Tibetan unrest spreads from Sichuan to Qinghai

[dsiluvu]

I wonder if the Ban is lifted and there is better dialogue between Shugdenpas who have good relationships with the Chinese Govt... could this possibly be prevented? It does not necessarily need to be the Dalai Lama who starts the dialogue right...


Tibetan unrest spreads from Sichuan to Qinghai
By B Raman
Issue Net Edition | Date : 16 Mar , 2012

The Tibetan unrest against the repressive policies of the Chinese authorities has spread from the Tibetan areas of Western Sichuan to Qinghai. According to details received late, Qinghai has been in a state of growing unrest since the beginning of February with large numbers of Tibetan monks and students frequently protesting in the streets—separately as well as jointly. The situation in Qinghai since February last is slowly getting to resemble that in Western Sichuan since March last year.

The spreading wave of unrest started in the Nangchen county in Qinghai province’s Yulshul prefecture on February 8, 2012. At a local stadium, a large number of students and other civilians gathered and shouted slogans such as “Freedom for Tibet” and “Long Live the Dalai Lama.” The same day, another large group of Tibetans, including many monks, gathered in the main monastery in Nangchen town, and chanted prayers for the return of His Holiness.

The Chinese authorities did not intervene against the protesters, but allowed the demonstrations to take place, but subsequently they have been rounding up people who participated in the demonstrations. They have also circulated leaflets calling on people who joined the demonstrations to voluntarily surrender to the police.

On March 13, 2012, about 4,000 middle school students held demonstrations in Rebkong and in neighboring Tsekhog (in Chinese, Zeku) county in protest against the replacement of Tibetan by Chinese as the medium of instruction in the local schools. Similar demonstrations on the same issue had taken place in October 2010.The Chinese authorities have reportedly closed down the schools where demonstrations took place on March 13 and detained the suspected participants in the school premises pending investigation by the police.

The next day, a 30-year-old Tibetan monk tried to commit self-immolation at a monastery in Qinghai’s Rebkong (in Chinese, Tongren) county in the Malho (in Chinese, Huangnan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. The Chinese intervened and put out the fire. He survived with severe burns.

According to one report, when the Chinese tried to take him to a local hospital for admission, hundreds of Tibetans rescued him from Chinese custody and took him back to his monastery. Demonstrations against the Chinese authorities were held in the town. Further details are awaited.

In the meanwhile, the Chinese have reportedly expelled about 100 out of the 200 monks in the Karma monastery in Chamdo county in the Tibet Autonomous Region on the ground that they did not have valid identification papers. They have been asked to go home and the remaining 100 monks who have been allowed to stay in the monastery have been forced to attend re-education classes to re-affirm their loyalty to the Chinese Government and Communist Party. The Chinese have stepped up surveillance of the monastery since October last when there was an explosion in a local Government building.

Source: http://www.indiandefencereview.com/interviews/tibetan-unrest-spreads-from-sichuan-to-qinghai/

[Big Uncle]

Thank you for the article. I think it is not right for the Dalai Lama to speak on behalf of the Tibetans right now as he has retired from office. It would be better if representative of the Central Tibetan Administration issue a statement regarding this matter.

Just Samdhong Rinpoche talking about it in the other thread http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=2070.0 would not be enough as he too, has retired from office and so he cannot represent the interest of the Tibetans. The official statement from the Central Tibetan Administration would form a better petition to the monastics and lay Tibetans living within China.

Why should the CTA issue such a statement? Well, it is a good opportunity for them to open the doors of negotiation. If they are smart enough or that they have good advisors or think tanks, this would seize this opportunity as there would be fewer opportunities in the future. In other to avoid future contention with China, they should dissolve the ban right now. The ban would definitely be used by China to pinpoint what's wrong with the 'feudalistic' form of government the Tibetans have. That's how I see it.

[Positive Change]

Thank you for the article. I think it is not right for the Dalai Lama to speak on behalf of the Tibetans right now as he has retired from office. It would be better if representative of the Central Tibetan Administration issue a statement regarding this matter.

Just Samdhong Rinpoche talking about it in the other thread http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=2070.0 would not be enough as he too, has retired from office and so he cannot represent the interest of the Tibetans. The official statement from the Central Tibetan Administration would form a better petition to the monastics and lay Tibetans living within China.

Why should the CTA issue such a statement? Well, it is a good opportunity for them to open the doors of negotiation. If they are smart enough or that they have good advisors or think tanks, this would seize this opportunity as there would be fewer opportunities in the future. In other to avoid future contention with China, they should dissolve the ban right now. The ban would definitely be used by China to pinpoint what's wrong with the 'feudalistic' form of government the Tibetans have. That's how I see it.

Precisely... Good points Big Uncle. Both HHDL and Samdhong Rinpoche have retired from office and though having an opinion and standing of their own, the most needed response should indeed come from the CTA. However, I believe the CTA is finding it difficult to get out of HHDL shadow or perhaps there are very comfortable blending into it.

However, given the latent effect the ban has on the Chinese Government in terms of the obvious spreading of Dorje Shugden (more info here: http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=1946.0), perhaps lifting it per se may not be the most be the right time as yet. I believe Dorje Shugden practice needs to take root in China and elsewhere before the purpose of the ban, I feel, had full effect.

Why I say this is because, if it were the right time, I believe strongly that HHDL would have indicated or at least "hinted" it from "afar" as they say. Hence, my gut feel tells me that the ban needs to be still in the limelight so to speak for it to come to fruition. Having said that, I do believe how soon the ban in lifted is also in our hands because it is very much a two pronged approach.

1. Too create the hype to sensationalize the issue for China to take active interest (e.g. to promote Dorje Shugden to counter HHDL's decree).

2. It is also to make us practitioners look deeper into ourselves, to analyse, contemplate and to look at the bigger picture and to make us stand firm in the face of adversity and doubt. It is in essence I feel, a mind training of sorts to ensure the practice of Dorje Shugden is firmly grounded and with proper foundations. Purely because we as westerners are not governed by the Tibetan conflict and we can in essence see from both sides. Unfortunately when one is too close, the only side one sees is the one in front of us!

[Vajraprotector]

I wonder why Lobsang Sangay didn't really say much about the self-immolation issue and gave his advice. The video of Samdhong Rinpoche speaking about self-immolation was in March. This shows that the Kalon Trisur really cares about the Tibetans and has already voiced his concerns earlier. I am amazed that the situation has now worsened but the current Kalon Tripa doesn't seem to address the issue, but has just 'expressed his concerns'.

I agree with Big Uncle that it is not right for the Dalai Lama to speak on behalf of the Tibetans, but His Holiness can also give his advice as many in Tibet still respect His Holiness, much more than they respect any Tibetan, and hope to one day meet him again.

About the ban, if CTA doesn't want Tibetans to be surpressed, then why are they supressing their own people and not allowing freedom for Tibetans to practice a tradition that is more than 350 years old?   

[dsiluvu]

Why should the CTA issue such a statement? Well, it is a good opportunity for them to open the doors of negotiation. If they are smart enough or that they have good advisors or think tanks, this would seize this opportunity as there would be fewer opportunities in the future. In other to avoid future contention with China, they should dissolve the ban right now. The ban would definitely be used by China to pinpoint what's wrong with the 'feudalistic' form of government the Tibetans have. That's how I see it.

  Ditto. It is CTAs responsibility now. Now especially with a new Prime Minster. I hope they will see this as a perfect opportunity because this is their chance to create some "good" cause for what they seek. I think HHDL should be left out in this as He is more on the spiritual side now. So those people in power for secular matters should step up and speak up before it is too late. They cannot keep depending on HHDL to do their job. It brings down the position of a spiritual person. They need to re-educate their own people also not to mix religion with politics any more and start fresh.

If they continue to ride on HHDL fame and influence, when HHDL passes (sorry to say) they will be like shadows in the dark. No political leader will take them seriously after HHDL passing because up until now they have not stood for anything without HHDL help. Even previously, the PM being Samdhong Rinpoche is also a spiritual person, a sangha. So there's definitely a need to change that concept. Well I hope their own Tibetans will actually listen to the CTA on their own. Will they without HHDL involved?