2008 Tibetan unrest: Difference between revisions

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== Protests outside China ==
== Protests outside China ==


Hundreds of Tibetan exiles in [[India]] marched from the town of [[Dharamshala]] to the Indo-Chinese border, to mark their protest against Chinese occupation of Tibet. Indian authorities arrested more than 100 Tibetan protesters.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7295736.stm]</ref> Indian police also arrested a dozen Tibetan exiles attempting to storm the [[Diplomatic missions of the People's Republic of China|Chinese embassy]] in [[New Delhi]].<ref name=Reuters>{{cite news|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/wtMostRead/idUSSP10739920080314|title=Deaths reported in Tibet as China blames Dalai Lama|publisher=[[Reuters]]|date=[[2008-03-14]]|accessdate=2008-03-14}}</ref> India's harsh crackdown on pro-Tibet protests in the country was largely seen as a sign of India distancing itself from the Tibetan cause in an attempt to improve relations with China.
Hundreds of Tibetan exiles in [[India]] marched from the town of [[Dharamshala]] to the Indo-Chinese border, to mark their protest against Chinese occupation of Tibet. Indian authorities arrested more than 100 Tibetan protesters after they began removing articles of clothing.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7295736.stm]</ref> Indian police also arrested a dozen Tibetan exiles attempting to storm the [[Diplomatic missions of the People's Republic of China|Chinese embassy]] in [[New Delhi]].<ref name=Reuters>{{cite news|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/wtMostRead/idUSSP10739920080314|title=Deaths reported in Tibet as China blames Dalai Lama|publisher=[[Reuters]]|date=[[2008-03-14]]|accessdate=2008-03-14}}</ref> India's harsh crackdown on pro-Tibet protests in the country was largely seen as a sign of India distancing itself from the Tibetan cause in an attempt to improve relations with China.


In [[New York City|New York]], more than 100 people staged a protest outside the [[United Nations Headquarters]]. The [[New York City Police Department|City Police Department]] said they arrested six pro-Tibet protesters trying to enter the building. In [[Zurich]], [[Switzerland|Swiss]] police fired tear-gas at pro-Tibet demonstrators who tried to storm the Chinese [[consulate]].<ref>[http://www.kron4.com/Global/story.asp?S=8021334 Associate Press. Swiss police fire tear gas at pro-Tibet protest outside Chinese consulate] Mar 15, 2008</ref> Seven pro-Tibet activists were arrested on Saturday in [[Sydney]] during a chaotic clash with police outside the consulate.<ref>[http://www.thewest.com.au/aapstory.aspx?StoryName=467960 ''The West''. Melbourne ready for Tibet protest] Mar 15, 2008</ref> In [[the Hague]], about 400 protesters stormed the Chinese consulate. They managed to take down the [[Flag of the People's Republic of China|Chinese flag]] and replace it with the [[Flag of Tibet|Tibetan flag]]<ref name=RIndex>{{cite news|url=http://www.pretorianews.co.za/?fSectionId=&fArticleId=nw20080316141731458C575278|title=China go home!|publisher=Pretoria News|date=[[2008-03-16]]|accessdate=2008-03-16|language=English}}</ref>.
In [[New York City]], more than 100 homeless people staged a protest outside the [[United Nations Headquarters]]. The [[New York City Police Department]] said they arrested six pro-Tibet protesters trying to enter the building. In [[Zurich]], [[Switzerland|Swiss]] police fired tear-gas at pro-Tibet demonstrators who tried to storm the Chinese [[consulate]].<ref>[http://www.kron4.com/Global/story.asp?S=8021334 Associate Press. Swiss police fire tear gas at pro-Tibet protest outside Chinese consulate] Mar 15, 2008</ref> Seven pro-Tibet activists were arrested on Saturday in [[Sydney]] during a chaotic clash with police outside the consulate.<ref>[http://www.thewest.com.au/aapstory.aspx?StoryName=467960 ''The West''. Melbourne ready for Tibet protest] Mar 15, 2008</ref> In [[the Hague]], about 400 protesters stormed the Chinese consulate. They managed to take down the [[Flag of the People's Republic of China]] and replace it with the [[Flag of Tibet|Tibetan flag]]<ref name=RIndex>{{cite news|url=http://www.pretorianews.co.za/?fSectionId=&fArticleId=nw20080316141731458C575278|title=China go home!|publisher=Pretoria News|date=[[2008-03-16]]|accessdate=2008-03-16|language=English}}</ref>.


Tibetans living in the [[States and territories of India|Indian state]] of [[Meghalaya]] closed their businesses and staged demonstrations to protest the Chinese crack down in Tibet.<ref name=sify> {{cite news |first=|last=|title=Meghalaya Tibetans protest Lhasa killings |url=http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14623062|work= [[Sify News]] |publisher=|date=2008-03-15 |accessdate=2008-03-16}}</ref>
Tibetans living in the [[States and territories of India|Indian state]] of [[Meghalaya]] closed their businesses and staged demonstrations to protest the Chinese crack down in Tibet.<ref name=sify> {{cite news |first=|last=|title=Meghalaya Tibetans protest Lhasa killings |url=http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14623062|work= [[Sify News]] |publisher=|date=2008-03-15 |accessdate=2008-03-16}}</ref>

Revision as of 05:39, 17 March 2008

Orange designates regions that have Tibetan population

The 2008 Unrest in Tibet began with demonstrations on March 10 2008 (Tibetan Uprising Day), the 49th anniversary of the failed 1959 Tibetan uprising against Beijing's Communist party rule. The protests were started by Buddhist monks calling for the release of fellow monks detained in October 2007 as they celebrated the Dalai Lama receiving the United States Congressional Gold Medal on September 27, 2006. The protests soon shifted to calls for independence and descended into violence, rioting, burning and plunder on March 14, combined with attacks on non-Tibetan ethnic groups. The protests are said to be the largest Tibetan protest against the Communist Party's rule in 20 years.[1]

Tibet has been formally an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China since 1951. While recognized by most countries and the United Nations, the legitimacy of Chinese sovereignty has been questioned by advocates of Tibetan independence.

Information is scarce as Chinese authorities have prevented Western media from entering and reporting on the region, bar foreign correspondent from The Economist, who gained approval for a week-long trip which happened to coincide with the increase in tensions.[2][3]

Violence in Lhasa

Tibet Autonomous Region

An eyewitness at the scene said monks set police cars on fire after a demonstration near a small temple in Lhasa was stopped by police. "The monks are still protesting. Police and army cars were burned. There are people crying," she said.[4] Tensions in Lhasa have increased as the city's three biggest monasteries were sealed off by thousands of soldiers and armed police amid the largest protests in nearly two decades. Chinese authorities reportedly fired warning shots and used tear gas and electric prods to disperse hundreds of protesters, in addition to detaining up to 50 monks. [4] US embassy officials in Beijing told the Associated Press that U.S. citizens had reported gunfire and rioting in Lhasa.[5]

Protesters appeared to be targeting shops and vehicles owned by Han Chinese, the predominant ethnic group in China.[6] According to the BBC, protesters have been focused on setting fire to and looting businesses owned by the Han Chinese.[1] According to CNN, a Han girl was in the hospital after she had been beaten by a group of Tibetans.[6]

According to The Economist, "The mobs, ranging from small groups of youths (some armed with traditional Tibetan swords) to crowds of many dozens, including women and children, rampaged through the narrow alleys of the Tibetan quarter. They battered the shutters of shops, broke in and seized whatever they could, from hunks of meat to gas canisters and clothing. Some goods they carried away, while other goods were thrown into large fires lit on the street.[1] Little children could also be seen looting a toyshop..."[3]

The Guardian reported that according to foreign eyewitness accounts, protesters have been attacking Han, Muslim Hui and other ethnic minorities, with the exception of foreigners.[7] It described that with the exception of Tibetan-owned hotels, many other hotels were vandalized and smashed.[7] The eyewitness also reported seeing three protesters stabbing an unconscious man.[7]

Protesters also set a mosque on fire in late Friday night, possibly in protest to the increasingly large Hui ethnic community in Lhasa.[8][9]

An eyewitness account described a green armored vehicle plowing into the crowd, running people over, at approximately 3 p.m. on March 14.[10]

Protest in other provinces

Gansu Province
Qinghai Province
Sichuan Province

Gansu protests

The Tibetan protests spread outside of the Tibet Autonomous Region for the first time. Demonstrations by ethnic Tibetans and monks took place in the northwest province of Gansu on Saturday, March 15, 2008. [11] The protests were centered around Gansu's Labrang Monastery, which is one of the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastaries outside of Tibet.[11] Demonstrators marched through the streets of Xiahe, a predominantly Tibetan county in Gansu which surrounds the Labrang Monastery. [12] Up to 5,000 demonstrators were reportedly involved in the Gansu protests.[11] There were reports of Chinese government offices being damaged by the protesters, and Chinese police using tear gas and force to break up the demonstrations.[11]

Qinghai protests

Chinese authorities have reportedly arrested twelve Tibetan monks after an incident in the historic region of Rebkong, which is located in the Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai.[12] Chinese security forces have reportedly surrounded the Ditsa monastery in Bayan County.[12] Qinghai province borders Tibet and has a large Tibetan population.

Sichuan protests

In Sichuan province, Tibetan monks and police clashed March 16 in Aba county after the monks staged a protest, killing at least one policeman, and setting fire to three or four police vans. The India-based Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy claimed at least seven people have been shot dead; however the claim could not be independently confirmed.[13]

Protests outside China

Hundreds of Tibetan exiles in India marched from the town of Dharamshala to the Indo-Chinese border, to mark their protest against Chinese occupation of Tibet. Indian authorities arrested more than 100 Tibetan protesters after they began removing articles of clothing.[14] Indian police also arrested a dozen Tibetan exiles attempting to storm the Chinese embassy in New Delhi.[15] India's harsh crackdown on pro-Tibet protests in the country was largely seen as a sign of India distancing itself from the Tibetan cause in an attempt to improve relations with China.

In New York City, more than 100 homeless people staged a protest outside the United Nations Headquarters. The New York City Police Department said they arrested six pro-Tibet protesters trying to enter the building. In Zurich, Swiss police fired tear-gas at pro-Tibet demonstrators who tried to storm the Chinese consulate.[16] Seven pro-Tibet activists were arrested on Saturday in Sydney during a chaotic clash with police outside the consulate.[17] In the Hague, about 400 protesters stormed the Chinese consulate. They managed to take down the Flag of the People's Republic of China and replace it with the Tibetan flag[18].

Tibetans living in the Indian state of Meghalaya closed their businesses and staged demonstrations to protest the Chinese crack down in Tibet.[19]

People's Republic of China response

The People's Republic of China responded by deploying the People's Armed Police on the third day of protests[4] and closing down monasteries. China also denied foreign media's request to enter Tibet. According to General Yang Deping, military troops from the People's Liberation Army will not be used. [20]

Chinese authorities are also reportedly concerned that the Tibetan protests could inspire Uighur activists in nearby Xinjiang province to organize street protests as well.[12]

The 11th Panchen Lama, Gyaincain Norbu, condemned the unrest, saying "the rioters' acts not only harmed the interests of the nation and the people, but also violated the aim of Buddhism. We resolutely oppose all activities to split the country and undermine ethnic unity. We strongly condemn the crime of a tiny number of people to hurt the lives and properties of the people."[21]

Casualties

The US Congress-funded Radio Free Asia quoted witnesses who said they had seen at least two bodies on Lhasa's streets.[1] On early Saturday, it was reported that ten people so far have been burned to death by rioters, including two hotel employees and two shop owners, but no foreigners were hurt.[22] According to China's Xinhua News Agency, most of the victims were business people and innocent civilians.[23][24]

Tibet's government-in-exile said on Saturday that it had received "unconfirmed reports" of as many as 100 deaths in unrest in Tibet.[25] Later, the Tibetan exile government said on Sunday that it has confirmed at least 80 deaths.[26] However, according to The Economist, these reports of death toll released by Tibet's exile government are "persistent" but "unsubstantiated".[27] The Economist described that there are no convincing accounts of the kind of bloodshed of that of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Protests or the earlier Tibetan protests in the 1980s.[27]

Possible Olympic Boycott

According to International Olympic Committee vice-president Thomas Bach some athletes were considering boycotting the 2008 Beijing Olympics in August over the bloody crackdown in Tibet.[28] He said that he understood their concerns but advised the athletes to still compete. 'They will realise when they assess the situation that it is better to make an appearance than to stay away. That is a symbol that will be noticed by the public,' he said.

International reaction

  • Tibet The Dalai Lama, head of Tibet's government in exile in India, called on China's government to stop using force, and urged his fellow Tibetans to refrain from violence.[15]
  • China Chairman Qiangba Puncog, leader of the Tibet Autonomous Region's government, told the Associated Press, "We will deal harshly with these criminals who are carrying out activities to split the nation." [1]
  •  India's Ministry of External Affairs released the following statement: "We are distressed by reports of the unsettled situation and violence in Lhasa, and by the deaths of innocent people. We would hope that all those involved will work to improve the situation and remove the causes of such trouble in Tibet, which is an autonomous region of China, through dialogue and non-violent means." [29]
  •  European Union leaders asked China to show restraint and for human rights to be respected. EU High Representative Javier Solana said this would not affect Europe's involvement in the Beijing Olympics.[30]
  •  US ambassador to Beijing Clark Randt urged China to exercise restraint.[15]
  •  UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour urged the Chinese government to allow protesters to "exercise their right to freedom of expression and assembly" and urged the Chinese government to refrain from excessive force or mistreatment of any individuals arrested.[31]
  •  Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a statement on March 15 that "she was watching the violence in Tibet with concern".[32]
  •  Sweden's Foreign Minister Carl Bildt condemned China for its crackdown on riots in Tibet, urging Chinese authorities to "fully respect Tibetan rights."[33]
  •  Netherlands Member of Parliament Hans van Baalen (VVD) stated in the Dutch news' television show Netwerk that China should refrain from any violence other than absolutely necessary to maintain order in the region, and that China should start a dialog with the Dalai Lama in order to come to a peaceful solution. He also stated that any decision on whether or not to participate in the 2008 Olympic games was up to the athletes themselves.[34]
  •  Poland's parliamentary Polish-Tibetan Group condemned the Chinese reaction at the riots and threatened China with boycotting the Olympic Games [35]
  •  Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said, "Basically, it is a domestic issue for China but we hope that both sides will exercise self-restraint so that the disturbance will not spread." Kazuo Kodama, press secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement that Japan is concerned about the situation in Tibet and was "closely watching the current situation in the city of Lhasa."[36]
  •  Taiwan's foreign ministry issued a statement saying, "We strongly condemn China's use of force to suppress Tibet and urge the international community to monitor the development in Tibet." The Mainland Affairs Council also condemned the Chinese response.[37]
  •  Australia's Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, has urged the Chinese government to show "restraint", saying, "These are significant developments and therefore have been the subject already of communication diplomatically between our two governments, and I imagine that those communications will continue."[38]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Deaths reported in Tibet protests BBC News March 14, 2008
  2. ^ Monks on the march, The Economist, Mar 13th 2008
  3. ^ a b Fire on the roof of the world The Economist March 14, 2008
  4. ^ a b c Tibet protests turn violent Aljazeera March 14, 2008
  5. ^ Shops on fire amid Tibet protests BBC
  6. ^ a b Tibet in turmoil as riots grip capital CNN March 14, 2008
  7. ^ a b c Eyewitness account of violence between protesters and police in Tibet The Guardian March 15, 2008
  8. ^ News Yahoo!
  9. ^ News Yahoo!
  10. ^ Daily Yomiuri article
  11. ^ a b c d Spencer, Richard (2008-03-15). "Tibet protests continue after day of violence". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
  12. ^ a b c d Spencer, Richard (2008-03-15). "Q&A: The showdown in Tibet. Why would Tibet boil over right now". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
  13. ^ Yahoo News!
  14. ^ [1]
  15. ^ a b c "Deaths reported in Tibet as China blames Dalai Lama". Reuters. 2008-03-14. Retrieved 2008-03-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ Associate Press. Swiss police fire tear gas at pro-Tibet protest outside Chinese consulate Mar 15, 2008
  17. ^ The West. Melbourne ready for Tibet protest Mar 15, 2008
  18. ^ "China go home!". Pretoria News. 2008-03-16. Retrieved 2008-03-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ "Meghalaya Tibetans protest Lhasa killings". Sify News. 2008-03-15. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
  20. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/16/world/asia/16tibet.html
  21. ^ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90882/6374367.html
  22. ^ Yahoo News
  23. ^ Ten people killed in Tibet riots
  24. ^ Independent Online
  25. ^ http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3519245,00.html
  26. ^ http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/16/tibet.unrest/index.html
  27. ^ a b Lhasa under siege The Economist Mar 16, 2008
  28. ^ http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest+News/Sports/STIStory_217583.html
  29. ^ "Tibet: India expresses distress, urges dialogue". The Hindu. 2008-03-16. Retrieved 2008-03-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  30. ^ "EU urges China to show restraint in Tibet". Reuters. 2008-03-14. Retrieved 2008-03-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  31. ^ "China should allow demonstrations in Tibet - U.N." Reuters. 2008-03-14. Retrieved 2008-03-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  32. ^ "German chancellor concerned at violence in Tibet". Monster & Critics News. 2008-03-15. Retrieved 2008-03-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. ^ "Bildt urges China to respect Tibetan rights". The Local. 2008-03-15. Retrieved 2008-03-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  34. ^ Template:Nl iconTibetaanse protesten tegen China monden uit in geweld|Netwerk March 14 2008
  35. ^ "Posłowie grożą Chinom bojkotem olimpiady". onet.pl. 2008-03-15. Retrieved 2008-03-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. ^ "Japan expresses concern about Tibet situation". Japan Today. 2008-03-16. Retrieved 2008-03-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  37. ^ "Taiwan criticises China over Tibet". Reuters. 2008-03-15. Retrieved 2008-03-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  38. ^ "Rudd urges China to show restraint over Tibet protests". ABC. 2008-03-17. Retrieved 2008-03-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2008_Tibetan_unrest&oldid=198798388"