Tibet and the Dalai Lama
DEVELOPMENTS
All eyes are on Beijing as it hosts the 2008 Olympic Games. Since winning the Olympic bid in 2001, Beijing has come under intense scrutiny for failing to deliver on its Olympic-sized promises of improving human rights conditions in China, especially in the autonomous region of Tibet. This past March, historic tensions between Tibet and China exploded into the largest pro-independence protest against China in twenty years. 500 Tibetan monks staged a peaceful protest against Chinese rule, and China immediately cracked down, shutting out all media and dispatching armed police who quashed the protests with gunfire and tear gas.
Amnesty International (AI) recently reported that China’s human rights diplomacy has “deteriorated” in recent months because the country has been cracking down in order to ensure a conflict-free path to the hosting of the Olympic Games. The organization stated in an Olympic report that journalistic censorship as well as the imprisonment and beating of detainees have all increased; AI pressed world leaders, such as French President Nicolas Sarkozy and U.S. President Bush, to address the human rights issues. Both presidents have recently confirmed their presence at the Olympic opening ceremony after much deliberation of a boycott. Chinese officials shot back that AI’s observations showed the bias of “tinted glasses.” The Olympics may be an immense opportunity for China to cement its status as a rising world power, but thus far, the country’s alleged failure to comply with international human rights standards has also proven to be a formidable PR challenge.
BACKGROUND
The issue of “Free Tibet” has been a long withstanding human rights issue ever since the initial Chinese invasion in 1951, which sparked controversy as well as divisive views on how the situation should be resolved. Initially crossing into Tibet in 1949, the People’s Liberation Army of the People’s Republic of China had dealt with minimal opposition as their forces overpowered those of the Tibetan army.
Following this sporadic Tibetan resistance to the Chinese rule, the “Seventeen Point Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet” was reached between representatives of Tibet and the People’s Republic of China. These representatives acted without the consent of the Dalai Lama and were under extreme pressure, as the state of Tibet and Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, were under the threat of total destruction by the 40,000 present Chinese troops.
The provisions of the agreement precluded Chinese interference with Tibet keeping its way of life -- namely, its culture, agriculture, language and social system. Yet, the main issue, which would eventually reach the global forum, was that the PRC would not interfere with the powers of the spiritual and political leader of Tibet, The Dalai Lama. Inhabitants of Lhasa and its surrounding regions claim the Chinese government has not kept these seventeen agreements in accordance with what was signed upon in 1951.
Over the course of the next eight years, Chinese troops continued to rule over the citizens of Tibet, despite a promise in 1953 from Chinese leader Mao Zedong that troops would leave once Tibet had been fully “liberated.” These events were the precursor to the political and social unrest of 1959 Tibet. This period, which led to the slaughtering of thousands of protestors demanding the end of Chinese rule, prompted the fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, to leave the traditional post of the Tibetan leader and begin a new era for the exiled government in the Himalayan region of Dharamsala, India. The serene North Indian city quickly became the government's headquarters for Tibetans and other Buddhists from around the world. Over 80,000 Tibet citizens followed the Dalai Lama into exile.
The Dalai Lama is both a spiritual and political leader, which often leaves His Holiness straddling the line between decisive action and non-resistance. To some, his intricate position has branded him as a moderate who would be willing to accept Chinese sovereignty in return for genuine autonomy. Journalist and Tibet expert Pico Iyer has recently written a book entitled The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama which outlines the beliefs, travels, and the natural dichotomy that is the life of His Holiness. Iyer outlines the many roles that the Dalai Lama must project to the world at large. The Open Road shows how the Dalai Lama must be the public source of inspiration as well as the private man constantly pursuing his own enlightenment, the politician as well as the high order of the Buddhist faith, and the loyal Tibet native as well as a leader forced to live in exile.
Within the Chinese Communist Party, however, the Dalai Lama is not viewed as a diverse man struggling with his role but rather as uncompromising and uncooperative. Zhang Qingli, the leader of the Communist Party of Tibet, sees the many roles that the Dalai Lama takes on as a prime example of his multiplicity and has even been quoted as denouncing him as “a jackal in Buddhist monk’s robes, an evil spirit with a human face and the heart of a beast.” Despite these opinions, the Dalai Lama has been adamant about supporting the Beijing Olympic Games.
ANALYSIS
With the March 2008 protests in Lhasa and the upcoming Olympic Games, the sensitivity and volatility of the Tibet issue has reached a fever pitch of sorts. Tibet has been a major thorn in the side of China as the world’s most populous country preps for the world’s biggest event; nonetheless Tibet has not proven large enough of a threat to China so as to induce major boycotts of the Olympics from world leaders or athletes. China has now taken further precautions, regulating the demonstrations that may take place to certain areas and having protestors register at least 5 days in advance. Some would see this as an attempt for the Chinese government to project a sense of ownership over an issue that they are powerless over.
In Early July, both U.S. presidential nominees, John McCain and Barack Obama, reached out to the Dalai Lama to express their concern for the people of Tibet. Both presidential hopefuls have stood by the spiritual leader. McCain met with the Dalai Lama shortly after the leader addressed the public in Aspen, while Obama had sent a letter in order to praise the way the Tibetan leader had worked to bridge gaps among people of different backgrounds. The message of multicultural peace has been consistent within Obama’s extensive political rhetoric. This type of outreach suggests that both candidates realize a campaign outwardly supportive of a movement such as “Free Tibet” would not only boost foreign relations but also possibly win the hearts and minds of those at home, who seem increasingly disappointed in the economy and the global status of the United States.
Some optimists would have hoped the Olympics this year would produce a sentiment of global unity and human rights for all. Other world citizens have adopted a different approach to see an optimistic situation, hoping that the attention swirling around Beijing will be an ideal way to raise much needed awareness about the racially and politically fraught situation in Lhasa. Activists are yet still concerned about the future of Tibet and how it may be ruled. As the media focuses on Beijing’s Olympic Games, it has also shined a light on the relevance of and urgent need for action against the oppressive rule of Tibet. Whether the problems of Tibet and the Dalai Lama continue to receive press coverage and international attention once another issue catches the media spotlight, still remains to be seen.