Thursday, 27 March 2008

Somehow, knowing that the Tibetan riots aren't achieving anything is unsettling. Dont know why, but its leaving a bad taste in my mouth. Maybe because it reminds me of that nationalistic story I heard of when I was nine; of Gandhi's salt sathyagraha- of how it was a peaceful strike, and of how all he wanted was for people to sit up and listen... and leave.
And its the same in Tibet, its just that its alot easier to listen now than to do anything about it, becuase its China we're talking about. And thats a depressing thought: that maybe the economic motive is the greatest of all.

The death toll remains uncertain. The government says 16 people, mostly civilians, have been killed by rioters. Tibetan exile groups say more than 80 Tibetans have been shot or beaten to death by paramilitary police. Neither side has provided evidence, though the Free Tibet campaign has distributed photographs of what it claims are some of the dead. None of the claims has been independently verified.

Lhasa is now patrolled by thousands of armed police. "This is effectively martial law," said James Miles, a correspondent with the Economist who has been in the city for the past week. "Although the government says there are no troops here, I bet my bottom dollar that is what they are. Some are in military vehicles with the licence plates obscured or taken off ... There are thousands of them. They're absolutely everywhere. It is reminiscent of the level of security in the aftermath of Tiananmen in 1989."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/19/tibet.china

Hmmm. Well at least there's some way to feel useful. A global petition supporting a dialogue session between the Dalai Lama and President Hu Jintao. Sign it. =)


12:12 am

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