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BY BROOKE BULLOCK, AMERICAN SCHOOL OF DOHA
Tibet, the “Roof of the World” has been struggling with China for at least a century. Riots and mutinies have resulted in mass casualties and suffering of the Tibetan population. Human rights in Tibet have been a debatable topic for some time now, and both the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama have come under question. The recent riot on March 14, 2008 in Tibet, where indigenous Tibetans protested the business dominance of Han Chinese, has brought the argument over human rights in Tibet to the forefront once again.
Tibet has a history of riots and mutinies against Chinese control and human rights.
Starting with an insurrection that expelled Chinese troops in 1913, Tibet has continued along its path of not-so-peaceful resistance. In 1959 the Tibetan people rioted against Chinese occupation leaving 87,000 dead. Most recently, a riot in March of 2008 was staged against Han Chinese business dominance. Indigenous peoples left in their wake 19 Chinese residents dead and 623 injured. While China attempted to put down the March 2008 riot by sending in peacekeeping troops, accusations of trampling on Tibetan human rights surfaced.
Despite such accusations, some consider China to be helping Tibet a great deal. Since 1978 China has spent billions to restore monasteries in Tibet while also building major infrastructure, including railroads and highways. The downside to China’s efforts is that these infrastructures are privileges restricted to the generally wealthier Han Chinese while indigenous Tibetans remain at the low end of economic classes and receive little benefit from such improvements. This has caused resentment against Chinese rule. China’s violations of human rights go beyond infrastructure though. So far China has been accused of violations such as arbitrary arrest, torture, unfair trials and the absence of freedom of expression and assembly. According to a Human Rights Watch article called “Tibet Since 1950: Silence, Prison, or Exile,” Chinese authorities have imprisoned Tibetans for political expression such as leafleting and distributing the writings of the Dalai Lama. Exiles recount stories of beatings in prisons, untreated near-fatal illnesses and penalties enforced on entire families at the fault of one member.
China cannot be accountable for all the problems in Tibet, however. Some believe that the Dalai Lama’s rule would be more crippling than the Chinese government. Previously under the Dalai Lama, it was estimated that ninety-percent of the Tibetan population were serfs, laborers bought and sold with land or treated as slaves who suffered under harsh conditions and still harsher treatment from landlords. Tibetans serving as serfs were often subjected to such tortures as eye gouging, the pulling of tongues, hamstringing and amputation. Though they still form the majority of the bottom economic class, the percentage of serfdom is not as high. Adding to this, some Tibetans and many foreign countries fear the Dalai Lama and his regime because they are afraid of a religiously controlled nation, especially in the post-9/11 world. This religious rule, called Buddhist theocracy, has created fear within the indigenous people and the foreign world.
All of these issues have pushed the Tibetan people to call for independence, but their cry for freedom remains insignificant in the Chinese mind. Tibet has tried to break through Chinese control but found little help among the general population in China, making it difficult to be heard. According to Newsweek reporter Fareed Zakaria a “vast majority of Chinese have little sympathy for the Tibetan cause.” However, the public is barely given a chance to see the political views of the Tibetan people. Five young Tibetans were detained by Chinese government because of “possession or circulation of published materials about the Dalai Lama or Tibetan independence.” When Tibetans are persecuted for political expression, it is hardly a fair fight.
Human rights remain a hot topic concerning Tibet. Whether Chinese control or the Dalai Lama regime would be more beneficial to the people poses a defining question for the world to consider. Unjust persecution and detention, as well as suppression of free expression, are rampant in Tibet. A cry for autonomy has risen among the people of Tibet as a solution to ease the suffering of its people. Tibetans deserve their basic human rights to fair trial and freedom of political expression.
Tibet, the “Roof of the World” has been struggling with China for at least a century. Riots and mutinies have resulted in mass casualties and suffering of the Tibetan population. Human rights in Tibet have been a debatable topic for some time now, and both the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama have come under question. The recent riot on March 14, 2008 in Tibet, where indigenous Tibetans protested the business dominance of Han Chinese, has brought the argument over human rights in Tibet to the forefront once again.
Tibet has a history of riots and mutinies against Chinese control and human rights.
Starting with an insurrection that expelled Chinese troops in 1913, Tibet has continued along its path of not-so-peaceful resistance. In 1959 the Tibetan people rioted against Chinese occupation leaving 87,000 dead. Most recently, a riot in March of 2008 was staged against Han Chinese business dominance. Indigenous peoples left in their wake 19 Chinese residents dead and 623 injured. While China attempted to put down the March 2008 riot by sending in peacekeeping troops, accusations of trampling on Tibetan human rights surfaced.
Despite such accusations, some consider China to be helping Tibet a great deal. Since 1978 China has spent billions to restore monasteries in Tibet while also building major infrastructure, including railroads and highways. The downside to China’s efforts is that these infrastructures are privileges restricted to the generally wealthier Han Chinese while indigenous Tibetans remain at the low end of economic classes and receive little benefit from such improvements. This has caused resentment against Chinese rule. China’s violations of human rights go beyond infrastructure though. So far China has been accused of violations such as arbitrary arrest, torture, unfair trials and the absence of freedom of expression and assembly. According to a Human Rights Watch article called “Tibet Since 1950: Silence, Prison, or Exile,” Chinese authorities have imprisoned Tibetans for political expression such as leafleting and distributing the writings of the Dalai Lama. Exiles recount stories of beatings in prisons, untreated near-fatal illnesses and penalties enforced on entire families at the fault of one member.
China cannot be accountable for all the problems in Tibet, however. Some believe that the Dalai Lama’s rule would be more crippling than the Chinese government. Previously under the Dalai Lama, it was estimated that ninety-percent of the Tibetan population were serfs, laborers bought and sold with land or treated as slaves who suffered under harsh conditions and still harsher treatment from landlords. Tibetans serving as serfs were often subjected to such tortures as eye gouging, the pulling of tongues, hamstringing and amputation. Though they still form the majority of the bottom economic class, the percentage of serfdom is not as high. Adding to this, some Tibetans and many foreign countries fear the Dalai Lama and his regime because they are afraid of a religiously controlled nation, especially in the post-9/11 world. This religious rule, called Buddhist theocracy, has created fear within the indigenous people and the foreign world.
All of these issues have pushed the Tibetan people to call for independence, but their cry for freedom remains insignificant in the Chinese mind. Tibet has tried to break through Chinese control but found little help among the general population in China, making it difficult to be heard. According to Newsweek reporter Fareed Zakaria a “vast majority of Chinese have little sympathy for the Tibetan cause.” However, the public is barely given a chance to see the political views of the Tibetan people. Five young Tibetans were detained by Chinese government because of “possession or circulation of published materials about the Dalai Lama or Tibetan independence.” When Tibetans are persecuted for political expression, it is hardly a fair fight.
Human rights remain a hot topic concerning Tibet. Whether Chinese control or the Dalai Lama regime would be more beneficial to the people poses a defining question for the world to consider. Unjust persecution and detention, as well as suppression of free expression, are rampant in Tibet. A cry for autonomy has risen among the people of Tibet as a solution to ease the suffering of its people. Tibetans deserve their basic human rights to fair trial and freedom of political expression.
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