Update:
Through this post I am not trying to defend China or Tibet. I am not trying to point out who is right or wrong.
I found the way this event devlopped to be very interesting.
The whole buddhism thing was something of interest when I was a teen. I was not in the spirtual side of things with buddhism however the philosophical side of it was very appealing to me. I moved on with the years and learned the philosophical aspect of buddhism was only a very smart part of the branch philosophy.
Had I still have the same interest in buddhism as I did when I was a lot younger, I wonder how I would have seen the Tibet riots event ?
Since this post was written interesting stories developped.
The Chineese new agency posted on march 23rd various pictures the western medias had posted:
A CNN website picture shows people running in front of a military truck. The original picture uploaded by Chinese netizens, however, actually also shows mobsters throwing stones at the truck.
‘BBC released a picture on its website showing Chinese Armed Police officers helping medical staff move a wounded person into an ambulance. The caption says that “there is a heavy military presence in Lhasa,” neglecting the obvious First Aid and red cross signs on the ambulance.
‘German newspaper Berlin Morningpost posted a picture on its website in which police in Lhasa rescued a young man of Han nationality assaulted by rioters. But the caption says “insurrectionist taken away by police”.
N-TV, headquartered in Germany, used TV footage showing police with captured protestors in a report on the Tibet riots. The footage had been shot in Nepal, the police were Nepalese.
Photos can be found on the Chinnese news agency’s website.
A video grab of CCTV International shows rioters and monks attack a shop during the March 14 riot in Lhasa. [CCTV International] (http://chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-03/23/content_6558545.htm)
As well from the Chineese news agency the following very interesting statement on Pelosi:
Nancy Pelosi challenged her own conscience when the U.S. House of Representatives Speaker on Friday condemned China’s legitimate actions against violence in Tibet, but turned a blind eye to merciless rioters.
Pelosi’s double standards reveal her motives and those of her kind: their indignation is reserved for those occasions when their interests are best served.
Her views are like so many other politicians and western media. Beneath the double standards lies their intention to serve the interest groups behind them, who want to contain or smear China.
Article can be found here.
Also an article abotu some western medias criticizing the bias reporting by other western medias can be found here. Archived
A lot of information can be found on China View
To summarize I found two very intersting things. First of all it was one of the first time I can recall that media bias was reported so much on the net. Sure it was not on the front page of Yahoo news or some well known news website, but to anyone interested in the subject once could find the information.
The other ineresting thing is how quickly people forge an opinion through news and the way events are reported to them even though they lack a lot of understanding of the history of the events. Not so many are aware of the Tibet history.
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What to think of the Tibet & China situation ?
Reading the media or having a quick look at the media it seems as if China has been agressing Tibet.
What a lot of people have failed to recognize is how the Tibetans monks started “attacking Chinese properties, shops, restaurats owned by ethnic Chinese” as James Miles, correspondent with the Economist says it.
Or as another witness puts it “It wnet crazy all of a sudden. All the Chinese shops were put on fire by Tibetans.
From various sources it seems very clear that there was a provocation from the Tibetan side. Not from the Tibetan people but rather the Tibetan monks.
Unfortunately the event were not portrayed as such in the western medias. It seemed clear that the chineese governement was the opressor.
This is a picture that was shown on CNN:
Pay close attention as how we can see a Chineese army truck and a Tibetan running away.
This picture made it widely in the headlines. This is actually the first picture I remember that was posted when Tibet made the headlines. Not only on CNN but other source of news as well.
What we did not see was the picture below. A bunch of tibetans attacking the Chineese trucks.
Since the events a few days ago, the protests seem to have spread a bit.
What is very evident from the witness report is that this was organized. The protest and agression of Ethnic chineese interest was very obvious.
The Tibetans monks, the tibetan buddhists are afer all not so peacefull.
The point is not to try to justify China over the monks.
Here is a problem religion created once again.
The Dalai Lama was very quick to use the famous “terror” word. Terror, terrorist, terrorism is such a trendy word.
He claimed that there was a “rule of terror” by China.
The strangest quote is:
“Whether intentionally or unintentionally, some cultural genocide is taking place,”
“They simply rely on using force in order to simulate peace, a peace brought by force using a rule of terror.
“Please investigate, if possible… some international organisation can try firstly to inquire about the situation in Tibet.”
Does not it sound desperate ? Desperate to bring some intention ?
Is he trying to convince us and make us forget that the monks initiated the protest and agression of innocent civilians. The ethnic chineese were attacked because of their ethnicity. Their shops, restaurant destroyed… is not that more of a cultural genocide ? or to make it short a genocide ?
The monks are not so peacefull neither is the Dalai Lama who is desperate to bring back the theocracy and the feudal system of pre-1950s. Do I need to remind that the Dalai Lama exiled after a failed coup with his brothers ? Yes… the Dalai Lama who since then has been calling for peace.
The Dalai Lama likes to call himself “half marxist, half buddhist”. I don’t think this lie needs to be even discussed but it was done at a time when the US was withdrewing support from Tibet.
Tibet has also recognized various help from the CIA.
What the mainstream society has failed to recognize is how much Tibet has flourished since Tibet was freed from the hands of the religious monks.
Meanwhile the US has been very quick in increasing their radio broadcast in Tibet.
The Dalai Lama received the congressional Gold Medal. “awared to an individual who performs an outstanding deed or act of service to the security, prosperity, and national interest of the United States”. (Wikipedia)
I don’t think it can be much clearer.
All of this while the western college students claim “free tibet”.