. Since March 10 this year, we have witnessed protests and demonstrations in almost all parts of Tibet, even in a few cities in Mainland China by students, which are the outburst of long pent-up physical and mental anguish of the Tibetans and the feeling of deep resentment against the suppression of the rights of Tibetan people, lack of religious freedom and for trying to distort the truth at every occasion, such as saying that Tibetans look towards the Chinese Communist Party as the “Living Buddha”, is an ultra leftist statement and smacks of Han chauvinism. I am very much saddened and concerned by the use of arms to suppress the peaceful demonstrations of Tibetan people’s aspirations that have resulted in unrest in Tibet, causing many deaths, and much more causalities, detention, and injury. Such suppression and suffering are very unfortunate and tragic which will reduce any compassionate person to tears. I, however, feel helpless in the face of these tragic incidents.

2. I pray for all the Tibetans as well as Chinese who have lost their lives during the current crisis.

3. The recent protests all over Tibet have not only contradicted but also shattered the People Republic of China’s propaganda that except for a few “reactionaries”, the majority of Tibetans enjoy a prosperous and contented life. These protests have made it very clear that Tibetans in the three provinces of Tibet, U-tsang, Kham and Amdo, harbor the same aspirations and hopes. These protests have also conveyed to the world that the Tibet issue can no longer be neglected. These protests highlight the need to find a way to resolve the issue through “finding truth from facts”. The courage and determination of those Tibetans who have, for the greater interests of Tibetan people, demonstrated their deep anguish and hopes by risking everything is very commendable as the world community has acknowledged and supported the spirit of these Tibetans.

4. I deeply appreciate the acts of many Tibetan government employees and Communist Party cadres who have, without losing their Tibetan identity, shown grit and sense of what is right during the present crisis. In future, I would appeal to the Tibetan Party cadres and government employees not to look always for their personal benefit, but to work for safeguarding the larger interests of Tibet by reporting the real sentiments of the Tibetan people to their superiors in the Party and try to give unbiased guidance to the Tibetan people.

5. Presidents, Prime Ministers, Foreign Ministers, Nobel Laureates, Parliamentarians, and concerned citizens from every part of the world have been sending clear and strong messages to the Chinese leadership to stop the present ongoing harsh crackdown against the Tibetan people. They have all been encouraging the Chinese government to follow a path where a mutually beneficial solution could be reached. We should create an opportunity for their efforts to bring out positive results. I know you are being provoked at every level but it is important to stick to our non-violent practice.

6. The Chinese authorities have been making false allegations against myself and the Central Tibetan Administration for instigating and orchestrating the recent events in Tibet. These allegations are totally untrue. I have made repeated appeals for an independent and respected international body to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter. I am sure this independent body will uncover the truth. If the People’s Republic of China has any basis and proof of evidence to back their allegations, they need to disclose these to the world. Just making allegations is not enough.

7. For the future of Tibet, I have decided to find a solution within the framework of the People’s Republic of China. Since 1974, I have sincerely remained steadfast to the mutually beneficial Middle-Way Approach. The whole world knows this. The Middle-Way Approach means that all Tibetans must be governed by similar administration that enjoys meaningful National Regional Autonomy and all the provisions in it, self-rule and full decision-making, except for matters concerning foreign relations and national defense. However, I have said it from the beginning that the Tibetans in Tibet have the right to make the final decision for the future of Tibet.

8. The hosting of the Olympic games this year is a matter of great pride to the 1.2 billion Chinese people. I have from the very beginning supported the holding of these Games in Beijing. My position on this remains unchanged. I feel the Tibetans should not cause any hindrance to the Games. It is the legitimate right of every Tibetan to struggle for their freedoms and rights. On the other hand, it will be futile and not helpful to anyone if we do something that will create hatred in the minds of the Chinese people. On the contrary, we need to foster trust and respect in our hearts in order to create a harmonious society, as this cannot be built on the basis of force and intimidation.

9. Our struggle is with a few in the leadership of the People’s Republic of China and not with the Chinese people. Therefore we should never cause misunderstanding or do something that will hurt the Chinese people. Even during this difficult situation, many Chinese intellectuals, writers and lawyers in Mainland China and other parts of the world have sympathized and shown us their solidarity by issuing statements, writing articles and offering pledges of support that is overwhelming. I have recently issued an appeal to the Chinese people all over the world on 28th March, which I hope you will hear and read.

10. If the present situation in Tibet continues, I am very much concerned that the Chinese government will unleash more force and increase the suppression of Tibetan people. Because of my moral obligation and responsibility to the Tibetan people, I have repeatedly asked the concerned leadership of the PRC to immediately stop their suppression in all parts of Tibet and withdraw its armed police and troops. If this brings result, I would also advise the Tibetans to stop all the current protests.

11. I want to urge my fellow Tibetans who live in freedom outside Tibet to be extra vigilant as they voice their feelings on the developments in Tibet. We should not engage in any action that could be even remotely interpreted as violent. Even under the most provocative of situations we must not allow our most precious and deeply held values to be compromised. I firmly believe that we will achieve success through our non-violent path. We must be wise to understand where the unprecedented affection and support for our cause stems from.

12. As Tibet is currently virtually closed and no international media is allowed there, I doubt my message will reach the Tibetans in Tibet. But I hope through media and by word of mouth, it will be passed on to the majority of you.

13. Finally, I want to reiterate and appeal once again to Tibetans to practice non-violence and not waver from this path, however serious the situation might be.

The Dalai Lama

Dharamsala
April 6, 2008

(N.B. Translated from the Tibetan original)

Via : Phayul.com

BREAKING NEWS: Chinese police kill 8 more Tibetans
Posted on April 4th, 2008 by Lhasa Rising in Protests in Tibet

An exclusive report from The Times (UK). Think about the bravery of the Tibetans, marching down to the police encampment to demand the release of the monks. The Chinese police response is sickening but not surprising:

Chinese paramilitary police have killed eight people after opening fire on several hundred Tibetan monks and villagers in bloody violence that will fuel human rights protests as London prepares to host its leg of the Olympic torch relay this weekend.
Witnesses said the clash – in which dozens were wounded – erupted late last night after a government inspection team entered a monastery in the Chinese province of Sichuan trying to confiscate pictures of the Dalai Lama.

Officials searched the room of every monk in the Donggu monastery, a sprawling 15th century edifice in Ganzi, southwestern Sichuan, confiscating all mobile phones as well as the pictures.
When the inspectors tore up the photographs and threw them on the floor, a 74-year-old monk, identified as Cicheng Danzeng, tried to stop an act seen as a desecration by Tibetans who revere the Dalai Lama as their god king.

A young man working in the monastery, identified as Cicheng Pingcuo, 25, also made a stand and both were arrested.
The team then demanded that all the monks denounce the Dalai Lama, who fled China after a failed uprising in 1959. One monk, Yixi Lima, stood up and voiced his opposition, prompting the other monks to add their voices.

At about 6.30 p.m., the entire monastic body marched down to a nearby river where paramilitary police were encamped and demanded the release of the two men.
They were joined by several hundred local villagers, many of them enraged at the detention of the 74-year-old monk Cicheng Danzeng, who locals say is well respected in the area for his learning and piety.

Shouting “Long Live the Dalai Lama,” “Let the Dalai Lama come back” and “We want freedom”, the crowd demonstrated until about nine in the evening.
Witnesses said that at around that time, as many as 1,000 paramilitary police used force to try to end the protest and opened fire on the crowd. It was not known if the demonstrators had been throwing stones at the police.

In the gunfire, eight people died, according to a local resident in direct contact with the monastery. These included a 27-year-old monk identified as Cangdan and two women named as Zhulongcuo and Danluo.

Witnesses said a 30-year-old villager, Pupu Deley, was killed, along with the son of a villager named Cangdan, and the daughter of villager Cuogu. Two other people, whose identities were not available, were also killed and dozens were wounded, the witnesses said.
They said about ten people were still missing today, including another monk, identified as Ciwang Renzhen.
Armed paramilitary police patrolled the streets of the village today and surrounded the monastery. All communications had been cut.
The latest upsurge of violence highlights the difficulties the Chinese authorities are facing in trying to end nearly a month of protests across the Tibetan region and the depth of anti-Chinese sentiment among a deeply Buddhist minority loyal to the exiled Dalai Lama.

Via : StudentsForAFreeTibet.org